The Detroit Lions sifted through 257 prospects to pick a Michigan player to aid another one. General manager Brad Holmes has a clear plan for edge rusher Derrick Moore and even laid out a little bit of it in front of the media.

In a press interaction on Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft, Holmes praised Moore. Holmes said, "What Derrick is gonna bring to the defense is first of all, like you said, you want to call it being very selective on the type of guys that we get." The Lions traded up six spots to land Moore. 

By exchanging picks No. 50 and 128 with the Jets, the Lions moved from No. 50 to No. 44 for Moore. The Lions utilized the day 2 pick over Moore, who is the first edge rusher they’ve picked since 2022. 

The 44th overall selection comes in following a season in which he had 10.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and combined 30 tackles.

Moore was also the 2025 team captain and a first-team All-Big Ten honoree. He scored 21 sacks in his college career and won the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year award for his performance as a senior.

Holmes also revealed that he is meant to bolster the defense alongside defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. He said, “Hutch takes a lot of snaps, man. Just to have another body that literally can spell Hutch in that rush rotation when you line up in nickel and sub-defense.”

Moore joins a defensive end room featuring veteran DJ Wonnum and former teammate Aidan Hutchinson. And he is looking forward to playing with Hutchinson. 

Derrick Moore Shares His Stance On Aidan Hutchinson

The Lions now have a Michigan defense pair, and Moore was thrilled to be alongside Hutchinson once again.

“I'm going to be honest with you … I'm definitely excited to play with Hutch,” Moore said via Zoom after the Lions selected him. “When Hutch was leaving (Michigan), I watched Hutch my entire freshman year and my sophomore year. I'm definitely excited to be playing next to Hutch, and hopefully I can learn a lot from him, and we can go out and cause a lot of havoc.”

In his time with the Wolverines, Hutchinson totalled 155 tackles, of which 84 were solo. He recorded 18.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. 

Hutchinson, the 25-year-old, could serve as the mentor for Moore, who is starting his pro career with a familiar face.

So, how will the two fare in the coming season? What are your thoughts? Tell us in the comments.

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Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Rudra Dubey