New Lions DT Tyleik Williams confirms Bills expressed strong interest at No. 30

(Justin Rogers | Detroit Football Network)

Allen Park — As the Detroit Lions inched closer to being on the clock in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft Thursday night, general manager Brad Holmes fielded phone calls gauging his interest in trading the pick.

The GM admitted one offer was particularly compelling, allowing the Lions to still select in the first round. With only four teams behind them in the draft order, the pitch had to come from either Washington, Buffalo, Philadelphia, or Kansas City.

And while we can't say for certain, there is a strong possibility that the call came from Philadelphia. Shortly after the Lions selected Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams at No. 28, the Eagles sent a fifth-rounder to the Chiefs to move up one spot and snag Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell.

Holmes ultimately decided to stay put because he feared their desired target, Williams, would be gone by the time they'd be back on the clock.

"Just didn't feel great just kind of how it was thinning out for us specifically," Holmes said. "… You've just kind of got to try to make the most responsible decision that you can. We thought about it. There was one enticing one, but we just felt that with the depth of that group right there and how the board was falling out, felt it was the most responsible thing to stay put."

Based on Williams' comments during Friday's introductory press conference, the Lions had reason to be concerned. Heading into Thursday, he had received strong feedback that he could land with the Lions after a good meeting at the combine and a 30 visit to the team's practice facility. But if not Detroit, Buffalo had expressed similar interest.

"Yeah, it was kind of the same conversation I was having with the Lions," Williams said. "They kind of told me if I was there, they wanted me. I had talks with the head coach (Sean McDermott), the d-line coach (Marcus West). They said they loved my game and how I played. It definitely was a possibility."

Local reports highlighted Buffalo's glaring need for a defensive tackle entering this draft. The Buffalo News ranked the need a 9 out of 10 before the draft.

"There is not an ideal backup for veteran DaQuan Jones, who enters the last year of his contract and is 33," the publication wrote. "Both current backups at defensive tackle — DeWayne Carter and Larry Ogonjobi — can play Jones' 1-technique spot (opposite a shoulder of the center). But they are better at 3-technique, opposite the outside shoulder of a guard, where Ed Oliver starts. The primary backup to Jones last season was Austin Johnson, but he was not re-signed. In looking at the draft class, the presumption is the Bills will lean toward nose tackles, or 1-technique DTs, over 3-technique players."

The Bills ended up addressing another top need after the Lions selected Williams, grabbing Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston at No. 30 overall.