Lions release DL Levi Onwuzurike

It’s a brutal blow to a Lions defensive front that was decimated by injuries last season. Onwuzurike was placed on the reserve/PUP list late last week, but we now know why. The former second-round pick will miss all of this season due to a torn ACL and is just months removed from signing a one-year, $5.5 million contract extension. Onwuzurike appeared in 16 games for the Lions last season, totaling 28 tackles, one TFL, and 1.5 sacks while earning a PFF defensive grade of 70.2.

Onwuzurike must now sit out training camp, preseason and at least Weeks 1-4 of regular season play. His medical issue was not disclosed, but we expect clarification soon. The front office signed Onwuzurike to a one-year, $5.5 million contract in March. He totaled 45 quarterback pressures, three sacks and 21 tackles last year.

A second-round pick in 2021, Onwuzurike didn’t play much as a rookie and then missed all of the 2022 season plus some of the next year with a back injury. He was finally healthy in 2024 and appeared in 16 games, 10 of which were starts. Onwuzurike totaled three sacks on an impressive 45 pressures. The one-year deal gives him a chance to improve in his fifth year before hitting the open market for a larger payday next offseason.

Decker will now miss his third game since Week 10 and was entirely unable to practice this week. Hopefully, the team is just taking the conservative route and Decker will be readily available for the stretch run later this season. The Lions will be woefully short-staffed in the defensive trenches, having also ruled out DL Josh Paschal (knee), DL Levi Onwuzurike (hamstring) and DL DJ Reader (shoulder).

Onwuzurike (6'2/293) shows rare acceleration for a player of his stature and can control blocks even as a nose tackle. With an array of pass-rushing tools on top of impressive strength (29 bench reps), he has all the physical traits necessary to make an impact in his first season with the Lions. He projects to start the year in a rotational role but could earn more snaps throughout his rookie campaign.

Onwuzurike (6'2/293) initially blossomed in 2018, registering 26 pressures and 19 stops in 391 snaps as a part-timer. He was promptly given the nod as a starter the following year, racking up 31 pressures and 29 stops in 504 snaps but admittedly lacked effectiveness on a weekly basis. Still, Onwuzurike shows rare acceleration off the line for a player of his size and can control blocks even as a nose tackle. With a nice array of pass-rushing tools and brute strength (29 bench reps), he has all the physical traits necessary to be an impact 3-tech at the NFL level.

Onwuzurike (6'3/288) did not play at all during the 2020 season, as he decided to opt out in order to begin preparations for the NFL Draft. Thus far in Mobile he’s shown no signs of rust, which is saying something given the fact that he’s gone more than a year without any game action. “Onwuzurike sat out the 2020 season to prepare for the NFL Draft. That preparation showed on Tuesday,” Cummings wrote. “I graded him as a Round 2 prospect prior to the Senior Bowl. If his NFL Draft stock continues to rise this week, he could play his way into Round 1 contention as the first defensive tackle selected in April.”

Onwuzurike is one of a handful of players who will be at the Senior Bowl this year despite not actually playing out their senior season. Before the Pac-12 kicked off, Onwuzurike decided to opt out and prepare for the NFL Draft. Onwuzurike (6'3/288) entered the year billed as a Day 2 prospect by many, so it is not as though he was some borderline draftable player who needed his senior season. Onwuzurike can probably go Top 100 with ease, especially with a decent showing in Mobile.

Onwuzurike’s timing is a bit peculiar with talks that the Pac-12 may actually return in the near future. The senior DL has decided that one more year is not the move for him, though, and he will instead be getting ready for the 2021 NFL Draft. A few months ago, Pro Football Focus named Onwuzurike (6'3/288) one of their top interior DL prospects heading into the year, praising him as a high Day 2 prospect. Onwuzurike is a flexible DL who can play both nose tackle and defensive tackle. In three seasons of play, Onwuzurike racked up 16 tackles for loss and seven sacks.

The only defensive lineman listed ahead of Onwuzurike is Florida State’s Marvin Wilson. Like Wilson, Onwuzurike was a potential candidate to enter the NFL draft, but the 6-foot-3, 288-pound defender is coming back for the 2020 campaign. “Onwuzurike has split time between nose tackle and defensive tackle since the start of 2018,” Treash writes, “and unlike most who do that, he earned top-10 grades at each alignment. If he puts up similar numbers in 2020, he’s a Day 2 candidate -- maybe higher -- in the 2021 draft.