Tennessee football defensive end Tyre West is getting a chance at the pro level. On Saturday, West was selected in the seventh round by the Detroit Lions with the No. 222 overall pick. West had built his way up draft boards late in the process and ultimately heard his name called.
The defensive end now joins a Detroit team coming off a disappointing year. The team went 9-8 and missed the playoffs after winning the division the year before at 12-5 and making the NFC Championship the year prior. West will now join a defense under Dan Campbell, looking to regain its footing and make another push at a Super Bowl.
West is now the fifth Vol to be drafted so far. This has featured Colton Hood to the Giants in the second round, Chris Brazzell to the Panthers in the third round, Jermod McCoy to the Raiders in the fourth round and Joshua Josephs to the Commanders in the fifth round.
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West just concluded his fourth year of college ball, all at Tennessee. At defensive end, he produced 23 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and a forced fumble in 2025. Each of these marks was a career high.
It’s his potential versatility that intrigued teams in the draft, though. While he almost solely played defensive end at UT, teams see him as someone who could slide into the interior due to his size. He was listed at 6-foot-3, 290 pounds in his senior season on Rocky Top.
West was also loyal throughout his college career. He played all four seasons at Tennessee, where he made an increasing impact every year of his tenure.
