Sixth-round find out of Arizona who has carved out a reliable run-stuffing role across four different NFL stops.
Roy Lopez grew up in the shadow of the Cardinals' stadium in Tempe before starring at the University of Arizona, and he has since bounced between Houston, Arizona, Detroit and back to Arizona while quietly logging steady snaps in the trenches.
Path to the league
Lopez began his college career at New Mexico State before transferring to Arizona, where he developed into an interior defensive lineman. The Houston Texans selected him in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Lopez has been a durable rotational defensive tackle since entering the league, moving from Houston to Arizona in 2023 and then to Detroit for the 2025 season. Through 2025 he has amassed 167 career tackles, five sacks and two fumble recoveries.
2025 season recap
Playing for the Detroit Lions on a one-year deal in 2025, Lopez started all 17 games and recorded 30 tackles, 2.0 sacks and five quarterback hits, earning a PFF grade that ranked among the better marks for qualified interior defenders.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Roy Lopez (American football)
- Pro Football Reference: Roy Lopez
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
17 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | lions | 17 | 30 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 | cardinals | 16 | 28 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 2023 | cardinals | 14 | 42 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | texans | 17 | 36 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2021 | texans | 16 | 31 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive Tackle
- Group
- defense
- College
- Arizona
- Hometown
- Tempe, AZ, USA
- Age
- 29
- Status
- active
