Brad Holmes Isn't Afraid to Trade Up in the Draft. The Lions' Track Record Says Why He Should.
Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes is making one thing crystal clear heading into next week's draft: if he sees a guy who can bring a Super Bowl to Allen Park, he's going all-in to get him. No hesitation. No half measures.
"If it's the right guy, absolutely. We're going to go and get him," Holmes said during his predraft news conference on Monday. The Lions hold nine picks in the upcoming draft, including the 17th overall selection, and they're coming off a season where they failed to reach the postseason for the first time since 2022. That sting is real, and Holmes isn't hiding his urgency.
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Here's the thing about Holmes' aggressive approach: it actually works. Since arriving in Detroit in 2021, he's orchestrated a string of draft-day trades that have transformed the Lions into a consistent playoff threat. In 2022, he traded up 20 spots from No. 32 to grab Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams at No. 12. The next year, he swapped the sixth overall pick to Arizona for picks 12 and 34, then used that capital to snag Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs and Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell in the first round.
Last year, Holmes traded up five spots from No. 29 to No. 24 to draft Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold. It's not just volume either. The Lions have drafted seven Pro Bowl players since 2021, the most in the NFL over that span.
The 2023 Draft Class Was Genuinely Legendary
That 2023 draft class deserves its own paragraph. Four Lions picks made the Pro Bowl that year, the most any team has had from a single draft since the 2010 Seahawks also had four. That's the kind of elite scouting and evaluation that makes a GM confident enough to move mountains on draft day.
Holmes skipped the NFL annual meeting in Phoenix last month to stay in Allen Park and prep for the draft. That tells you where his head is at. The Lions aren't happy with where they landed last season, and they're ready to be aggressive about fixing it.
Next week's draft could get real interesting real quick. If Holmes sees his guy, watch him move.
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