Not every question in Lions GM Brad Holmes’ pre-draft press conference dealt with the upcoming NFL draft. It was also the first time since the team traded away cornerback Jeff Okudah that Holmes has been available to talk on the record about the move.
The Lions traded Okudah, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, to the Atlanta Falcons for a fifth-round pick (No. 159 overall). It was an underwhelming ending to a once-promising Lions career for Okudah, who struggled with injuries and inconsistent play in his three years in Detroit.
“Yeah, I just think it was the right time,” Holmes said plainly. “It was just the right time and I think it was good for Jeff. I had a good talk with him after it was done, and he totally understood it as well. It was great. I really respect what Jeff did. We kind of put him in some adverse moments in training camp last year, and like I told you guys I really respected how he battled and didn’t bat an eye and won the starting job. We had the conversation of, ‘OK, if this didn’t happen now, is there a chance that it could happen a little bit later?’
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Holmes continued,
“I just think it was good for Jeff. I’ve got a lot of respect for (Falcons General Manager) Terry (Fontenot) out there in Atlanta. It was a really smooth, efficient process. It kind of just came up. Again, like I was telling you guys about the (Vikings TE T.J.) Hockenson trade, I wasn’t making a ton of calls and I wasn’t actively shopping or anything like that. You get the call and sometimes it just lines up, and it makes sense for all parties, and it just did.”
Holmes has always been straightforward in his dealings with other teams, and it appears that was indeed the case with the Okudah trade to Atlanta, too.