Aaron Donald draft evaluation has deep ties to the Lions front office

The Rams hit on Aaron Donald thanks to evaluation and advocacy by Lions assistant GM Ray Agnew

The wildly off-base scouting report on the now-retired Aaron Donald went viral last week. What was also discussed was how the Los Angeles Rams took a chance on an undersized defensive lineman after a dominant Senior Bowl performance.

The main reason the Rams took the Pittsburgh Panther? One talent evaluator pounded the table for him to be drafted.

That evaluator was Ray Agnew who was with the Rams at the time and would eventually become their Director of Pro Personnel. Agnew decided to move east when his friend and co-worker Brad Holmes would leave the Rams to become the general manager of the Lions. He now serves as Holmes assistant general manager and has helped craft some of the best draft classes in the entire NFL since they joined forces in the Motor City.

Coming off arguably the best draft class of their tenure, the Holmes and Agnew-led front office now hopes to have a strong repeat performance this April. The Lions currently have the 29th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and have seven selections in total.