One of the more surprising moments in Lions GM Brad Holmes’ late-night press conference following Day 2 of the 2021 NFL draft was Holmes stating the team wanted to trade up in the second round.
The player they were targeting in those trade efforts on Friday night was Washington defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike. In a bit of good fortune for Holmes, the failure to land a trade did not mean losing out on the player he and his Lions staff coveted.
“He’s been one of my favorite players in the draft,” Holmes said of Onwuzurike. “We did make some attempts to get back up there and then obviously, it didn’t fall through, and then we made some attempts earlier. We made a few attempts to get him, but it’s just sometimes the draft gods smile on you a little bit and bless you with what you were wanting.”
The big tackle was still on the board when the Lions went on the clock at No. 41, and it didn’t take Holmes long to send in the pick.
“He’s a scheme fit,” Holmes explained. “He’s very explosive, very talented. He’s one that I identified early on in the process, I’d say you know back from 2019 when he was still playing and even when he had his opt-out, still just kind of refreshing on his film again last year.”
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