Tag: Brad Holmes

Shelia Ford Hamp, Rod Wood release statements on new Lions GM Brad Holmes

Detroit Lions owner Shelia Ford Hamp and team president Rod Wood have released statements on new general manager Brad Holmes.

Early Wednesday afternoon, the Detroit Lions agreed to a five-year deal with Brad Holmes (former Rams’ director of college scouting) to be their new general manager.

A few hours later, the Lions confirmed the hire, along with statements from principal owner Shelia Ford Hamp and team president Rod Wood. Additionally, Rams general manager Les Snead also released a statement on Holmes.

Shelia Ford Hamp

“On behalf of the entire Lions organization, I am thrilled to welcome Brad Holmes to Detroit. Several weeks ago when we embarked on this process, it was critical that we find the right person to fit our vision for this team. It was evident early on that Brad is a proven leader who is ready for this opportunity. We are thrilled to introduce him to our fans as a member of our football family.”

Rod Wood

“Throughout our search for a new general manager, Brad was someone who stood out immediately. His abilities as a critical thinker, along with his extensive experience implementing technology and analytics into his approach to scouting, were among the many decisive qualities Brad displayed in our time getting to know him during the interview process. We look forward to him helping lead our organization as we take the next steps as a team.”

[lawrence-related id=57647]

Rams’ GM Les Snead

Examining new Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes approach to evaluating players

Examining how new Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes approaches evaluating and how player intangables led him to unearth gems.

The Detroit Lions have hired Brad Holmes, former Los Angeles Rams’ director of college scouting, to be their next general manager. Just 41 years old, Holmes is one of the youngest GMs in the NFL and has reportedly agreed to a five-year deal.

Holmes’ 16-year rise through the Rams’organization has been an interesting journey and has influenced his philosophies on scouting and evaluating players when building a roster.

Eric Edholm interviewed Holmes in 2019 and published the interview for Yahoo Sports. In it, Homles discusses his background and why he got into scouting, which I have reorganized and summarized for easier consumption, as well as added my own commentary.

Holmes played football at North Carolina A&T, but his football knowledge dates back further than his college days. Holmes’ father, Mel, played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and his uncle Luther Bradley was a first-round pick of the Lions in 1978.

After college, Holmes joined the Rams’ public relations department as a way of breaking into the NFL, and would eventually take an intern position within the scouting department in 2004. After three years of working out of the office — and making runs to the airport — he got an opportunity to start scouting pro days in 2007, mainly collecting data on players.

Holmes’ work ethic and a keen eye for talent would accelerate his career from there.

“The only reason I’ve gotten to this point in my career now is that I’ve only concentrated on being the best I can be in my role,” Holmes told Edholm. “Whatever that role is at that time. So I was a scouting assistant, and I tried to be the best scouting assistant. I want to get the coffee the fastest, I want to make the best profile tape possible, and all of that. When I was an area scout, I wanted to be the best at that. You know what I mean? So I never really looked ahead. Opportunities — all of them blessings — have landed on me, and I’ve just kind of earned my way to where I am now.”

Over the last 16 years, Holmes has gained a reputation as being one of the brighter minds in the NFL, and one of the top influencers for Rams’ general manager Les Snead.

Former NFL running back Wilbert Montgomery got a chance to work with Holmes as running backs coach with the Rams’ and recently told the Free press’ Dave Birkett that Holmes reminded him of his childhood friend and legendary Ravens’ GM, Ozzie Newsome. That’s awfully high praise.

Holmes is also credited with leading the charge for the Rams to draft All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald when several other teams were downgrading him due to his size. Vincent Bonsignore of The Athletic ($), detailed how Holmes went the extra mile to do a thorough scouting evaluation of Donald, despite being the director of college scouting.

Donald is as physically gifted as any player in the NFL, if not more, but at only 6-0 3/4″, his height was a major red flag amongst the analytics community.

“I am so much focused on the intangible traits way more so than the physical traits,” Holmes to Edholm. “Now I am like, ‘OK, yeah, he’s fast, but does he work hard?’ You know? I just don’t care about that stuff quite as much. Of course, I care about it. But I’ve learned so much as to why a player is or isn’t successful in this league. It falls so much on the intangibles more than the physical.”

Donald wasn’t the only player where Holmes illustrated his ability to identify non-physical traits.

“Take someone like (Rams safety) John Johnson. His instincts just stood out so much. He’s just turned into a heck of a run supporter. He’s just been terrific. But I remember during his evaluation process, it wasn’t really … I mean, he’s a good-sized kid, but you know, he didn’t run the fastest. I remember watching him live and then again at his Senior Bowl, it’s not like he was picking off a bunch of balls — and he might have had six picks or something in his [college] career. But he was just cutting off so many routes. He just instinctively knew the angles to take. So I look at him now — I remember that first start he had against Seattle and his picks that ball off on the sideline and I am just like, yep, that’s what you saw.”

Johnson will be a potential free agent this offseason and was the one Rams player that I identified that the Lions should be watching — now more than ever — in last weekend’s Wild Card Playoff games.

While Holmes puts a high value on non-physical intangibles, he’s not going to dismiss the value of analytics.

“‘Why would you turn down extra information? Why would you ignore data?’ Especially stuff that you can use to help guide you and make a better decision. As scouts, we’re looking for the best information, the best sources to talk to, the best game to watch to get to know the player and evaluate him properly. The analytics, they’re nothing but help toward that end. And I think that’s been the biggest (evolution to scouting methods) I’ve seen since starting.”

At the end of the day, Holmes is poised to lean on the evaluation skills that got him to where he is today, and a player’s intangibles will drive decision making, but he has also shown a willingness to adapt to new ideas in the ever-changing scouting world.

“You start with the heart and you put it with the physical abilities, and you see it all come together in your evaluation.”

Rams are 1st team to earn compensatory picks thanks to NFL’s new hiring initiative

Here’s an updated look at the Rams’ projected draft picks in 2021 after receiving two compensatory picks for losing Brad Holmes.

The NFL approved a new hiring initiative in November that rewards teams that lose minority coaching and GM candidates to other teams by compensating them with draft picks. And fittingly, the Rams are now the first team to benefit from that new rule.

With the Lions hiring Brad Holmes as their new GM, the Rams will receive two third-round compensatory picks – one in 2021 and another in 2022. It hurts to lose their director of college scouting, but the return of two third-round picks eases the pain, for sure.

And the Rams may not be done compiling picks from this new initiative. Ray Farmer is a personnel consultant with the Rams right now and is a candidate to be hired as the Jaguars’ new general manager.

If they lose Farmer, too, they would add another two third-round compensatory picks, just as they have with Holmes.

This new minority hiring initiative was a great idea for the league, as it rewards teams for developing both coaches and executives as they advance their careers. The Rams are the first team to benefit from it, but they certainly won’t be the last.

With a third-round compensatory pick coming in 2021, here’s an updated look at the Rams’ projected draft picks this year.

  • 1st round: Traded to Jacksonville for Jalen Ramsey
  • 2nd round: Rams’ pick
  • 3rd round: Rams’ pick + Holmes compensatory pick
  • 4th round: Traded to Jacksonville for Ramsey
  • 5th round: Traded to Cleveland for Austin Corbett
  • 6th round: Rams’ pick
  • 7th round: Rams’ pick

In addition to these picks, the Rams are also likely to receive compensatory picks for losing Dante Fowler Jr. and Cory Littleton. Fowler’s would come in the third round, with Littleton’s being valued at a fourth-rounder, according to Over The Cap.

So it’s possible the Rams will have five picks in the first four rounds this year, with another potentially coming if the Jaguars hire Farmer, as well.

[vertical-gallery id=643966]

Poll: How do you feel about the Lions hiring Brad Holmes as the new GM?

Poll: How do you feel about the Lions hiring Brad Holmes as the new GM?

Brad Holmes is the new general manager of the Detroit Lions. The team hired Holmes away from the Los Angeles Rams, where he has served as that franchise’s director of collegiate scouting for the past eight seasons.

How do you feel about the Holmes hiring as a Lions fan?

You can vote on which option best fits your reaction to the news. If you wish to expand on the thought or have a different answer, our Lions Wire Twitter (@thelionswire) is the best place to leave a comment.

Lions hiring Rams’ college scouting director Brad Holmes as new GM

The Lions have agreed to terms on a 5-year deal with Brad Holmes to become their next GM.

The Los Angeles Rams are losing one of their most important talent evaluators to the Detroit Lions. According to reports, the Lions are hiring Brad Holmes as their new general manager, agreeing to terms on a five-year deal.

Holmes has been the Rams’ director of college scouting for the last eight years and has been with the organization for the last 18. He helped identify players such as Aaron Donald, Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, Rob Havenstein, John Johnson and Gerald Everett, all of whom have played key roles in recent years.

He originally started out as a PR intern with the Rams when they were in St. Louis, rising the ranks over the last decade. Now a general manager in Detroit, Holmes has reached the pinnacle of his career.

The Rams won’t come away empty-handed from this departure, though. A new rule approved by the NFL in November rewards teams that lose a minority coach or executive to a head coach or GM job with two third-round compensatory picks – one in each of the next three years.

So the Rams will be adding a pick at the end of the third round in 2021 and 2022. Since they don’t have a first- or fourth-rounder this year as a result of the Jalen Ramsey trade, that additional pick will certainly help.

Report: Lions will hire Brad Holmes as the team’s new GM

Holmes has been the Rams director of collegiate scouting

Numerous reports, including one from ESPN’s Adam Schefter indicates that the Detroit Lions are hiring Brad Holmes as the team’s new general manager.

Holmes has been one of the primary candidates and completed his second interview with the team on Wednesday. He has been the director of collegiate scouting for the Los Angeles Rams since 2012 and has spent his entire NFL front office tenure with the Rams organization.

Per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Holmes and the Lions agreed to a five-year contract.

There is no immediate indication on who Holmes is seeking to be the team’s new head coach. Holmes replaces Bob Quinn, who was fired midway through the 2020 season.

[lawrence-related id=57639]

Detroit Lions GM search appears to be narrowed to 4 candidates

Based on multiple reports surrounding the Detroit Lions general manager search, their focus appears to be narrowed to four candidates.

The Detroit Lions have done an extensive search for the general manager position, completing 12 candidate interviews, as well as inquiring about several others.

Now, based on multiple reports, they have taken the next step and narrowed the list to just four candidates: Brad Holmes (Los Angeles Rams’ director of college scouting), Ed Dodds (Colts’ assistant GM), Jeff Ireland (Saints’ Assistant GM, Formerly Dolphins GM), and Terry Fontenot (Saints’ VP/assistant GM of pro personnel).

In most years, this second round of interviews would be “contract on the table” interviews, meaning the team would likely offer them the job at the end of the meeting if they were interested. If there was no contract, the odds of them reaching a deal were slim.

But this is not a typical year.

It appears, with most initial interviews taking place virtually, it’s added another layer to the process. So this year’s next step involves a second round of interviews that would take place in person, but it is still a narrowing of options.

First up for these in-person interviews was Holmes, who completed his second interview on Wednesday. Who’s next? Well, that’s a bit muddled.

MMQB’s Albert Breer reported that “Detroit would like to get Dodds, Ireland, and Fontenot into the building before making a decision. Whether they’ll have the chance to do that, given all the balls in the air right now, is another question.”

Some of these questions center around availability. Because the Saints are still in the NFL Playoffs, neither Fontenot nor Ireland can interview a second time until they are eliminated or they reach the bye week ahead of the Super Bowl.

Dodds, who eligible to interview again at any time, just interviewed on Tuesday and the Lions may want more time to process his interview before scheduling a second. If he is going to get/take a second interview, logistics point to him being the next likely candidate to be scheduled.

The Lions are getting closer to a decision, but it doesn’t look like they’re going to rush this process.

Stay tuned to Lions Wire for daily updates as things continue to unfold.

Detroit Lions confirm a second completed interview with Brad Holmes

The Detroit Lions confirmed that they have completed a second interview with Los Angeles Rams director of college scouting Brad Holmes.

The Detroit Lions confirmed that they have completed a second interview, this time in person, with Los Angeles Rams’ director of college scouting Brad Holmes.

The Lions were reportedly focused on five general manager candidates for a second round of interviews, but after George Paton accepted a position with the Denver Broncos, the anticipated list now stands at a final four.

In addition to Holmes, the Lions are believed to be targeting Ed Dodds (Colts’ assistant GM), Jeff Ireland (Saints’ Assistant GM, Formerly Dolphins GM), and Terry Fontenot (Saints’ VP/assistant GM of pro personnel) as the candidates for a second interview.

Holmes, who also completed two rounds of interviews with the Atlanta Falcons, is believed to be a finalist for them as well. It has been suggested that he is in direct competition with Fontenot, who has also interviewed with them twice, for their open general manager position.

For the Lions, the field is narrowed but there are competing reports on who could be the front runner.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that he believes Homles is “the favorite to become the Lions’ GM”. While NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport suggested both Holmes and Fontenot are “still considered a strong candidate for the Lions and Falcons” GM positions. And MMQB’s Albert Breer says that all four listed above are still being considered.

Detroit Lions confirm a second completed interview with Brad Holmes

The Detroit Lions confirmed that they have completed a second interview with Los Angeles Rams director of college scouting Brad Holmes.

The Detroit Lions confirmed that they have completed a second interview, this time in person, with Los Angeles Rams’ director of college scouting Brad Holmes.

The Lions were reportedly focused on five general manager candidates for a second round of interviews, but after George Paton accepted a position with the Denver Broncos, the anticipated list now stands at a final four.

In addition to Holmes, the Lions are believed to be targeting Ed Dodds (Colts’ assistant GM), Jeff Ireland (Saints’ Assistant GM, Formerly Dolphins GM), and Terry Fontenot (Saints’ VP/assistant GM of pro personnel) as the candidates for a second interview.

Holmes, who also completed two rounds of interviews with the Atlanta Falcons, is believed to be a finalist for them as well. It has been suggested that he is in direct competition with Fontenot, who has also interviewed with them twice, for their open general manager position.

For the Lions, the field is narrowed but there are competing reports on who could be the front runner.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that he believes Homles is “the favorite to become the Lions’ GM”. While NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport suggested both Holmes and Fontenot are “still considered a strong candidate for the Lions and Falcons” GM positions. And MMQB’s Albert Breer says that all four listed above are still being considered.

Report: Falcons GM search down to two candidates

The search for the next general manager of the Atlanta Falcons has been extensive over a short period of time.

The search for the next general manager of the Atlanta Falcons has been extensive over a short period of time. After interviewing numerous candidates, the team has narrowed its search down to two finalists.

As first reported by The Athletic’s Jeff Schultz on Tuesday, the Falcons are closing in on Terry Fontenot, the vice president/assistant GM of the New Orleans Saints, and Brad Holmes, the director of college scouting for the Los Angeles Rams, for their GM opening.

Atlanta has yet to officially confirm this report, however, beat reporter Kelsey Conway covered it for the team’s official website. Conway’s story, which was retweeted by Falcons’ Twitter account, doesn’t mean they have ruled out all other candidates.

On the flip side, it’s hard to imagine the team’s official website reporting on a story if it was just reckless speculation. If this report is true, it would mean that the Falcons have eliminated former Houston Texans general manager Rick Smith from the running.

The team completed a second interview with Holmes over the weekend, and met with two head-coaching candidates — Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles — on Monday.

[lawrence-related id=63995,64028,64024]

[vertical-gallery id=63997]