Tag: Brad Holmes

Lions 2024 NFL draft report: Ainias Smith, Wide Receiver, Texas A&M

Smith offers speed and playmaking versatility later in the draft

It is finally draft season for Lions fans.

Brad Holmes and his front office have proven they are very capable of putting together great draft classes. They have had major hits on every day of the draft, but especially on Day Two. This roster isn’t in desperate need of much because of his work, but they do have some positions that need to be addressed.

This offseason, they should be focusing on getting better play out of their defensive backs, adding depth on the defensive line, and building out the wide receiver room.

These scouting reports should introduce you to some of the names that Lions fans could hear during the three days of the NFL Draft.

Lions front office honored with ‘Best Draft Award’ at NFL Scouting Combine

Lions front office honored with ‘Best Draft Award’ at NFL Scouting Combine for their 2023 draft haul

The 2023 draft class selected by the Detroit Lions has been heralded as one of the best on this site and by many in the media. At the NFL Scouting Combine, it was honored by those within and around the league.

Brad Holmes and his staff were awarded the “Best Draft Award” for their April selections. It was a class that was seen as risky or overreaching at the time, but in the end, the results spoke for themselves. The team found themselves in the NFC Championship game after winning their first division title in over 30 years.

Holmes made several moves on day one of the draft starting with a trade back to get extra picks before landing Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell in round one. Gibbs and Campbell both showed to be leaders on their respective sides of the ball with the Alabama running back looking to become one of the best at his position sooner rather than later.

The Lions general manager then proceeded to make even ore impactful selections on day two of th draft. Between rounds two and three, he would draft the record-breaking Sam LaPorta, Brian Branch, and Hendon Hooker.

LaPorta was ultized by playcaller Ben Johnson and quarterback Jared Goff all year as both a safety blanket option in the passing game but also as a game breaker when need be. Branch made his impact known from the start of the season when his pick-six against the Chiefs on the league’s opening night was just a sign of what was to come.

While Hendon Hooker din’t see the field in 2023, he is someone the franchise remains high on. Coming off a torn ACL in his final year in college, the team got what was seen as a first roudn talent in round three tht they have stashed for the future.

 

Linebackers from the combine who fit what Brad Holmes looks for in the draft

Here is what the Lions front office looks for at LB and who fits the bill from the first day of the combine

The first day of the NFL Scouting Combine has come and gone as far as testing and measurements go. Some interesting results with players both on and off the field have helped paint a clearer picture of what the Lions may be looking for.

Every general manager in the NFL has a type or style of player they like and look for when drafting. For Brad Holmes, we are now three drafts deep into his tenure so those traits and numbers are exposing themselves.

In terms of player size and measurements, there are several key players who fit within those parameters after the defensive lineman hit the field today. Here is what the Lions front office looks for at LB and who fits the bill from the first day of the combine

Taking a look at defensive linemen who fit what Brad Holmes looks for in the draft

Taking a look at defensive linemen from the NFL Scouting Combine who fit what Brad Holmes looks for

The first day of the NFL Scouting Combine has come and gone as far as testing and measurements go. Some interesting results with players both on and off the field have helped paint a clearer picture of what the Lions may be looking for.

Every general manager in the NFL has a type or style of player they like and look for when drafting. For Brad Holmes, we are now three drafts deep into his tenure so those traits and numbers are exposing themselves.

In terms of player size and measurements, there are several key players who fit within those parameters after the defensive lineman hit the field today. Here is what the Lions front office looks for and who fits the bill.

Dolphins cut top corner who could be target for Lions

Dolphins cut top corner Xavien Howard who could be target for Lions

As we get closer and closer to free agency, teams will be making surprising moves. The first “woah” cut of the 2024 calendar year came out of Miami when they parted ways with cornerback Xavien Howard.

The former Baylor Bear is coming off signing a five-year deal with Miami in 2022. The Dolphins however found themselves in a  tough cap situation and had to make the move to cut the former Pro Bowler.

Howard is expected to be a top priority for teams in free agency, and the Lions should be at the top of the list.

Brad Holmes and the Lions have the 6th-highest salary cap money6th-highest salary cap money available at this point in the calendar. Howard’s deal he signed last year had an average salary of just over $10 million per year. That sort of deal would and should be a no-brainer for Holmes to attempt to make.

Howard led the league in interceptions in 2020 when he caught ten of them. His ball production has been a character trait of his ever since his college career where he had 10 interceptions in three years, he now has 29 in eight years in the NFL.

Teams expected to be favorited for the top corner include the Philadelphia Eagles, who just hired his former coordinator Vic Fangio, as well as the NFC North rival Vikings. Minnesota should be at the top of the list due to his longtime head coach Brian Flores being the defensive coordinator for the Vikings.

The Lions need more turnovers from the defense in 2024, Howard could provide that. A best-case scenario is of course they sign him but if they get into a bidding war with the Vikings, they may need to go outside their comfort zone to make a case.

PFF says Lions need to make a splash in free agency

PFF says Lions need to make a splash in free agency, but will Detroit?

NFL free agency is under three weeks away and front office’s and scouting departments are putting offers and reports together for their team. The Lions especially have shown they can be active in free agency but they have never “made a splash.”

PFF says that trend needs to change in 2024.

Speaking on the PFF NFL Stock Exchange podcast, hosts Trevor Sikemma and Brad Spielberger discussed areas of focus for the Lions. They said the guard class in free agency is deep enough that they can find someone to replace Jonah Jackon if he is asking too much money. Names such as Robert Hunt and Kevon Dotson were discussed as possible replacements.

Another position they highlighted was the defensive line group and they threw out an interesting name to add to the edge position. Khalil Mack could be either traded or a cap causality from the Chargers. Spielberger threw his name out as a nice pairing with Aidan Hutchison along the defensive front.

Mack has a veteran mindset and has shown he has the skills and motor to still make plays in the NFL.

They can’t spend too crazy as they hinted on the show they have to extend Jared Goff, Penei Sewell, and Amon-Ra St. Brown soon. Despite that, they still think they can and should make a splash in free agency when the new league starts in 19 days.

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Daniel Jeremiah explains why other teams won’t copy the Lions 2023 draft model

Daniel Jeremiah explains why teams won’t copy the Lions 2023 draft model, and it’s good context to the draft haul

The Detroit Lions bucked all kinds of conventional wisdom with their draft in 2023. GM Brad Holmes selected a running back, off-ball linebacker, tight end and safety with his first four picks, all in the top 45 picks of the draft.

All four of them were big hits right away, position value be darned. The impressive yet unconventional draft haul helped propel the Lions to their first-ever NFC North title and a trip to the NFC Championship game.

Jeremiah doesn’t see other teams trying to eschew positional value to simply draft really good players anytime soon. His explanation was more about the Lions and their unusual situation created by Holmes & Co. in building to that point.

“I don’t think there’s going to be any copycat here because I think we’ve focused so much on them taking those, quote, unquote, non-value positions, but we’ve ignored the fact that when you have already built the foundation, then you can go do that,” Jeremiah said of Detroit’s strategy and foundation.

“That draft was successful because of what they did, what Brad and those
guys did previously to build up the line of scrimmage on both sides. They had the quarterback (Jared Goff) in place. They hit a home run on the wide receiver (Amon-Ra St. Brown). The expensive premium positions, they had already built the foundations. That freed them up.

It’s a huge advantage over the rest of the league where you can take the running back. Obviously a tight end hits a home run. You can take off the linebacker. You can do those things once the foundation is built. I still think personally the right thing to do is to build the foundation and then you can go do what the Lions did last year.”

Jeremiah then concluded with this,

“I’m not so certain that as great as those players were, it was awesome, that
you would have seen them flourish and shine as much as they did if they
didn’t have the quarterback in place and the offense and the defensive line in
place.”

It’s good contextualization about the Lions 2023 draft haul and why so many panned it immediately. They didn’t grasp the dynamics of the team already having the premium positions solidified enough to do what Holmes so masterfully executed.

Lions 2024 NFL Draft report: Austin Booker, EDGE, Kansas

Brooks is a promising pass rusher who could develop into something special in Detroit if drafted by the Lions

It is finally draft season for Lions fans.

Brad Holmes and his front office have proven they are very capable of putting together great draft classes. They have had major hits on every day of the draft, but especially on Day Two. This roster isn’t in desperate need of much because of his work, but they do have some positions that need to be addressed.

This offseason, they should be focusing on getting better play out of their defensive backs, adding depth on the defensive line, and building out the wide receiver room.

These scouting reports should introduce you to some of the names that Lions fans could hear during the three days of the NFL Draft.

2024 NFL Draft’s deepest positions are needs for the Lions

2024 NFL Draft’s deepest positions are needs for the Lions and GM Brad Holmes

The Detroit Lions have one of the more complete rosters but that doesn’t mean they don’t have needs. Joey Chestnut has to eat dinner after winning a hot dog eating competition, the same way the Lions need to continue to add quality players to their roster.

The positions that Brad Holmes and his staff are expected to be addressing are the interior offensive line, primarily center, as they expect to be without Frank Ragnow as he teeters on his future. The other is cornerback as the Lions pass defense this year was painful to watch at times.

Good news is coming from Senior Bowl Director Jim Nagy as he claims the most talented position pools in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The name Quinyon Mitchell should sound familiar to Lions fans if they have been following national media mock drafts. He has been a popular name to be mocked to the Lions at the end of round one. Some analysts however don’t see him lasting that long as they have Mitchell as the top corner in the draft class. The cornerback group will have some names taken by the Lions in April’s draft, the question is only how soon.

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As for the interior offensive line and center positions, there was a new name attached to the Lions this week.

Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Medi mocked the West Virginia center to the Lions in his second mock draft of the cycle. Jeremiah stated “…this feels like Dan Campbell’s type of player. Frazier, a state-champion wrestler in high school, could step right in at guard and eventually move to center.”

Tons of talent being linked to the Lions, nothing out of the ordinary, but this time around it’s at the back end of the first round. Brad Holmes has this roster close, with the right picks in April they could be picking last in 2025.

Lions 2024 NFL Draft report: Bralen Trice, EDGE, Washington

Trice was a popular Lions draft projection during the season, but does he fit in Detroit?

It is finally draft season for Lions fans.

Brad Holmes and his front office have proven they are very capable of putting together great draft classes. They have had major hits on every day of the draft, but especially on Day Two. This roster isn’t in desperate need of much because of his work, but they do have some positions that need to be addressed.

This offseason, they should be focusing on getting better play out of their defensive backs, adding depth on the defensive line, and building out the wide receiver room.

These scouting reports should introduce you to some of the names that Lions fans could hear during the three days of the NFL Draft.