Tag: Inside the Den

Reviewing the ‘Inside The Den’ Detroit Lions NFL draft documentary

Reviewing the latest episode of ‘Inside The Den’ in the Detroit Lions NFL draft war room

The long-awaited debut of the newest “Inside The Den” episode was recently released by the award-winning Detroit Lions Media Department, and it was well worth the wait.

This episode focused on the behind-the-scenes action for the Lions during the 2022 NFL Draft. This episode caught some amazing moments between Lions General Manager Brad Holmes and Head Coach Dan Campbell. It also focused primarily on the top few rounds where the team obtained four quality football players that they seemed to have had targeted long before the draft ever even started.

Let’s take a look at some of the great quotes and moments during this 52-minute video that all Lions fans should support.

The video starts with a multitude of different national media praising the Lions for their draft. Peter Schrager (Good Morning Football), Tom Pelisero (NFL Network), and Chris Simms (NBC Sports) just to name a few.

Almost every one of those analysts noted that the Lions obtained the “best defensive player in the draft and the best offensive playmaker in the draft” and that is rarely if ever done by one team in the NFL Draft.

Last year the Lions were changing their leadership from top to bottom, and this year they were much farther ahead when it comes to preparation and process than they were previously entering this draft. “More organized, more time, and more capital this year,” said Holmes

As the footage showed, there was tension in the room as the draft began with the Lions not knowing who would go first overall. The Lions were thrilled to get Hutchinson but were very nervous leading up to that first overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars and that was clear on the face of Campbell where Holmes said he had played out all the options in his head over and over again leading up to this day. There was a big fist pump from Dan Campbell when the Jags selected Travon Walker (Georgia) over Aidan Hutchinson (Michigan).

“Only one name was up on the board!”, Holmes said to Campbell that their selection and preference were clear. Campbell loved the pick and kept repeating “we got a football player right there, we got a football player.”

Hutchinson was so great during his pre-draft meeting and it was evident how physical he wanted to play and his love for football and the Lions brass loved his mentality.

“The thing that jumps out about Aidan, you are getting a guy that is relentless and plays the football the way it’s supposed to be played,” said Lance Newmark, Director of player personnel.

“He’s a Detroit Lion through and through,” noted Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.

“Now the real work begins,” said Holmes after taking Hutchinson, and he now put his plan into action of potentially trading up for one particular player he’s had his eye on for a long time.

The video showed that he had already laid the groundwork with a multitude of teams, but the Minnesota Vikings in particular. Holmes would now follow up on those discussions with the Vikings in hopes to land the player he targeted.

Jameson Williams, a wide receiver from Alabama appeared to be their one and only trade target and someone they had coveted all along.

Campbell seemed to think that the Saints trading up right in front of them might take their guy, but Holmes felt they might want someone right away that could help them on Day 1 and Williams was still recovering from his ACL injury suffered in the NCAA National Championship game. They then said to each other, “Dude, we are going to get him”.

Holmes pounded the desk with the same excitement the moment he knew his guy was still there as he did the previous year when he was able to draft Sewell, and jumped on the phone to finalize things with the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, rookie General Manager of the Minnesota Vikings.

They quickly finalized the deal, but it appears Holmes never specifically told Minnesota his target while doing the trade-up. The Lions couldn’t be more ecstatic about completing this trade and now securing this type of top talent at the wide receiver position.

“This guy can be a potential game-changer and a true #1 wide receiver. Those guys don’t come along very often. A guy with his rare game-changing speed, yet so physical and gritty. Those are the guys we want to build our team around and our program and make cornerstones of our franchise.” stated Brad Holmes.

There appeared to be excellent communication with Lions Owner Shelia Hamp throughout the draft and especially on why the first two picks are such good fits for the type of team they are building in Detroit.

Day 1 review by Campbell, “exactly the way it played out is what we thought was going to happen. That’s why we made the move we made. It’s awesome!”

As the draft progressed into Day 2, the Lions weren’t done getting some of their top targets. They sweated out pick after pick hoping their guy would fall to them for their 2nd-round pick (46 Overall). Sure enough, Josh Paschal from Kentucky was there and that was the player they really wanted badly with that selection.

Chris Spielman seemed most excited about the Paschal pick as he appeared to heavily endorse this player.

Paschal was someone they really wanted based on what Holmes deemed as “elite intangibles”.

“Passionate and powerful” is how Paschal described his own play while being interviewed by the Lions at the NFL scouting combine. The Lions coaches agreed wholeheartedly with his relentless motor.

The other big targets on the Holmes and Campbell wish list, and yes they literally scribbled names down on a small sheet of paper weeks earlier it appeared and all signs point to those names on that wishlist being: Hutchinson, Williams, Paschal, and one name remaining they really hoped they could still get, but felt there is no way he would still be available when they picked in Round 3.

Kerby Joseph, Safety (Illinois) was there for them in Round 3 Pick 97 Overall which both shocked and really excited all the draft evaluators in the room. Joseph had one of the greatest moments with his family at his draft party. There was just so much love, joy, and excitement in that room.

The Lions rounded out their draft on Day 3 and these were some of the notable moments caught on video.

Multiple scouts and evaluators told Brad Holmes that James Mitchell, Tight End (Virginia) was the best player to pick in Round 5 when they were on the clock.

Spielman loved Malcomn Rodriguez, Linebacker (Oklahoma State) as a linebacker and special teams player. Rodriguez had a bitter-sweet draft day experience as he was at his Grandma’s funeral when he was drafted by the Lions.

James Houston, Linebacker (Jackson State) was intriguing to them based on his play as an off-the-ball linebacker and as a pass rusher. His numbers and explosive plays at Jackson State were eye-popping.

They took a really experienced and no-nonsense cornerback Chase Lucas from Arizona State with their final pick in the 7th Round who can compete and possibly help them with their secondary depth plus on special teams. The Lions draft was now complete and all were very excited about the players they had just obtained.

Holmes, the leader of the Lions draft room then was quoted as saying this looking back at the development and at his draft as a whole, “I really think we made some moves to solidify the future, but we are just going to stay aggressive and keep building this roster.”

This was a great behind-the-scenes look for the Lions fans during the 2022 NFL Draft, and “HBO Hard Knocks” will also be in Allen Park soon for Training Camp which will be more tremendous footage for this die-hard fanbase to enjoy. These genuine videos help give a true glimpse into the legitimate plan this regime has for this football team, this city, and this franchise for years to come.

Lions draft video shows just how active the phones were for trades

GM Brad Holmes made a lot of calls and took a lot of calls too

One of the big conversations that always dominates Detroit talk radio and Lions message boards following the NFL draft is the topic of trades.

Could the Lions have traded up? Did they get offers to trade back? What teams were looking to create some action?

While we’ll never know the full extent of the offers, the latest behind-the-scenes video production from the Lions helps answer a lot of the base questions there. GM Brad Holmes was busy on the phones, both incoming and outgoing calls.

We already knew about the calls while the Lions were on the clock at No. 7 overall, and this video reinforced the overjoyed reaction to the team realizing they would land Oregon OT Penei Sewell following Miami’s selection at No. 6. This latest edition “Inside the Den” highlights a couple of later incidents where the Lions had chances to move but ultimately stayed put.

The first is with second-round pick Levi Onwuzurike. Holmes coveted the Washington defensive lineman enough that he inquired with other teams in the first round about possibly moving up to land Onwuzurike. Senior personnel assistant John Dorsey — former GM of the Chiefs and Browns — advised Holmes to be patient and not too aggressive in chasing after him, and Dorsey proved correct.

Coach Dan Campbell commented,

“People that have experience, John Dorsey being one of them, who was like ‘listen, sit tight, trust the process, let the board come to you’, and to Brad’s credit he held on.”

The details of the calls Holmes made are not known, but we did get to see the collaborative approach to the front office that Holmes stresses. We also see Holmes indicating that he called two other teams and told them the Lions were not interested in their trade advances for the pick.

The more revelatory trade situation came with the Lions on the clock in the third round at No. 101 overall. Another team, which contextually gets revealed as the Jacksonville Jaguars, calls and offers Holmes compensation to move up and take the pick. The details are not specifically revealed, but they involve the No. 130 overall pick and additional assets.

“Go down to 130? Yeah, no, I think we’re just going to stay pat,” Holmes says politely.

The Jaguars later traded up from No. 130 to No. 121 in a deal that sent a package of picks each way between Jacksonville and the Los Angeles Rams.

The Rams traded picks 121 (4th round) and 209 (6th) overall to Jacksonville in exchange for fourth-, fifth, and seventh-round selections 130 (4th), 170 (5th) and 249 (7th) overall. That wouldn’t be the same package for the Lions pick at No. 101, of course, but that’s the kind of trade offer Holmes got. The Lions rejected the offers and happily selected Syracuse DB Ifeatu Melifonwu, who they were quite pleasantly surprised was still on the board.

[listicle id=62612]

Lions release latest ‘Inside the Den’ episode showcasing first draft behind the scenes

The Detroit Lions release their lastest “Inside the Den” episode showcasing the sights and sounds of their first draft of the new regime.

The transparency of the new Detroit Lions regime is night and day from the old regime, where they kept everything close to the chest in hopes of not reviling secrets to other teams. It is a breath of fresh air to see this regime explain their thoughts and feelings towards how they are looking to build this team from essentially what it feels like from the ground up.

With the latest Inside the Den episode, the Lions take you inside their War Room during draft day to experience firsthand the time, preparation, and excitement that came with this regime’s first draft.

General manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell were not as nervous as you would think for two individuals running their first draft. Holmes praised the scouting department and all the parties involved because they felt they were well prepared for any scenario that may rear its head during the draft.

After the Cincinnati Bengals took Ja’Marr Chase, the War Room had a good feeling that Miami would go after one of the Alabama receivers, leaving Penei Sewell ripe for the picking for Detroit. The tension was so strong waiting to see what Miami would do, and even though there were trade offers, Holmes felt comfortable enough to stay put. After it was announced Miami selected Jaylen Waddle, the room exploded with raw emotion and excitement and could not have worked any better for a team looking to build this team back up.

After the Sewell pick, Campbell mentioned to Holmes, “That’s a cornerstone pick right there, Brad!”. Holmes could not agree more.

Offensive line coach Hank Fraley was so excited; he told them, “I’m going to come in there and kiss you guys.” Fraley had a strong previous relationship with Sewell when he tried to recruit him at UCLA and has since kept that relationship and now gets a chance to coach him and build an impressive offensive line.

Opening up Day 2 of the draft, the phone got the better of Campbell, mentioning the Saints probably tried calling, but there are 80 lines to this phone and probably hung up on them or how they heard it was Campbell and hung up themselves. Either way, it was a feel-good moment showing the fun and humor this regime has shown so far in their tenure.

It was mentioned before Holmes was close to trading back into the first to draft Levi Onwuzurike because they felt he would’ve been long gone before the Lions could snag the versatile defensive tackle. Holmes received invaluable advice from John Dorsey, who has had his hand in many drafts and told him to sit tight, trust the process, and let the board come to you.

There was a quiet excitement when the Buccaneers selected Joe Tryon, another Washington defender, instead of Onwurzurike at the end of the first round, leaving the possibility they may have a legit shot on drafting him. Sure enough, the board fell exactly how they wanted, and with a little willing it into existence from Campbell; the Lions selected one of their top players.

With the Lions receiving corps left in disarray, many thought the Lions would’ve walked away from the first two days of the draft with a receiver including Owner Sheila Ford Hamp. With their first third selection and notion Holmes was looking at Alim McNeill, she mentioned to Holmes, “What would we do if we don’t get a receiver out of this draft?” Holmes explained to her, “You know we still have the USC kid. We will still be in a position to get one because of the depth at that position.”  So from the looks of it, it wasn’t only the fans and media concerned about the receiver conundrum.

Heading into their second third-round selection, Holmes and Campbell mention one player who was literally waving and jumping up and down and their draft board. That was Ifeatu “Iffy” Melifonwu. The team was shocked he lasted this long in the draft, thinking he would’ve been gone in the second round with his size, athleticism, and hip fluidity that screams starter material.

One interesting nugget with the Iffy selection was a phone call Holmes received during the process. During the call, Holmes said, “Go down to 130,” Then Campbell added his two cents, “For two futures firsts.” Now pick 130 originally belonged to the Jacksonville Jaguars, coming from the Jalen Ramsey trade. The Jaguars eventually moved up from pick 130 to 121 through a trade with the Los Angeles Rams and selected Jordan Smith. Now the terms or teams were not mentioned on the video, but it may seem the Jaguars were trying to move back up in the third, but the Lions stood pat and took their guy.

Entering the final day of the draft, Holmes received a phone call from Mrs. Ford and told him, “You know everyone wants wide receivers and those skill position guys, but you need those big guys.” It was a phone call Holmes said he would never forget and touched his soul. There were two players the Lions had their sights on, and they were going to make sure they get in position to get their guys.

Holmes put everyone at ease when they selected Amon-Ra St. Brown and considering it was a player they saw in the third round, it looks like they thought he would’ve been snagged at this point. Dorsey added a tidbit admiring St. Brown as one of the better run blocking of any of the receivers in this draft.

When Holmes took the seat, it was brought up how much he values GPS data and analytics in assessing players, along with the scouting intuition that led the Lions to Jermar Jefferson. According to Holmes, Jefferson has the third-highest telemetry play speed from all running backs showing up his home run potential in breaking off long runs.

Another fun nugget came from no one other than Campbell, mentioning he will break out his inner gymnast if they could get Sage Surrat as a free agent by doing some backflips. Now the Lions were able to sign Surrat, but unfortunately, there were no backflips.

It was mentioned many times throughout the video from Holmes and Campbell that they could get players they loved by sticking with their draft board and letting the draft fall to them. Holmes handed out many praises for the scouting department and the personnel who had a hand in the process in what was a collaborative effort in making this possible.

Holmes went on to say, “Sometimes in the draft, the decision gets made for you.”

With some of the picks, it sure looks like the Lions stuck to the guns, made the necessary moves when it came to, and walked away with players they feel like they can contribute immediately and set the team’s foundation.

Dan Campbell: ‘The chemistry of the staff has been outstanding’

Campbell talked about his staff on the first episode of Inside the Den

Lions head coach Dan Campbell is really enjoying the coaching staff he helped assemble in Detroit. The rookie head man offered a bluntly enthusiastic assessment of the new-look coaching staff after a couple of months on the job.

The Lions turned the cameras on inside the team headquarters in Allen Park and captured Campbell and his underlings at work in the first episode of “Inside the Den” for 2021.

“It’s a good mix of the personalities,” Campbell said. “They’re all hard workers but man, they’re all team guys. The mesh, the chemistry of the staff has been outstanding.”

Coach Campbell continued,

“It’s been everything I hoped it would be.”

He noted that while there has been a media emphasis on all the former players on the Lions coaching staff, the coaches who didn’t play in the NFL have also been integrally important and blend in well.

[lawrence-related id=60672]