Detroit Lions not afraid to ‘eff them picks’ in 2026 NFL Draft

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - APRIL 24: A general view of the video board on stage with The Pick Is In with the Detroit Lions 28th pick during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft on April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes has earned a reputation for being aggressive in the NFL Draft. Through five drafts thus far, he’s traded up 12 times during the NFL Draft, while he’s only traded down three times. In the past two drafts alone, he’s traded up eight times but hasn’t traded down once.

During his pre-NFL Draft press conference on Monday, Holmes indicated that strategy hasn’t changed at all, despite some recent criticism. When asked whether the team would be willing to go “all-in” or adopt an “eff them picks” attitude for a player they believe could push them over the top for a Super Bowl run, Holmes didn’t hesitate to answer.

“Absolutely, yeah. Yeah, if it’s the right guy, yeah,” Holmes said. “You guys know me. I feel like you guys get mad at me sometimes (that) I do that too much sometimes. But, no, if we have that kind of conviction for a player, absolutely. We’re going to go and get him.”

The Lions hold the 17th pick in the NFL Draft this year, the highest they’ve had a pick since 2023 when they selected Jahmyr Gibbs 12th overall. While Holmes said their evaluations aren’t finalized enough to declare if there will be 17 “first-round talents” on the board, he’s confident that—one way or another—they’ll have a shot at a talent player this year.

“We feel pretty good. I think we’ll still be able to get a good player,” Holmes said. “I do think that this draft is not too much different than what’s been in the past couple of years. But I do feel—obviously we’re picking higher than we have been in the past, so hopefully that’ll put us in a position to get a better player.”

Whether that means trading up or staying patient to grab a player at 17 remains a mystery. In the past, they’ve shown both a willingness to be patient in the first round and an eagerness to get their guy. They stayed put and grabbed All Pro Penei Sewell seventh overall in 2021. But the next year, they jumped 20 spots to grab Jameson Williams. In 2023, they traded down and still got Jahmyr Gibbs (and Jack Campbell), but in 2024, they traded five spots up to take Terrion Arnold.

All of that is to say that it’s clear all options are on the table for Holmes, and his strategy doesn’t appear to have changed regarding his willingness to get aggressive.