Lions GM Brad Holmes is ready to trade up to draft the right guy

Lions General Manager Brad Holmes traded up in the first round in 2024 to draft cornerback Terrion Arnold and traded up in the first round in 2022 to draft wide receiver Jameson Williams. He'll trade up again this year, if the right player is available.

The Lions own the 17th overall pick, and Holmes was asked whether he'd use some of his other eight picks to trade up in the first round for a player he expected to make a significant impact. Holmes told reporters that if the player is good enough, he wouldn't hesitate.

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

Holmes also made clear that he targets the players he thinks are the best, not the positions he thinks the Lions need the most.

"It's hard to sleep at night when you don't get the player you really, really wanted because you reached for a need," Holmes said.

And Holmes may not wait patiently at No. 17 for the player he really, really wants.