Why the 2026 Detroit Lions draft is our favorite from Brad Holmes

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 25: General manager Brad Holmes of the Detroit Lions speaks to the media during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on February 25, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Detroit Lions’ 2026 NFL Draft has come and gone, and while there was certainly a level of appreciation for the draft class, the overall sentiment seems to be more of a shoulder shrug. Good on the Lions for addressing their needs and getting players that fit them, but there was nothing particularly shocking or thrilling about their draft. Not that there’s anything wrong with a needs-based approach that nets you talented players, but we’ve grown accustomed to some big, gutsy swings from general manager Brad Holmes—both good and bad—which left this draft class feeling a bit… boring?

But that feeling is not unanimous. As soon as the Lions’ draft ended on Saturday night, our own Brett Whitefield (also the COO of Fantasy Points) declared something relatively bold in the company Slack room:

“Probably my favorite Brad Holmes class ever.”

So to help us understand that viewpoint, we grabbed Brett and chatted with him for 45 minutes over on our YouTube page to break down the entire class. Here’s a little snippet of what he had to say:

“I’m not saying it’s necessarily going to be the best draft class, but favorite from the standpoint of—there was nothing cute that happened, it was back to business as usual. We’re going after dawgs. There needed to be a reset in the identity. I think they had kinda gotten away from that toughness, some of that physicality. Every single player they drafted is an absolute physical dawg. I love the fact that they reinvested into the trenches so heavily. I love the fact that even—and we’ll talk about it—Jimmy Rolder he has that dawg in him.

“And the value, too. I had Derrick Moore as the fourth best true pass rusher in the draft class. So to get him in the second round, I thought was great value. I preferred Monroe Freeling at the time because of the upside, but I love Blake Miller also and I see the identity pull and what they’re trying to do: reset that identity on the offensive line. So there’s so many things I like about this class.”