Wojo: Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes plays it safe, and perhaps smart, on draft

Holmes has been an excellent talent evaluator, dragging the Lions from oblivion five years ago to the brink of the Super Bowl. But his past two drafts? Meh. The past two seasons? One early playoff exit and one last-place finish.

After last season’s 9-8 disappointment, Holmes pledged reevaluation of all aspects of the organization. Two years ago, when the Lions were stunned by the Commanders at home in the playoffs, it was semi-reasonable to pin it on a defense decimated by injury. This offseason, there have been no excuses and no fooling.

In his sixth draft as GM, Holmes wasn’t necessarily trying to outsmart or outmaneuver anybody. He didn’t reach for long-term projects or ignore short-term needs. The roster’s biggest deficiencies — offensive tackle and defensive end — were addressed immediately with Miller and Moore. He made only two small trades to move up but kept and used most of his draft capital.

And when they were on the clock, they stuck to what their notes and their guts told them, regardless of position.

“It was just finding gritty football players, getting back to — I’m not saying we forgot about our identity — but just making sure that was at the top of mind,” Holmes said. “That’s why every single player we took … we were writing in our notes, ‘This guy is a football player.’ As long as me and Dan (Campbell) are seeing it the same way in terms of football players that fit us, I would say that’s the overall theme.”

Holmes called rounds four through seven more exciting than he was accustomed to, perhaps because he was taking players he hoped to use immediately. Not necessarily as starters, but to boost the Lions’ waning depth, and enhance their ability to stop the run, not just sack the quarterback.

Fired up

The defense won’t suddenly be dominant, but it should be more competitive. Moore could start at the edge opposite Aidan Hutchinson. Fourth-round linebacker Jimmy Rolder was a breakout tackling machine for the Wolverines last season and is tough and instinctive. Holmes also saw the flammable demeanor he was seeking.

“(Rolder) doesn’t miss hardly any tackles,” Holmes said. “He just plays with his hair on fire. He’s stronger than you think. He could actually set edges if you put him on the edge.”

Holmes had a similar description for Arizona State cornerback Keith Abney II, projected to go in the third round. The Lions got him in the fifth.

“He’s another instinctive guy that can find the football, he can tackle, he’s pretty sticky,” Holmes said. “He was a simple one because we had him ranked a couple rounds higher, so that was a no-brainer for us.”

The Lions were more focused on dependables — “no-brainers” — than tantalizing variables. Holmes didn’t name names, but Terrion Arnold was his flashy first-round pick in 2024 and hasn’t been the physical, effective cornerback they’d hoped. He’s also dealing with legal issues in Tampa that are yet to be resolved.

That same draft in ’24, the Lions took Giovanni Manu, a monstrous offensive tackle from British Columbia, in the fourth round, the very definition of a developmental player. Even last year, Holmes traded two 2026 third-round picks to move up for receiver Isaac TeSlaa. He has the potential to be very good but it probably wasn’t the best use of draft capital.

The Lions selected only one offensive skill player this time, Kentucky receiver Kendrick Law in the fifth round. Even their picks in the sixth and seventh rounds — Texas Tech defensive tackle Skyler Gill-Howard and Tennessee edge Tyre West — were described as having high floors more than high ceilings. In other words, solid talent instead of risky, enticing reaches.

“It kind of exceeded my expectations,” Holmes said of his draft class. “All of them, every single last one of them, are complete, true fits. These guys are Lions.”

Under Holmes and Campbell, it’s always been clear what that means, what the Lions brand entails. For Holmes, this was the right time to remind.

Bob.wojnowski@detroitnews.com

@bobwojnowski

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Wojo: Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes plays it safe, and perhaps smart, on draft