Detroit Lions' Brad Holmes 'up there in the elite category' of NFL GMs
Dave BirkettBrad Holmes is in rare air when it comes to the NFL draft.
ESPN analyst and former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum called Holmes one of the league's "elite" GMs when it comes to identifying and procuring college talent during a conference call to discuss draft prospects Wednesday.
“I would certainly put Brad Holmes up there in the elite category. I argue with anybody, how not?" Tannenbaum said. "We need another year with (Terrion) Arnold and (Ennis) Rakestraw from last year (2024 draft), but I think those guys are going to continue to contribute. But really the bulk of their roster, I think he's (added) players that can in meaningful ways help just up and down."
Holmes has built the nucleus of the Detroit Lions' Super Bowl-contending roster through the draft, landing 13 projected starters for 2025, plus several more key reserves, with picks from the past four drafts. Of the Lions' other nine projected starters, one came via trade, two were holdover draft picks from the previous regime and six were signed as free agents.
For comparison, the two teams that played in last season's Super Bowl, the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, started nine and 12 homegrown players, respectively, who were drafted or signed as undrafted free agents since 2021.
The Lions already have signed five players from the 2021 draft, Holmes' first as GM, to second contracts, and 2022 draft choices Aidan Hutchinson, Jameson Williams and Kerby Joseph could be in line for extensions this offseason.
Holmes has benefitted from better draft capital than most of his peers during the past four seasons; the Lions had multiple first-round picks in 2022-23 and top-10 picks in 2021-23 (though they traded down from No. 6 in the 2023 draft and made their first selection at No. 12).
But he also has maximized his picks, early and in later rounds.
The Lions have found above-average starters on Day 2 (Joseph, Brian Branch, Alim McNeill, Sam LaPorta) and Day 3 (Amon-Ra St. Brown) of the draft, and took highly-regarded players early, like Hutchinson and Penei Sewell, that other teams passed on.
"I think he's done a really, really good job," Tannenbaum said. "If he's not an elite drafter or talent evaluator/roster builder, I'm not really sure who is right now. So I think they've done a heck of a job and their results speak for themselves."
Tannebaum, GM of the New York Jets in 2006-12 and a former colleague of Lions coach Dan Campbell with the Miami Dolphins, said he defines a successful draft as one that produces "three to four meaningful contributors."
The Lions landed at least that many in each of Holmes' first three drafts, with the contributions from the 2024 class still to be determined.
In 2021, the Lions drafted Sewell, McNeill, St. Brown, Derrick Barnes and Levi Onwuzurike, all of whom played key roles when healthy last year.
In 2022, Holmes' draft hits included Hutchinson, Williams and Joseph, with second-round pick Josh Paschal and sixth-round Malcolm Rodriguez playing backup roles.
And Gibbs, LaPorta, Branch and Jack Campbell comprised the team's star-studded 2023 draft.
Hendon Hooker and Brodric Martin, third-round picks in 2023, are the Lions' only Day 2 choices under Holmes who have barely contributed. Ifeatu Melifonwu, a third-round pick in 2021, had a limited role in his four seasons because of injury, before signing with the Miami Dolphins this offseason.
Arnold, the Lions' first-round pick last year, started 15 games as a rookie. Rakestraw, the team's second-round pick, played sparingly because of injury but could compete for time in the secondary this fall. And sixth-round pick Christian Mahogany is currently penciled in as a projected starter at guard.
"I think if you add three or four meaningfully contributing players and you do that over three, four, five years, you have a cost-controlled roster that has sustained success," Tannenbaum said. "I know we get so caught up on when you pick and what they should be, but I think that's a general rule of thumb."
The Lions have seven picks in this year's draft including No. 28 in Round 1 and No. 60 in Round 2.
Lions 2025 projected starters and how they were acquired
Offense
- QB Jared Goff (trade)
- RB Jahmyr Gibbs (draft, Round 1, 2023)
- WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (draft, Round 4, 2021)
- WR Jameson Williams (draft, Round 1, 2022)
- WR Tim Patrick (free agency)
- TE Sam LaPorta (draft, Round 2, 2023)
- LT Taylor Decker (holdover)
- LG Graham Glasgow (free agency)
- C Frank Ragnow (holdover)
- RG Christian Mahogany (draft, Round 6, 2024)
- RT Penei Sewell (draft, Round 1, 2021)
Defense
- DE Aidan Hutchinson (draft, Round 1, 2022)
- DT Alim McNeill (draft, Round 3, 2021)
- DT DJ Reader (free agency)
- OLB Derrick Barnes (draft, Round 4, 2021)
- ILB Jack Campbell (draft, Round 1, 2023)
- ILB Alex Anzalone (free agency)
- CB D.J. Reed (free agency)
- CB Terrion Arnold (draft, Round 1, 2024)
- CB Amik Robertson (free agency)
- S Kerby Joseph (draft, Round 3, 2022)
- S Brian Branch (draft, Round 2, 2023)
Dave Birkett is the author of the book, "Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline." Order your copy here. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.