Discussing Lions GM Brad Holmes’ NFL Draft picks, and the mindset behind the moves

The Detroit Lions are where they are because of their process. They’ve taken a bit of an unconventional path to contention, but contenders are what they are because of how they navigate the NFL Draft. This year’s, in their own city, was no different.

The Lions weren’t afraid to double up on the same position. They weren’t afraid to bet on upside or make moves to acquire the players they wanted. In the process, they just might’ve made a Super Bowl-contending roster better.

With the draft over, let’s recap Detroit’s 2024 haul, and the newest wave of Lions.

Lions’ draft picks

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Nick Baumgardner: For me, Terrion Arnold was the best defensive fit for the Lions in this draft. Period. He was my CB1 and the top defender on my sheet. To get him in the 20s, even if they had to give something up to do it, was outstanding. Ennis Rakestraw Jr. was among the CB options we discussed at No. 29, a fringe first-rounder who was probably going to be there in the second, exactly where Detroit landed him. We talked, a lot, about Detroit drafting two corners.

Colton, I see some folks are questioning this strategy. Can you explain it for the people?

Colton Pouncy: GM Brad Holmes has a type at cornerback. If you don’t fit the profile, he’s not going to draft you. We saw it last year with Devon Witherspoon vs. Christian Gonzalez. So the fact that he was able to land two feisty, physical corners who are wired with a dawg mentality should tell you all you need to know about these two prospects, and also, how Holmes operates. At each pick, they were the best available players on Detroit’s board. He told us all offseason he was going to draft the best player available. That’s what he did, and no one should be surprised he doubled up after telling us they were the best players available in those spots. He believes he now has two young building blocks at a position that hasn’t had a single one since he arrived. Getting that done in one draft is terrific work.

Asked Lions GM Brad Holmes what he learned about Terrion Arnold’s mindset and how he’s wired during the pre-draft process.

"He’s got a challenge mindset.”

Said the skill set evaluation was the easy part. The Lions look for more. That’s what separated Arnold. pic.twitter.com/DFQQgR0DYR

— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) April 26, 2024

Baumgardner: Jim Harbaugh, of course, has defined dawg as “Disciplined Athletes With Grit” — which is both corny and accurate. This is essentially what Aaron Glenn has been looking for since he arrived as defensive coordinator.

The main reason why Jeff Okudah didn’t pan out here was between the ears. It wasn’t physical. This is also why we’ve seen Glenn stick with lesser-talented cornerbacks in high-pressure situations: Because they’re tougher mentally and can be trusted to hang in there longer. Now, he has highly skilled defensive backs with mental toughness. Expect to see Brian Branch get more work at safety, as I think they see him blossoming into a C.J. Gardner-Johnson type long-term. Branch, Rakestraw and Arnold are all young players cut from the same cloth. Where you get them, to me, doesn’t matter.

The other big question people had was about the trades. We’ll get to the guys they moved for in a second. But we saw a lot of aggressive moves again and Detroit gave up assets for what should be a deeper 2025 draft to get their guys. Your thoughts on these moves, Colton?

Pouncy: I thought the move to go up for Arnold was a no-brainer. The board was practically begging them to do it. Folks will question the third-round pick they had to give up, but if Arnold becomes a true No. 1 corner, no one will care.

After the Arnold trade, I wondered if they might try to trade down from No. 61 to acquire extra capital to get back in the third and fourth rounds. Holmes said he actually considered trading up into the 30s and 40s, which is perhaps a sign of where he believes the roster is. In the end, he played the board and landed his second-best CB prospect in Rakestraw. But instead of dangling No. 61, Holmes dipped into future assets to acquire a pair of prospects he coveted in the fourth, parting ways with a 2025 third and a 2025 fourth in the process. Holmes said not landing them would’ve been a “gut punch.”

To me, trades like this are all about the player. You can justify any move you make if you hit, and Holmes has been hitting in Detroit like prime Miguel Cabrera. The Lions paid a decent price, but they got the guys they wanted.

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Baumgardner: I don’t mind the Lions bypassing picks next year, even if the draft will be deeper, because of their situation. Detroit already has one of the best young rosters in football (we just saw them lock up two guys younger than 25) and, frankly, it’s going to take a lot from a rookie to crack that lineup this year and probably next year. You don’t need an overload of picks if you’re trying to fill gaps and win a Super Bowl with what you’ve got. Clearly, that’s the strategy from Holmes.

Now, some of these moves — just like last year — were interesting when comparing where most evaluators ranked the players. Trading up for British Columbia offensive tackle Giovanni Manu, a project who had a PFA grade from Dane Brugler, was interesting. I have to think he’d have been there later, but who knows. Same time, getting Christian Mahogany in the sixth round is highway robbery. He reminds me of a rookie Jonah Jackson.

Am I the only one who was reminded of last year’s draft a bit? At least with the sequencing here.

Pouncy: Get some guys who can start now, get some guys who can start later, take some swings. Holmes isn’t trying to win any popularity contests, but he might’ve done it anyway by snagging two players with late third-round grades in the sixth. We talked about Mahogany last week as one of those draft-and-stash guards who can take over as early as 2025. We also talked about getting another interior defender with some juice. Consider that box checked with Mekhi Wingo.

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As for Holmes’ picks in the fourth — Manu and Utah safety/running back Sione Vaki — Holmes said he got the answers to the test after those picks, and learned that had he waited, he would’ve missed them. Holmes has a pretty strong track record, and once you hear more about Manu, it certainly feels like the NFL was a lot higher on him. Vaki always felt like a Lion, and his upside as a running back/pass-catcher/special teams ace seems to have Holmes more intrigued than his safety potential. Interesting way to get there, but it’s hard not to like the Day 3 haul.

Baumgardner: Yeah, it’s clear Holmes’ strategy is to use his Day 3 picks (and sometimes Day 2) on the prospects he has decided he can’t live without. Half the league was at Manu’s pro day and some scouts had him sub-5 seconds in the 40. He’s a mountain of an athlete and he has a Polynesian background, so he’ll fit in with the offensive line potluck dinners. Pretty easy to see the idea there. But as we’ve said: You can’t really grade stuff like this until later, and with Manu it will be at least two years.

To me, this draft needed to be about efficiency at the top — and after that, Holmes has sort of earned the right to do what he wants. At least until one of these guys busts (and that hasn’t happened yet, so … ). I loved their first two picks, the Arnold pick was one of my favorites of the entire draft and I thought Mahogany was an absolute steal in the sixth. I had him as a top-100 player and I’ll bet the Lions did, too.

Colton, your final thoughts?

Pouncy: It seemed like Holmes almost felt the need to defend his decision to get two corners to start the draft. There’s no reason to. The Lions had some of the worst cornerback play in football last year, and Holmes added four starting-caliber corners in about two months of work. Elsewhere, he might’ve found his guard of the future, and said Mahogany has some “dirtbag” in him. He got a versatile defensive lineman in Wingo who can work inside and out. In Vaki, the Lions are adding a two-way prospect who could blossom into something really fun — perhaps the rare three-phase contributor. In Manu, the Lions get a project tackle with “enormous upside,” and he told a story about hearing a message Penei Sewell gave to Polynesian NFL hopefuls, telling them they can make it just like he did. They’re now teammates.

You’re not going to able to get to everything in a single draft, especially when you’re wheeling and dealing like the Lions were, but this class addressed short- and long-term needs, improved the team’s depth across the board, has the character traits they covet and gets the Lions that much closer to that ever-elusive Lombardi Trophy.

(Photo: Lon Horwedel / USA Today)