Brad Holmes Needs to Get This Right
The 2026 NFL Draft is staring Brad Holmes in the face, and this one matters. A lot. This feels like a critical 72 hours for the Lions GM, and honestly, that should make every Lions fan a little nervous. He gets this right and his Lions can easily contend in an extremely competitive NFC North. Screw it up like the 2024 group, and we’ll be sitting here hoping guys like Tyleik Williams, Tate Ratledge, and Terrion Arnold take massive leaps.
Look, rookies need time. We get it. But some of Holmes’ picks—like his 2023 haul, one of the biggest feathers in his cap—have made instant impacts, and right now, that’s exactly what this team needs.
Trading Down Might Be the Smart Play
Holmes isn’t on the hot seat, and he definitely won’t be if the Lions bounce back in 2026 with a third NFC North title in four seasons. Hell, even making the playoffs should buy him some job security. That’s why acquiring future draft capital with the No. 17 pick makes sense.
If Holmes can net a future second or third-round pick while sweetening either pick 118 or 128 into a third-rounder, that’s valuable ammunition for a GM who loves to wheel and deal. More picks mean more opportunities for Holmes to work his magic, whether that’s finding another prospect or using those picks to outbid teams at next year’s trade deadline for a piece the 2027 team could use to be title contenders.
Bottom line: he should have a good enough football team to be competitive and return to postseason play in 2026, so he doesn’t need to walk out with a certain number of future starters. Contributors? Sure. But they can be players to be named later.
If They Stay at 17, Go Offensive Line
It should really be an offensive lineman, right? This football team is loaded with offensive weapons, but if they can’t protect Jared Goff or control the line of scrimmage, we’re kidding ourselves thinking this Lions defense will suddenly carry a playoff team.
Spencer Fano, Olaivavega Ioane, Monroe Freeling, or Blake Miller should be available at 17. If any one of those players is there, they should be the pick. All of them either immediately fill a need at tackle or cost-effectively solidify the interior of Detroit’s offensive front.
Take Ioane, for example. While Larry Borom may not be a long-term solution at right tackle, upgrading the center spot in free agency with Cade Mays and putting Penei Sewell and Ioane on his left lets Goff play more confidently. He could trust taking an extra beat before uncorking a ball to Jameson Williams or letting Amon-Ra St. Brown find the soft spot on a dig route. Getting Drew Petzing’s offense back to being consistent is the quickest way for Detroit to become a contender again.
Plan B: Take a Defensive Playmaker
If none of those offensive linemen are available at 17 and the phone isn’t ringing with trade offers, take a defensive playmaker. Doesn’t matter if they play opposite Aidan Hutchinson on the defensive line or in the secondary. Holmes doesn’t concern himself with positional value anyway, so if it’s a linebacker, so be it.
You’re kidding yourself if you think Detroit should be above taking a player like Caleb Downs or Sonny Styles just because the need might not be immediate. Holmes is on a seemingly never-ending quest to fix Detroit’s secondary, and who in the cornerback room feels like they can be counted on beyond 2026?
The numbers tell the story. Detroit’s secondary accounted for just 10 TFLs and 10 INTs in 2025 compared to 17 TFLs and 15 INTs in 2024. Dillon Thieneman, Chris Johnson, Colton Hood – any of those players who racked up pass breakups, TFLs, forced fumbles, or interceptions would be a welcome addition to a defense that took a step back last season.
Moving Up Should Have Limits
If the player Detroit wants is available at 14 or 15, go ahead and deal pick 118 or 128 in the fourth round, but try not to dip into that future draft capital. We’re hearing rumors about the Lions poking around to see who might be interested in moving back and what it could cost to move up, but we’re also hearing that teams are looking to leap Detroit and get their guy ahead of the Lions’ needs.
Holmes’ job is safer than some think despite the Lions missing the playoffs a year ago with a 9-8 season. There shouldn’t be urgency to be reckless, but if there’s a player Detroit’s identified as a difference maker for the upcoming season, Holmes should make it happen. Within reason.
Moving up just a few spots in this draft’s first round shouldn’t cost more than one of those fourth-round picks (118 or 128), but if it does, Holmes should consider dealing 17 and moving back to add opportunity to be aggressive later in the weekend, or bridge that gap between pick No. 50 and 118 on Day 3.
So Lions fans, are we about to watch Holmes nail another draft or are we setting ourselves up for disappointment again? Drop your predictions below.
