Draft Night in the Motor City: Holmes Has Work to Do
It’s draft night, and for the first time in a while, the Lions are picking early enough to actually matter. The 17th overall pick. Not exactly where we hoped to be after all the offseason talk, but here we are.
After a disappointing 9-8 season and what can generously be called a modest free agency period, Brad Holmes has nine picks this weekend to remind us why we fell in love with this rebuild in the first place. Two of those picks are in the top 100. Seven are on Day 3. You do the math on what that means for finding impact players.
Look, Holmes has been money on draft weekend since he rolled into Allen Park in 2021. His first three drafts already rank among the best in franchise history, which admittedly is not the highest bar to clear. While the 2024 draft looks to be a significant step back, they got some decent production out of the 2025 class in their collective rookie seasons.
High Stakes, Limited Ammunition
Holmes is working with just two premium picks to add high-impact talent. That means he either needs to work some draft day magic and move around the board, or he better have his late-round scouting dialed in like never before.
And yes, I know what you’re thinking. We’ve been down this road before with Lions draft nights that started with promise and ended with us staring at the ceiling wondering what just happened.
But this is different. Holmes has earned the benefit of the doubt, even after a step-back season that left us all wondering if the magic was wearing off.
Time to Get Loud
The draft theater is set up in Pittsburgh this year, but the real action for Lions fans is right here. Nine picks to get excited about. Nine chances for Holmes to prove that one disappointing season doesn’t derail everything they’ve built.
The Lions need this draft to hit. Not just for depth, but for that spark that reminds everyone in Honolulu Blue why we believed in the first place.
Are you ready for Holmes to pull another rabbit out of his hat, or is this the draft where reality finally catches up? Drop your predictions and hot takes below.
Holmes has proven he knows what he’s doing on draft day. I’m not worried about having fewer picks in the early rounds – the guy finds talent everywhere. This is our year to finally see it all come together.
Look, I want to believe but I’ve been hurt too many times. Yeah Holmes has had some good moments but one tough season already? I need to see it actually work out before I’m popping champagne. Show me it’s real first.
We’ve been through way worse than a 9-8 season, that’s nothing. The difference now is we actually have someone who seems to know what he’s doing with these picks. Back in my day we didn’t have that luxury at all.
Seven day three picks is rough but if anyone can squeeze value out of that it’s Brad. The man is basically a magician at finding guys other teams overlook. Let’s go get some studs this weekend.