The Lions Draft Went Full Pass Rush and I’m Not Sure How to Feel About It
Another draft is in the books, and as usual, it came with enough curveballs to remind us why we spend three days yelling at our televisions. The Cardinals took a running back third overall because apparently they miss the David Johnson era. The Rams drafted a quarterback to replace our guy Matthew Stafford, which feels weird but whatever. Jermod McCoy fell to the fourth round because his knee made teams nervous.
But here in Allen Park, Brad Holmes did what Brad Holmes does. He kept us guessing just enough to stay interesting.
Pass Rush Was the Name of the Game
The biggest surprise of this draft? The Lions went all-in on getting after the quarterback.
Look, we all knew this defense needed help. The depth chart entering the draft looked thinner than the ice on the Detroit River in March. But if you told me beforehand that Holmes would prioritize pass rush over run stuffing, I would have asked what you were drinking and where I could get some.
For years, this regime has been about crushing the can. Tyleik Williams, Josh Paschal, Brodric Martin, Ahmed Hassanein. These guys were drafted to eat up blockers and stuff running backs at the line. Besides Aidan Hutchinson, the only real pass rush picks we made were Mekhi Wingo and James Houston. That was the blueprint.
Three New Pass Rushers Walk Into Allen Park
This time around, Holmes added three defensive linemen who all specialize in making quarterbacks uncomfortable. Second-round pick Derrick Moore looks like he could be this year’s version of Al-Quadin Muhammad, a situational pass rusher with the ceiling to play every down. Sixth-round pick Skyler Gill-Howard brings some much-needed interior pressure, especially since Wingo seems to have fallen out of favor. And with the final pick of the draft, Detroit grabbed Tyre West, a bigger defensive end who can rush from inside or outside.
Even linebacker Jimmy Rolder could factor in as a pass-rushing SAM linebacker, though he’ll probably end up at WILL.
But What About Stopping the Run?
Here’s where it gets interesting. Outside of signing DJ Wonnum, who should start opposite Hutchinson, the Lions have done almost nothing to improve their run defense. That’s not necessarily bad since our pass rush was about as consistent as Detroit weather last season. But it’s definitely a departure from the usual Holmes approach.
We still need another nose tackle to replace DJ Reader and Roy Lopez. Reader could still come back, but that’s far from guaranteed. Free agency usually has a second wave after the draft, so maybe Holmes has something cooking.
Is this a sign that Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn want to prioritize getting after the quarterback? Maybe. Or maybe they see something in these rookies that suggests they can develop into run stoppers too. We won’t know until Week 1 how this all shakes out.
But one thing is certain: Brad Holmes just shifted this defense’s DNA in a way we haven’t seen before. And yes, I know what you’re thinking. This is the same fan base that watched Matt Millen draft wide receivers until we went blind. But this isn’t that regime, and Holmes has earned the benefit of the doubt.
Still, it’s a gamble. A calculated one, but a gamble nonetheless.
Did Holmes nail it with the pass rush emphasis, or should we be worried about getting gashed on the ground all season? Drop your take below.
Honestly I’m all in on this pass rush direction. We got our asses kicked trying to make stops in the middle of the field last year and it feels like Holmes finally said enough is enough. If these guys can create chaos up front, maybe our secondary doesn’t have to cover for so long. Campbell’s whole thing is aggressive and this move feels like it fits what he wants to do.
I get what they’re going for but I’m not totally sold yet. We’re thin at nose tackle and we still gotta actually stop the run or teams are gonna feast. Holmes has done good things but he needs to prove this wasn’t just sexy draft picks that look good on paper. Show me it works first.
This is so different from the old days of just grinding it out with big boys in the middle. I kinda like that Holmes is willing to change the formula instead of doing the same thing over and over. That’s not something we saw much of around here in the past, so I’m willing to see where this goes before I complain.
The pass rush picks make sense given how much we struggled getting to their QB. But yeah the run defense stuff worries me a little bit. Holmes has earned some trust though so if he says these guys can be versatile then I believe him. Just need to see it play out.