Brad Holmes Almost Made Another Galaxy Brain Move
Well, well, well. Turns out Brad Holmes was wheeling and dealing harder than we thought during draft night. The Baltimore Ravens just dropped their behind-the-scenes draft video, and guess what? Our guy had a legit trade offer on the table to move up from pick 17 to pick 14.
Here’s what was cooking: Detroit offered the Ravens pick 17, pick 118, and a 2027 third-round pick to jump up three spots. Baltimore was interested. Then Holmes pulled the plug.
The timeline is perfect Holmes. The offer was sitting there when Miami took Kadyn Proctor at 12. Then the Rams grabbed Ty Simpson at 13. Right after that quarterback came off the board, Detroit backed out faster than a Lions fan’s hope in January.
Holmes Knew His Guy Was Coming
Why did Holmes call it off? Because he’s Brad Holmes, and Brad Holmes doesn’t panic. He saw Simpson go to LA and knew Blake Miller was about to fall right into his lap at 17.
“Probably about when we got to—right after LA took the quarterback—I felt pretty good that we might be able to just get Blake,” Holmes said Thursday night. Translation: I’m not giving up extra picks when I can get my guy anyway.
And wouldn’t you know it? Miller was sitting right there at 17. Holmes got his franchise left tackle without giving up a single extra asset. That’s not luck. That’s homework.
The Proctor Theory Makes Sense Too
Some folks think Detroit was actually targeting Proctor, and once Miami snatched him at 12, the whole trade became pointless. Proctor was heavily linked to the Lions before the draft, so maybe Holmes was trying to jump Miami for the Alabama tackle.
But here’s the thing about Holmes. He doesn’t put all his eggs in one basket. He had multiple guys he liked, multiple plans ready to go, and when Plan A fell through, he calmly shifted to Plan B without blinking.
This is the same guy who’s had trade offers fall through with the Giants involving three Day 3 picks. The man is always working the phones, always looking for an edge, always ready to make the move that puts this franchise over the top.
Trust The Process
Look, we’ve been hurt before. We’ve watched general managers in Allen Park make baffling moves that set this franchise back years. But this isn’t Matt Millen throwing picks at receivers who can’t catch. This is Holmes playing chess while everyone else plays checkers.
He had backup plans for his backup plans. When the board fell his way, he trusted his evaluation and kept his powder dry. When it doesn’t fall his way, he’s got deals lined up to go get his guy anyway.
That’s what good general managers do. And yes, I know what you’re thinking. We’ve never had a good general manager before. Well, we do now.
So Holmes almost pulled off another draft day masterclass, then decided he didn’t need to? Classic Holmes move. The man is playing a different game than the rest of the league, and frankly, it’s about damn time someone in this building was.
Think Holmes made the right call backing out of this trade, or should he have moved up to guarantee his guy? Drop your take below.
This is exactly what I’ve been saying about Holmes. He’s got multiple plans cooking and doesn’t just panic and overpay when one target gets taken. Blake Miller fell right into our lap and we didn’t have to give up anything extra. That’s the kind of patient, smart roster building that’s finally going to turn this thing around.
I get what the article is saying and yeah, Holmes has been way different than what we’ve had before. But I still want to see this play out over a couple years before I’m fully bought in. One smart draft move is great, but let’s see how Blake Miller actually performs and if these other moves stick.
Man, compared to what we used to watch, this is night and day. You could feel the desperation and bad decisions from the front office for so long. Holmes having the discipline to not overpay when he doesn’t have to? That’s the opposite of what we’re used to seeing. Finally got someone up there who trusts his board.
The fact that he had backup plans ready to go is what gets me. This isn’t some rookie GM throwing darts at a board. Holmes was working multiple angles and didn’t need to force anything. Getting your guy without giving up extra picks is the definition of winning the draft.