The draft is over. The grades are in from every draft expert who watched highlights on YouTube for three hours. The reaches have been identified, the steals have been announced, and somewhere in Detroit, Brad Holmes is probably just getting back to work.
But here’s the thing about our general manager. He doesn’t need some talking head to tell him what he got. He knows exactly why he made every pick, and he spent three nights explaining those decisions to anyone who wanted to listen.
So forget the grades. Forget the hot takes. Here’s what Holmes actually said about each Lions draft pick, straight from the source.
Blake Miller, OT, Clemson (First Round)
Holmes has been watching Miller for three years now, and what caught his attention wasn’t just the size or the athleticism. It was the trajectory.
“He has gotten better every single year,” Holmes said. “That’s what makes you really excited about a player like that. He has a high floor but he’s gotten better every year. Coming to this level with our offensive line coach and our ecosystem, I don’t see any reason why he won’t continue to get better.”
The culture fit was obvious from the start. Holmes talked about Miller’s approach, how he was raised, his morals. “It’s all about grit, earning it, battling through adversity. He just kept checking the boxes and he kept rising and rising.”
But here’s the part that should have Lions fans excited. Holmes isn’t just talking about a high-floor player. He’s talking about a guy who “is going to be a good starting tackle already” but has “no telling where this could go.”
The run-blocking tape sealed it. “This guy is a physical, gritty finisher,” Holmes said. “A lot of tackles will say that because it sounds good to say in an interview, but his tape actually says that.”
Derrick Moore, EDGE, Michigan (Second Round)
Another player Holmes has been tracking for years, but one who finally put it all together. Moore always had the length and physicality, but his pass rush was the question mark. Not anymore.
“This year, he really got better,” Holmes said. The plan is simple: spell Aidan Hutchinson in the rush rotation and give defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard another versatile piece who can line up anywhere on the line.
Holmes emphasized something that gets lost in all the pass-rush talk. “You’ve got to earn the right to rush the passer, and the dirty work, he doesn’t mind to do.” Translation: Moore won’t get gashed in the run game while hunting sacks.
Jimmy Rolder, LB, Michigan (Fourth Round)
Holmes cut right to the point on Rolder: “Football player. This guy is a football player.”
Unlike Moore, whom Holmes had been tracking for years, Rolder was fresh tape. But the evaluation was immediate. “He was highly instinctive, was a really good tackler. He doesn’t really miss hardly any tackles. He just plays with his hair on fire.”
The linebacker position demands high-level processing and instincts, and Holmes believes Rolder has both. That matters more than measurables at that spot.
Keith Abney, CB, Arizona State (Fifth Round)
Here’s where Holmes gets that slight smile in his voice. The Lions had Abney ranked “a couple rounds higher” than where they got him, making this pick “a no-brainer.”
Abney projects as a nickel corner at the next level, and Holmes likes what that brings. “You want speed to be able to match vertically, but you want a guy who has a little more short-area suddenness just to handle the two-way goes and be able to get off the spot.”
Simple evaluation: instinctive, sticky in coverage, can tackle. All things you want from your slot defender.
Kendrick Law, WR, Kentucky (Fifth Round)
This one started with Holmes at a Georgia-Alabama game in 2024, watching a player he didn’t even know yet. “I saw him out there on the field and I was just impressed about his build and how explosive he was. I had no idea who the player was.”
The special teams ability elevated Law even more. “Not just a return like a Kalif Raymond, but this guy can play gunner. He’s four-phase special teams player. He’s another one, he’s a dog, man. He’s a football player.”
That’s Holmes-speak for exactly the kind of versatile depth piece this roster needs.
Skyler Gill-Howard, DL, Texas A&M (Sixth Round)
Size isn’t everything on the defensive line, and Gill-Howard proves it. “He’s not the biggest guy, but he’s quick, he’s relentless, he’s instinctive, and he can win quick.”
Motor matters. Holmes likes players who go 100 miles per hour, and that’s exactly what he’s getting here.
Tyre West, DL, Tennessee (Seventh Round)
West was part of a loaded defensive line rotation at Tennessee, which actually worked in his favor. “It wasn’t really a knock that he wasn’t really getting all of the snaps, it was just they had a lot of guys. But, when he would come in, he would take advantage of the opportunities that he got.”
The Lions brought West in for a visit, liked what they saw, and took a late-round flyer on a pass rusher who made the most of his chances.
Look, we won’t know how this draft really turned out for two or three years. But listening to Holmes break down each pick, you hear the same themes: instincts, improvement trajectory, culture fit, versatility. These aren’t random selections. They’re pieces of a larger puzzle, picked by a general manager who has earned our trust through results.
Think Holmes nailed this draft or are you already planning the rebuild? Let us know in the comments below.
