DETROIT – Remember those conversations we all used to have with coworkers on Monday mornings after the Detroit Lions lost?
“Good thing the Lions drafted a tight end when the defense can’t stop anybody.”
“Why can’t Jahlani Tavai tackle? He was a second-round pick!”
“Nobody told the Lions that Teez Tabor is slow?”
Years of draft futility
Whether it was Matt Millen, Martin Mayhew, or Bob Quinn, the Lions would always make these head-scratching decisions on draft day that nobody else understood.
Occasionally they would strike gold in the middle rounds, like when they took Kenny Golladay in the third. But that same draft class was led by Jarrad Davis in the first and Tabor in the second -- two wasted selections.
Think about the bust rate on Lions first-round picks from 2014 to 2020:
- 2014: Eric Ebron
- 2015: Laken Tomlinson
- 2016: Taylor Decker
- 2017: Jarrad Davis
- 2018: Frank Ragnow
- 2019: T.J. Hockenson
- 2020: Jeff Okudah
Only two of those seven picks (Decker and Ragnow) were definitively successful. Hockenson was fairly productive, and the Lions traded him for solid value, so we’ll count that as a win.
But even that means the Lions whiffed on four of seven first-round picks before Brad Holmes arrived. And that hardly scratches the surface of Detroit’s drafting futility.
Check out the team’s second- and third-round picks from that same timeframe:
- 2014: Kyle Van Noy, Travis Swanson
- 2015: Ameer Abdullah, Alex Carter
- 2016: A’Shawn Robinson, Graham Glasgow
- 2017: Teez Tabor, Kenny Golladay
- 2018: Kerryon Johnson, Tracy Walker
- 2019: Jahlani Tavai, Will Harris
- 2020: D’Andre Swift, Julian Okwara
Some of these players turned out fine, but how many can you confidently label as great values? Golladay and Walker? Harris and Swift were solid, but probably pretty close to what you should expect from early picks.
Even if you’re feeling generous, the success rate on that list is no higher than 50%, and when you combine that with the first-round struggles, it’s easy to see why the Lions never built a winner.
Enter: Brad Holmes, a draft genius
When Holmes arrived in Detroit, the quality of draft picks turned on a dime. He doesn’t just hit on the early picks, either -- all three seasons have yielded at least one star outside the first round.
In 2021, Holmes made Penei Sewell his first selection as general manager. In the 2+ seasons since, Sewell has not only become one of the best tackles in the league, but also a leader in the locker room.
That draft was highlighted by the selection of Amon-Ra St. Brown in the fourth round. In 36 games, he’s already racked up more than 200 catches and 2,300 yards. A guy picked outside the top 100 of his own draft is now regarded as one of the top 20 receivers in the world.
Holmes also selected Alim McNeill, Ifeatu Melifonwu, and Derrick Barnes in the middle rounds of the 2021 draft, and all three are playing key roles on a team with playoff aspirations.
Then, in 2022, Holmes did something very un-Lions-like. When the best player in the draft fell to him at No. 2, he simply decided to draft him. No, he didn’t try to be the smartest guy in the room and reach for an unproven cornerback or flashy tight end -- he took Aidan Hutchinson, a Heisman Trophy finalist from his own backyard.
Hutchinson is now the leader of the defense, a menace in the pass rush with an endless motor. He forced Patrick Mahomes into a handful of incompletions in the opener and ended Sunday’s win over the Falcons with a strip sack and fumble recovery.
But guess what? Hutchinson wasn’t even the rookie sack leader from his own draft class. Sixth-round pick James Houston played in the final seven games last season and sacked the quarterback eight times.
But guess what!? Houston wasn’t even the best sixth-round pick from last year’s draft class -- Malcolm Rodriguez made 87 tackles and 62 solo tackles while leading an undermanned linebacker group.
The list goes on and on.
Fast forward to Sunday, when the Lions leaned on a dominant defensive performance to suffocate the undefeated Falcons. The best player on the field by a wide margin was second-round rookie Brian Branch.
Branch made 11 solo tackles, three tackles for loss, and two pass break-ups. He delivered some massive hits that forced incompletions, thrived in coverage, and made critical tackles in space.
It’s only three games into his professional career, but Branch looks like a star. And Holmes traded up to select him at No. 45 overall. Genius.
Detroit’s other second-round pick, Sam LaPorta, has already become one of Jared Goff’s favorite targets. He has 18 catches for 186 yards and a touchdown through three games.
When you watch a Lions game, you suddenly realize all the best players on the field are home-grown draft picks. Somehow, some way, the Lions have become a franchise that knows how to build a roster of young, talented players.
Yes, this is the Detroit Lions we’re talking about. Shoutout Brad Holmes. You’ve done the impossible.
