ALLEN PARK — Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes’ success with his first three NFL drafts has been unquestioned with five Pro Bowl picks. It’s a good haul and one reason why the Lions are legitimately mentioned in the same sentence as the Super Bowl.
So for anyone paying attention, Holmes has had the same philosophy and just tweaked it along the way.
Certainly the Lions have needs at cornerback, edge rusher and offensive guard. It’s not just that Holmes won’t tip his hat about who he will draft with the 29th overall pick next Thursday, it’s that he doesn’t know.
It’s all about the player more than the position. And with the 29th pick, it will be who is still available.
“I think we make sure we’re convicted on every single pick. You guys have heard me say, it’s about the right football player. As long as we’re convicted on the football player then you sleep good at night,’’ Holmes said at a pre-draft press conference on Thursday.
“That’s a lot of work that goes into getting convicted on the right player. We just had 30 visits, medicals … There’s a lot of stuff to get to ‘this is the right guy.’ We’re still looking at tape now,’’ he added.
The process started a year ago to get to this point. Holmes opened the presser thanking everyone on his scouting team along with coach Dan Campbell and the coaching staff.
“It’s a lot that gets to that conviction as long as Dan and I are really aligned and convicted and we’re so ‘this guy fits,’’’ Holmes said.
He said he was recently asked about drafting an outside corner with the first of the Lions’ eight picks.
“No, we draft the right football player we’re convicted on. If the outside corner is the right football player we’re convicted on then we would take that player. We don’t really get anchored on positions, we don’t really get anchored on windows,’’ Holmes said.
“There’s only one draft a year, there’s a lot of work that goes into it, that’s our recipe we kind of look for guys we’re convicted on that are right fits for us. We don’t get into the premium positions. You can pick another position that doesn’t mean the guy is the right fit,’’ Holmes said.
You get the drift. Media and fans can and will question his picks through the three-day process. It’s a rite of spring. But know this, he only drafts guys who he’s convinced are the right fit.
“I know you were asking after the last draft how come you guys didn’t pick another position No, it’s not another position, it’s who, which player, you don’t just pick whatever the premium position is, you don’t just pick that player because he plays that position, no he has to be the right football player and that’s what we’ve stuck to,’’ Holmes said. “It’s worked so far.’’
No argument here.
Holmes certainly talks about how the process has evolved in four years. When he arrived in Detroit, there were needs all over the roster.
“So we could go for the most talented guy, the guy that really fit the most. We could’ve gone in so many directions, That resulted in a lot of young players having to play early and got a lot of experience,’’ Holmes said.
He beefed up the roster in free agency — it was easier with free agents wanting to play for Campbell and the Lions.
“Really with the way the roster is now you have more flexibility to not be anchored into a need (at the draft). We try to do the best we can in free agency in terms of plugging holes and pulling out the depth chart and doing all those things,’’ Holmes said. “And we feel that we did a great job in free agency and we’re in position to go wherever we want to go. … We’ve always said the best player, but it’s even more emphasized now.’’
(The NFL draft, which will take place in Detroit, starts at 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, with the first round. Rounds 2-3 begin at 7 p.m.. on Apri 26 and winds up starting at noon on April 27.)
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