Brad Holmes – Lions Lowdown

Detroit Lions draft: Brad Holmes clear-eyed on taking best player available

Entering his 6th draft, GM won’t reach for player of need

Brad Holmes said that while his draft process has evolved in recent years, one thing that has not changed is what he sees on film.

Another – and this is huge – is that the Lions GM drafts the best player available. This is not breaking news, it’s been his process entering his sixth draft in Detroit.

While certainly there appear to be roster needs, that does not sway him or how staff.

“I always think because like I’ve always said the reason we take the best player available approach is because there is only one draft and the roster is going to change every single year. Every single year — new needs, contracts are going to expire , things are going to happen,’’ Holmes said in a pre-draft presser on Monday. “So what may not seem as immediate — I need this right now — that may not be the case for the next year.

“That’s been our approach on that. There have been times when it lines up maybe the best player is a perceived need and it lines up that way. It’s lined up that way in the past but that’s not always the case,’’ Holmes added.

The Lions have the 17th overall pick along with eight other picks in the NFL draft which runs April 23-25.

While a year ago, drafting an EDGE rusher seemed like a no-brainer but Holmes did not make it happen. He never apologized. A year later, still there’s a perceived need there but that doesn’t mean Holmes will draft one this year either.

He will not reach for a player of a certain position.

“You can’t take a player that you’re not fired up about because he plays a certain position. And the reason you weren’t fired up about him shows that on the field and that’s why you had reservations for him,’’ Holmes said. “So now you have the double-whammy.’’

He will only draft players he is excited about and he won’t tip his hand. It’s the Holmes Way.

After disappointing season, GM Brad Holmes says ‘Lions aren’t that far off’

Despite a disappointing 9-8 season, Lions GM Brad Holmes still believes the Lions are close to being an NFL contender.

“I don’t think that we’re that far off. I personally don’t,’’ Holmes said at a season-ending press conference on Thursday. “We have a lot of good players, we have a lot of good young ascending players, we have a really good quarterback, we have the right coach. I do think we’re very close.’’

Holmes has already started an introspection top to bottom of why the Lions came up short and failed to make the playoffs.

“We’ll be looking at everything, but I do not think that this is a deep surgery overhaul,’’ Holmes said. “I don’t think that but obviously there needs to be some adjustments.’’

Holmes answered questions for about 40 minutes. He was short on specifics which is his tendency but seems determined to right the ship which finished 2024 with a 15-2 record.

“Bottom line, for our standards, this was a disappointment,’’ Holmes said. “When we set out for this journey for this season it wasn’t to match last year’s record or exceed last year’s record — it doesn’t really matter what the record is — bottom line is if we’re not in the dance and we’re not competing for a championship then it’s a failure.’’

Plain and simple.

Offensive coordinator John Morton has been fired, but no other coaching changes have been announced at this point. The offense came up short of its goals but this disappointing season obviously wasn’t all on Morton. Injuries, again, played a big role in getting them to play consistently good football.

“It’s a lot of things. We’re going to have to take a long, hard look,’’ Holmes said. “Before I look at anything I’ll look at myself.’’

Lions wrap up weekend by drafting a pair of Georgia Bulldogs

S Dan Jackson and WR Dominic Lovett headed to Detroit

ALLEN PARK — The Lions wrapped up the NFL draft by selecting a pair of Georgia Bulldogs in the seventh round of the NFL draft on Saturday. Safety Dan Jackson was drafted 230th overall while wide receiver Dominic Lovett was the 244th pick.

It was a Georgia kind of draft with guard Tate Ratledge selected in the second round.

Jackson, a walk-on at Georgia, finished with a strong senior season starting opposite Malaki Starks, a first-round pick to the Ravens.

The 6-2, 195-pound safety earned third team All-SEC honors after recording 64 tackles, three pass break-ups, 1.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and one blocked field goal. He notched one forced fumble which was huge for the Bulldogs, as it came late in the fourth quarter against Georgia Tech and opened the door for the Bulldogs to beat the Yellow Jackets in eight overtimes.

He’s expected to be able to contribute on special teams.

“I’m willing to play anywhere, that’s how I got started in Georgia,’’ Jackson said.

He also said that Georgia shaped him into the player he is today.

In CBS Sports draft profile they wrote: “Dan Jackson is a smart football player and good leader. He is fearless playing downhill in run support, but sometimes runs too hot, which leads to missed tackles in space. Jackson has a high football IQ and good eyes to recognize what is happening in front of him, but lacks the ideal athleticism to recover when he makes a mistake and must do a better job breaking down in space.’’

Lovett, who played two seasons at Georgia after two years at Missouri, led the Bulldogs in receptions with 59 and receiving touchdowns with six in 2024.

Lovett said he’s looking forward to being in the same wide receiver group with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.

“I feel I can learn so much how he plays the game,’’ Lovett said of St. Brown.

Lovett said he’s been a big fan of Jameson Williams since both lived and played near St. Louis in high school.

GM Brad Holmes said he’s been a fan of Lovett’s for a long time and said he’s a really good special teams player.

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote: “His hands will both dazzle and frustrate. He’s capable and experienced as a gunner and can compete for reps on special teams until he finds his footing as a WR3.’’

Earlier on Saturday, the Lions drafted guard Miles Frazier in the fifth round and EDGE rusher Ahmed Hassanein in the sixth round.