Tag: Brad Holmes

Detroit Lions trade up, draft CB Terrion Arnold in first round

ALLEN PARK — The Detroit Lions traded up five spots to take cornerback Terrion Arnold (Alabama) on Thursday night with the 24th overall pick in the first round of the NFL draft in Detroit.

Arnold, an All-American in 2023, was the second cornerback selected. Quinyon Mitchell (Toledo) went to the Eagles with the 22nd pick. 

Cornerback was seen as an area of need for the Lions, the defending NFC North champs. So it made sense to make the move.

“It doesn’t always match up that way. I know you guys have heard me say a million times we don’t care what the position is, we just want to get the best football player,’’ Lions GM Brad Holmes said. “It happened to match up with the best football player and it was an area where we wanted to add one at some point. We didn’t know if we were going to be able to add one in the first round.’’

Holmes said he started making phone calls in the late teens to move up. He said he knew the draft would be offensive-heavy early, but couldn’t be more ecstatic how it went.

“I never thought that he’d be there, but I couldn’t be more thrilled,’’ Holmes said, mentioning Arnold’s good workout at his pro day at Alabama.

He says Arnold has a “challenge mentality” and “right mindset” which will fit the Lions perfectly.

“It’s the more than the skillset for us,’’ said Holmes who examines how a player is wired.

In the trade, Detroit acquired the 24th-overall and a seventh-round 2025 pick, while Dallas received the 29th overall pick and a third-round pick (73rd overall).

“We feel really good about his floor, but we feel even better about his ceiling,’’ Holmes said.

Arnold was one of the prospects on stage for the draft in front of 275,000 fans, many of them Lions fans.

“I grabbed the mic and said I was home and I meant it,” Arnold said. “You have the best fan base in the NFL.”

Arnold, who turned 21 in March, made a pre-draft visit to the Lions.

“One thing that he showed is how smart he was, competitive, just smart and understanding football were some of the things that stood out right away. His understanding of the scheme, the things he did at Alabama and how he had position flexibility. You saw that when you talked to him and saw his personality, ‘’ Deshea Townsend, Lions passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach, said after the selection.

“He’s a corner, you have to be borderline cocky but you have to be humble at the same time and he is a kid that has confidence, but having that confidence he understands that he has to work. That’s one thing I felt when I talked to him,’’ Townsend added.

Arnold, who is 6-foot and 196 pounds, had a breakout season in 2023 with five interceptions and 11 pass breakups.

“That’s one of the most important things that I look at when we’re watching a corner is can he track and locate,’’ Townsend said. “That’s one thing you want to have the ability to do is find the ball and go create turnovers.’’

Arnold will join three other former Crimson Tide players who have been a good fit in Detroit — DB Brian Branch, WR Jameson Williams and RB Jahmyr Gibbs.

Arnold said it means everything to play with those three. “Those are my brothers,” Arnold said.

“I have so much respect for Nick (Saban) and everything he’s done for that program,’’ Holmes said.

Arnold joins Lions cornerbacks Carlton Davis III, Amik Robertson, Emmanuel Moseley, Steven Gilmore, Kindle Vildor, Khalil Dorsey and Craig James.

The first 14 draft picks were all from the offensive side of the ball. Six of the top dozen chosen were quarterbacks. The Colts chose the first defensive player – EDGE rusher Laiatu Latu – with the 15th overall selection.

The Lions have one second-round pick on Friday at 61st overall. Rounds 2-3 start at 7 p.m. on Friday. The draft wraps on Saturday with rounds 4-7 starting at noon.

Another thing or two …

— Detroit set an attendance record with 275,000 fans in Detroit for the first day of the NFL Draft. The announcement was made by commissioner Roger Goodell. In comparison, the 3-day draft in Kansas City (home of the defending Super Bowl champs) drew 312,000 last year.

— Hall of Famers Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson, along with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Aidan Hutchinson, Jared Goff and fan Eminiem, opened the draft on the stage at Campus Martius with Goodell. St. Brown led the first Ja-Red Goff chants. It’s the first NFL draft held in Detroit.

Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes sticks with his draft process; it’s the player not the position

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.)

Lions report for offseason workouts as defending division champs with higher expectations

ALLEN PARK — When the Lions reported for offseason workouts this week, it was as defending NFC North champs. While that’s something quite new, the goal remains the same.

They ended last season one win short of making it to the Super Bowl. Certainly that provides a different approach to the offseason.

“I think we all know what the goal is, it’s always been the goal. I don’t think it was not the goal last year,’’ quarterback Jared Goff said on Tuesday. “I think we got a chance to taste it last year so you get to see what it feels like but that’s the goal, and this year it’s absolutely the goal.’’

After winning two playoff games, ending a decades-long drought, many of the same players are back from a year ago. Expectations and standards will rise.

“Internally we’re going to do the same thing we’ve been doing: try to raise our internal expectations and standards. Even better, Dan (Campbell) put it great last year how much harder it’s going to be,’’ Goff said. “We know that it’s going to be harder, people are going to be gunning for us and it’s going to be at first to defend our division title that’s No. 1 and then see where we can go from there. Holding that trophy at the end of the year only one team gets to do it and that’s our goal.’’

Left tackle Taylor Decker, who has recovered from offseason foot/ankle surgery, said he couldn’t even watch the Super Bowl like he usually does.

“I think I watched a quarter, then I was disinterested. I felt like we matched up well with anybody we were going to play with. It definitely hurts and was a disappointment especially because as special of a year as it was to end and go home early,’’ Decker said on Tuesday.

“It was a bummer for sure, but stuff like that’s going to happen, you’re not going to win every single game in a blowout, I think we’ll be better for it and learn some things for it but I don’t think that’s going to define our approach,’’ Decker added.

The team is back for individual workouts this week with no coaching allowed. So they have not had a welcome-back speech from Campbell yet. So there’s been no outward talk about their goals, it’s mostly just understood.

“Obviously how the game ended was a disappointment for us especially because I think we showed throughout the season last year that we belonged in that position, it wasn’t a fluke,’’ Decker said. “They were a better team that day which was a disappointment for us. I don’t think that’s going to change our mindset or how we feel about ourselves that we came up short.. Moving forward we have bigger goals ahead of us, I don’t think that one moment is going to define how we move forward with our mindset and approach.’’

Tight end Brock Wright said they’ve been talking that the motto is “it takes more” and explains it as a holistic approach starting at the top with GM Brad Holmes and Campbell.

“So I think everybody will have to step up their game. (Last year) brings confidence, but I think everybody on our team should be confident knowing that we have the experience of being there and looking forward to carrying that over to next year,’’ Wright said.

One more thing: New Lions uniforms will be unveiled on Thursday night to season-ticket holders at Ford Field. Wright said he thinks they’re cool, but couldn’t share more info. Players are sworn to secrecy.

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