Holmes masterfully builds the Lions through the draft, prioritizing process and finding hidden gems, defying past team failures with disciplined talent acquisition.
“Don’t focus on the outcome. Focus on the process of what it takes to be successful.” - Nick Saban
Brad Holmes is notorious for protecting his most prized possession: draft picks. In today’s NFL, they’re the currency of success. Use them wisely, and the league opens up. Waste them, and you’re stuck in the basement.
A place all too familiar for Lions fans, who spent 70 years in that basement watching knuckleheads draft the exact wrong players year in and year out. Outside of the few Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnsons came a flood of busts. Ask the Cleveland Browns or the Las Vegas Raiders how hard it is to draft the right players—even with top picks—or just ask your dad, who sat through decades of Lions draft disasters.
But those Lions are gone. Brad Holmes’ Lions are something entirely different.
Holmes continues to impress every year with his draft classes. Even when fans or media doubt him, his players always seem to show up when it matters. From foundational pieces like Penei Sewell, Aidan Hutchinson, Brian Branch, Alim McNeill, Kerby Joseph, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Amon-Ra St. Brown to the young prospects still waiting for their breakout moments like Mekhi Wingo and Isaac TeSlaa, Holmes has built a deep and balanced roster. Even his so-called misses—like James Houston—have contributed valuable moments along the way.
Brad Holmes covets those picks because he knows how to find talent in unexpected places—players who fit the mold of the “Brand New Lions.” It takes a certain type of player to be humble, play their role, and buy into the team-first mentality. Holmes values that over star power, and it shows.
The question of whether to trade draft picks for proven players is as old as the league itself. It’s like that Family Guy bit: “You can have this boat, or you can have what’s inside the box—it could even be a boat!” Sometimes GMs treat their draft picks like that box. They hold on, hoping it turns into something better than the proven player they could have had, only to end up with a pedal boat that sinks halfway across the lake.
There are GMs like Howie Roseman in Philadelphia and Les Snead with the Rams who strike that balance—drafting well but also making aggressive trades for instant impact. That’s something many Lions fans are still waiting to see Holmes evolve into. We know Holmes can draft with the best of them—maybe better than all of them. What we haven’t seen yet is the blockbuster trade that pushes a contender over the top. He’s proven he can build; the question is whether he’ll ever gamble.
Now, let’s talk about the money side of things—an area where the Lions have quietly become one of the league’s best. Holmes has put on a masterclass in managing the cap and rewarding his own players. That balance gets messy fast if you start trading for high-salary veterans. Detroit still has to pay homegrown stars like Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, Brian Branch, and Jack Campbell in the near future. Taking on a massive contract from a player outside the family could derail that plan in an instant.
Fans see the talent and think, “This might be our window.” But Holmes doesn’t think like that. He’s not chasing a short-term window—he’s building a foundation meant to last. Trading away a third- or fourth-round pick might feel harmless, but Holmes knows that’s where he’s found players like Kerby Joseph and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Those hidden gems become the backbone of the team. Why give that up for a short-term rental who might get hurt next week—or walk in free agency?
So, do you think the Lions are one player away? Would trading two first-rounders for a superstar like Sauce Gardner have been worth it? Or is the true strength of this team the fact that Holmes doesn’t flinch when the league gets impatient?
It’s the ultimate water-cooler question, and there’s no right answer. In one universe, the Lions make a splashy trade and go on a Super Bowl run. In another, they stand pat and build something that lasts for a decade while still making a Super Bowl run. We’ll never know which would’ve been right—but we do know this: the Lions finally have a plan.
And Brad Holmes isn’t trading that away for anything.