Breaking news: The Detroit Lions open to trade talks regarding first-round pick.
Moving around in the NFL draft with Brad Holmes as general manager is nothing new for the Detroit Lions.
They rose to 24th overall for cornerback Terrion Arnold last year after moving up to choose wide receiver Jameson Williams in 2022. Holmes has also made a move down, acquiring tight end Sam LaPorta with the choices they received in exchange for running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
There is an abundance of defensive line talent in this year’s draft class, both edge rushers and interior linemen. Both should be available to the Lions, thus it makes sense to go down and rely on depth and Holmes’ background, as well as to move up and acquire the guy they most want.
But since it’s hard to foresee what will happen, especially when ranked 28th overall, it’s a case-by-case, year-by-year issue.
According to Holmes, there haven’t been any calls regarding the team’s first-round selection thus far, which is not surprising given that it comes at the end of Round 1.
Holmes said, “That was the right guy—that was the big one with Jameson.” The fact that it was such a huge leap suggests that it was somewhat prearranged. In order to obtain him, a lot more preparation, talks, and debates were required.
However, even the one from last year was more—I believe I mentioned that it was more surprising—because we just didn’t anticipate being in a position to strike. We felt a strong connection to Arnold TA, and we took action when we were within striking range, which we thought was appropriate.
As of right now, one week before the draft begins, each team has its own first-round choice. According to NFL Research, if that is the case going into the first day of the draft, it will be the first time since 2014 that no first-round selections were changed from the beginning of the new league year to the commencement of the draft.
When attempting to determine Detroit’s requirements for this season, the defensive line and pass rush immediately spring to mind because of the team’s depth.
