Detroit Lions: Getting to know newly hired General Manager Brad Holmes

The Detroit Lions and Brad Holmes have made it official. Here are a few things you should know about the team’s new General Manager (GM).

He is the picture of upward mobility within the league.

Believe it or not, Holmes started his career in the NFL as a Public Relations intern for the then St. Louis Rams in 2003. That means he was getting people coffee and running mail from desk to desk. It only took him 10 years to get from there to Director of College Scouting.

According to Pride of Detroit, it was his “people skills” and attention to detail that moved him up the ranks so quickly. After 18 years in total with the Rams organization, that upward mobility continues as he takes over the reins as GM for the  Lions. At only 41 years old, he is the second-youngest GM in the history of the NFL.

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He was key in drafting a few big names you may have heard of…

The buzz around the league is that Holmes has a pretty serious eye for talent. Case in point, he was key in the evaluation and drafting of some pretty big names.

Running back Todd Gurley, wide receiver Cooper Kupp, linebacker Alec Ogletree, and quarterback Jared Goff are just a few of Holmes’ success stories.

His home run? Arguably the best player in the entire league, defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who the Lions passed on in favor of tight end Eric Ebron. And we all know how that played out.

No, really, the guy can draft.

Holmes’ ability to scout out talent that will last in the league is astounding. Only 3 of the Rams’ draft picks since 2016 are no longer in the NFL today. While that is already impressive enough, add to that the fact that the Rams haven’t had a first-round draft pick in the past 4 years.

As stated in The Athletic($), this is a guy who has “repeatedly found game-ready talent in the middle of the draft, year over year.” As far as the draft goes, it seemingly can’t get much better than that, right? Oh, but it can. Holmes has been credited with a hand in drafting 25 pro-bowlers in his time with the Rams.

His role can help the Detroit Lions and all of us fans to breathe a sigh of relief.

According to the press release from the team that announced the Lions’ hiring of Holmes, his duties will include “overseeing the Lions’ football operations.” This should help to assuage the many Lions fans that have voiced concern over Rod Wood not being “a football guy” because Holmes undoubtedly is.

With the help and direction of Chris Spielman, hopefully, this team is heading for a bigger and brighter future. With Holmes now stepping into his new duties as the General Manager, the organization will look to find a coach to lead this team on the field.

Detroit Lions fans, I think we can all feel cautiously optimistic.