Detroit Lions: Brad Holmes is prepared for all NFL Draft scenarios

Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes recently mentioned he’s open to trading out of the no. 7 overall pick the team currently controls.

It’s not exactly news that should shock anyone knowing how often teams bluff and discuss all of their options leading up to any draft.

Sure Holmes would consider trading back; that goes for any organization, maybe except for the team picking first overall, and even then, I’m sure Jacksonville would consider moving the pick if someone offered an absurd amount. As former WWE star, Ted DiBiase would say ‘everyone has a price.’ Who would turn down six first-round draft picks, but who would be dumb enough to offer that much draft capital?

The Detroit Lions are just breaking ground on yet another extensive rebuild that is sure to last three or four years. Considering the Lions gave Holmes a six-year deal, they understand this will be a marathon and not a race.

The Detroit Lions are putting overall potential over the scheme, and that’s all we can ask for this early on in a rebuild.

Here’s what Holmes recently told reporters;

"“Yeah, there has been discussion with other teams,” he told reporters on Friday. “I will keep those in-house, but there have been discussions.”“At 7, we do have a cluster of players that we’re comfortable with picking, but at the same time we will be very prepared and also willing to move in either direction,” Holmes said. “So, we’re still open in those regards, but there are a cluster of players that we would be comfortable with.”"

There is another quote I’d like to point out. The previous regime under Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia looked for players that fit their scheme, often overlooking a player’s overall potential and even character traits.

"“More so from a culture fit, regardless of scheme, and obviously scheme does play a part, but at the end of the day, if the player has certain standards of toughness, passion, if a player has grit, that doesn’t have anything to do with if a guy is a press corner or an off-zone quarters corner, or if a guy is a 3-4 rush backer,” Holmes said. “Does a guy play hard or he does not? Does he have a high motor or does he [not]? Does he take plays off, does he not? Does he love football, does he not?“So, those are the standards that we look for, but having that grit, passion for football that’s at an elite level, those are pretty much the standards that are the fits, more so of if the guy is just a scheme fit.”"

Take Jahlani Tavai, for example. Quinn and Patricia reached in the second round for someone they describe as a ‘thumper’ rather than someone who can scream sideline to sideline with tremendous athleticism.

You can use a plethora of different examples, but take the Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, for example. Both of their star linebackers Lavonte David and Devin White, are athletic linebackers that can defend the run plus drop into coverage without being a liability.

Micah Parsons, out of Penn State, is a do-it-all linebacker that continues to be linked to the Detroit Lions. He’s far more David/White than Tavai and someone Holmes will consider regardless of the overall defensive scheme. He’s a versatile linebacker that can play inside on first and second down but can also be utilized as an edge rusher on third down.

We’ve already seen a huge splash well before the draft when the 49ers traded up from 12 to three with the Dolphins. That followed by the Dolphins trading back into the top six with the Eagles.

Recently the Kansas City Chiefs landed Orlando Brown Jr. in a blockbuster deal with the Baltimore Ravens. K.C. gave up their first, third, and fourth-round choices in 2021, plus an additional fifth-rounder in 2022 for Brown, a second-rounder in 2021, and a sixth-round pick in ’22.

Next. 4 free agent defenders to consider signing. dark

Could the Detroit Lions be the next team to make some noise? Only time will tell.

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