The Detroit Lions were one of the best teams in the NFL this past season and own the No. 28 overall pick in next week's NFL Draft as a result. When you manage to go 15-2 during a season, as Detroit accomplished during the 2024 campaign, there shouldn't be many glaring holes on your roster, and this is largely the case for the Lions entering draft week.
While some pundits have looked at the moves they have made during the offseason to this point and pegged them as a team likely to pursue an edge rusher with their first selection, Detroit GM Brad Holmes made it clear that those opinions do not line up with how he plans to approach this draft, or any draft for that matter.
Even though an edge rusher may ultimately be the direction the Lions elect to go based on who is still on the board at that stage of the first round, Holmes vehemently disagrees with the train of thought that positional needs are the most important thing to consider when navigating an inexact science like the draft.
"I think you can get in trouble chasing needs sometimes, and then you're depending on a rookie," Holmes said, via DetroitLions.com. "You do the best you can, but nobody has a crystal ball. So, it can be a tough world to live in."
Holmes explained his approach further, stating that he has always been a believer in the idea of selecting the best talent available and then piecing the puzzle together once those assets are in place.
"It's why I've been more of a just get the best player," said Holmes. "Like, look, we loved (Ennis) Rakestraw. Unfortunately, he just wasn't as healthy, so he wasn't able to help as much last year. But we're really excited and looking forward to what he's going to bring this year."
By operating the way Holmes and the Lions have, Detroit has built one of the best rosters in the league. While patience may be a virtue, it is something that fans especially have less of in this day and age, and that fact isn't lost on Holmes as he knows his decisions during draft season will face criticism one way or another.
"There's just a level of patience you have to (have)," Holmes said. "When you start chasing need, it's like that need might make sense for right now at this time. We make these picks for future investments. We kind of live in a society that everything is, 'Right now! Right now! Right now!' And I understand it, too. From when a player gets drafted and so much fascination is made about the draft, people are excited about it. People want to see it right now. They don't want to wait and be patient."
We'll find out soon enough just which direction Holmes and the rest of the Lions front office elects to go, but one thing seems certain at this point in time: Detroit's GM has no intentions of tipping his hand one way or another when it comes to his plan of attack for this draft.