The Detroit Lions added seven players to their roster through the 2025 NFL Draft. GM Brad Holmes made aggressive moves during the draft, trading up to select Arkansas WR Isaac Teslaa in the third round, and moving up again in the fifth round to pick LSU guard Miles Frazier. After the draft, Holmes admitted that he was involved in "about 30" trade discussions and wanted to do more.
This is in line with Holmes' overall roster construction approach. The Lions GM doesn't believe in drafting for positional needs. He prefers to get the best prospect available and figure out the rest later. If he has a player he is higher on than the consensus, Holmes doesn't mind reaching or aggressively pursuing him.
The new footage of Holmes turning down a trade offer by the Eagles GM Howie Roseman, makes more sense in that light.
Lions GM Turned Down Eagles' Trade Offer in the First Round
The Eagles released a YouTube video entitled "96 hours Inside the Eagles Draft Room" from their official account. There, Roseman is seen coming off the phone after asking "any interest in moving back?", turning to his associates, and saying "Detroit I just spoke to. They said no."
This came on the heels of Roseman looking for a trade to move up to try and select Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell. He called multiple teams and failed to find a deal that worked until eventually pulling off the trade with the Chiefs' 31st-overall pick.
The Lions had the No. 28 pick in the draft and were waiting for their eventual first-round pick Tyleik Williams to fall to them. They perhaps would have considered Philadelphia's offer if the Ohio State defensive tackle was off the board when it was their turn.
Holmes' decision proved to be the right one when Williams revealed that the Buffalo Bills were eyeing him with the 30th-overall pick. If Holmes traded down to the 32nd pick, they likely wouldn't have landed their preferred defensive lineman.
If the Lions made a mistake by turning down this offer and adding more draft assets will be determined later, once this rookie class' careers are off to a start.