Brad Holmes admits to major Lions draft miss (and it could've been franchise-altering)

Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes managed to land a plethora of star, starting talent in the 2023 NFL Draft. With an extra pick to work with thanks to the Matthew Stafford-Jared Goff trade, Holmes managed to snag Jahmyr Gibbs, Jack Campbell, Sam LaPorta, and Brian Branch that year.

One pick that Holmes still wishes he had made that year? Puka Nacua, who was taken in the fifth round of the draft by the Los Angeles Rams. The underrated wide receiver has quickly become one of the most lethal in the NFL thanks to his size, hands, and durability.

On an episode of "This Is Football," ESPN's Kevin Clark asked Holmes who he regrets passing on and wishes he could get a scouting report re-do on, and Holmes said it would be Nacua.

"The one I've spoken most recently about is Puka Nacua. Ask my personnel staff, that's one I've brought up that's like, man. It is what it is, but you know what, if you don't recognize those things, if you don't self assess yourself constantly, you can't grow and you can't get better. You know, so, everybody wants to preach, you know, humility and being humble and all that, you gotta be honest to be humble. So, you just gotta be honest if you miss out on something, it's something you could've done a little bit better," said Holmes to Clark.

Holmes regrets passing on Nacua in 2023 NFL Draft

The Lions have an excellent track record as of late with developing wide receiver talent.

Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown are both shining examples of this, with Williams managing to get over some early career personal woes to end up becoming one of Detroit's biggest threats on offense, and with St. Brown going from a fourth round pick to one of the most highly rated wide receivers in Madden.

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That just goes to prove Holmes' point: the team obviously could have gotten so much out of the addition of Nacua to their offense instead of players like Hendon Hooker, Colby Sordsal, or Antoine Green.

You can't hit on every single draft pick, but Nacua was legitimately right there for Detroit to snag late in the draft. Instead, they're still waiting to see if Hooker or Sordsal can fight their way onto the roster.

Nacua is now set to be in a fun competition with Davante Adams for WR1 with the Rams, and he's looking to add onto a 2024 season where injuries held him back from touching 1,000 receiving yards. The Lions, on the flip side, have two receivers primed to reach that goal for a second season in a row as a tandem. Not all is woeful due to missing out on the Rams' phenom.

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