Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes Stopped Cooking

Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes warned that it would be increasingly difficult for drafted players to even make the 53-man roster.

When the new regime took over, the clear goal was to build the roster through the draft, develop the players and to retain their services through lucrative contract extensions.

The draft philosophy, with a winning team, was not always focused on players that would provide immediate impact.

A handful of players were selected and stashed away, considered "future investments" on a team that was on an upwards trajectory.

Hendon Hooker, Brodric Martin and Giovanni Manu were drafted players that did not have any impact at all on the team making a deep playoff run.

Hooker and Martin are no longer on the roster, showcasing how difficult it actually is to land players in the draft, especially drafting lower and lower in each round the past couple of years.

"I think you can get in trouble chasing needs sometimes, and then you're depending on a rookie," Holmes said during the draft last year. "You do the best you can, but nobody has a crystal ball. So, it can be a tough world to live in. There's just a level of patience you have to (have). 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!'"

With successful drafts in 2021 and 2022, and half of the 2023 draft stocking the roster with talent, the last two years have highlighted a trend that is quite concerning, compared to how other teams have operated.

According to 33rd team researcher Al Karsten, "The Lions have made just 13 draft picks over the past two NFL drafts, tied for the second-fewest in the league—ahead of only Minnesota and a Vikings front office led by Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, whose draft record has drawn plenty of scrutiny."

Karsten added further, "The Ravens led the league with 20 picks in that span. Eight teams made 19 selections (ARI, BUF, GB, LV, NE, PHI, SEA, SF), while three more had 18 (HOU, JAX, LAC). More than a third of the league had roughly three additional picks per draft compared to Detroit. In total, the Lions accounted for just 2.5% of the 514 draft picks made over that period."

It was as if Detroit's draft philosophy resembled a team that had actually won back-to-back Super Bowls, instead of a team seeking to climb the mountain for the first time.

The draft, especially for a team like the Lions, that is mostly avoidant of big-name, high-priced free agents, is supposed to provide depth and fill holes.

When the Lions were besieged with injuries the last two seasons, the cupboard was left bare. No longer did the team have players from the draft to turn to.

In fact, defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo has been a healthy scratch all season.

So, not only did Holmes slow down the number of players selected, those taken have not had the impact needed to assist Dan Campbell to continue to succeed.

Instead of Holmes cooking, these actions and results sound like a recipe for regression.

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