Lions' Brad Holmes 'Felt Better' After Meeting Jalen Carter

Brad Holmes briefly discusses meeting with Jalen Carter.

The Detroit Lions could reach their first selection of the NFL Draft with one of the top prospects still on the board. 

Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter is a premium defensive talent, but concerns about his character have hurt his draft stock, with the event just one week away. 

The Lions have done their due diligence, bringing in Carter for a formal Top-30 visit leading into the draft. 

Detroit general manager Brad Holmes, while not divulging the team's opinion on the player, admitted that the visit was a positive one. 

"He came in, and he did a nice job," Holmes said. "Again, it's always case-by-case, came in, we enjoyed our time with him, did a nice job. I will say, even after he left his visit, I felt better about him." 

The Georgia product enjoyed a stellar college career, logging 18.5 tackles for loss and six sacks across three seasons. He was an integral part of the Bulldogs' defense, anchoring units that won back-to-back national championships. 

The Lions have been emphatic in addressing their defensive line, having added three defensive ends in the 2022 NFL Draft. Aidan Hutchinson and James Houston excelled, while second-round pick Josh Paschal's rookie campaign was hampered by injuries. 

2023 Draft 'more unpredictable' 

The Lions hold two first-round picks in this year's draft. With those opportunities, they could add two premium talents to the organization. 

Holmes and his staff have spent the process analyzing different scenarios that could lead into their first selection at No. 6 overall. 

"Yeah, just a little bit more unpredictable, and having those two picks, they're kind of in unique spots," Holmes said. "Just depending on what's gonna happen in front of you, what's gonna happen behind you. Where we are right now, we have a lot of flexibility. We can go in a lot of different directions, and we feel good about that. But, it's just a little different." 

With so much uncertainty regarding how the first five picks are going to fall, the team continues to evaluate the players that could be available. 

"I'll still say that we're still kind of allowing that to crystallize a little bit," Holmes explained. "I will say we're closer now than we were at that time. There's still work to be done. Every draft is different. Last year, picking at two, we kind of knew what that cluster (of players) was at that time. It's gotten closer, but it's just a lot more film, a lot more research has been done. We've had a lot more meetings since that time. So, all the research and sticking to our process, and just surrendering the results to that. Being confident in our process, that's how I can always sleep good at night, knowing that we'll come up with the right group."