Brad Holmes Expresses 'Optimism' During Lions' Rebuild
Lions general manager Brad Holmes has slept better the past few days, as opposed to the grind of the past few months.
Following the draft, Detroit's new general manager shared what his mother advised him about, following the grueling draft process.
“I’ll try to tonight. I will say, you know, it was other times where I felt like I kind of got back to the bed around maybe 2 a.m. or so. But, still that adrenaline was still rolling, so I still really didn’t get to sleep fully until about 3 a.m. But, hopefully, I can get in there early tonight," Holmes said. "But, my mom always gives me the bags-under-my-eyes test, and she always kind of gives me hell for that.”
Speaking with the team's flagship radio station 97.1 The Ticket Tuesday morning, Holmes shared his optimism regarding the rebuild and the players selected in last weekend's draft.
"Dan and I are very competitive. And so for for that reason, it really doesn't make it tough, because we're not going into it with a mindset as 'Well, we know we're not going to be this this year' or 'Well, it's going to be tough.' We just think positive. We have optimism about what our plan is, what our vision is and we're just trying to do the best job that we can to have the best players and to try to make sure that we find players that fit Dan's philosophy and his vision," Holmes said. "We're just trying to be as competitive as possible and not trying to put any anchors or timetables on it or anything like that. We're just trying to do it the right way. And really, that's all we can do."
Selecting defensive linemen with consecutive picks
For a team needing players at multiple positions, it was interesting to observe Detroit select two defensive linemen, one right after the other, on Day 2 of the NFL Draft.
"We were concerned if he (Levi Onwuzurike) was actually going to last down there. I know he kind of fell victim a little bit, with some unfortunate things in the spring -- in terms of he wasn't able to complete at his pro day or his Senior Bowl -- and then on top of that, the opt-out. That may have helped him actually slide down a little bit," Holmes explained. "Where we were at defensively last year and how important that position is within Aaron Glenn's system that we're doing now, I thought it just made sense. But, at the same time, seems like people wanted us to go wide receiver over the defensive line. In Alim (McNeill), as well, just two very talented core pieces. And, we'll just see how quickly they develop and are able to contribute."
Picks made by Lions in 2021 NFL Draft:
- Round 1, Pick 7 -- Oregon OL Penei Sewell
- Round 2, Pick 41 -- Washington DT Levi Onwuzurike
- Round 3, Pick 72 -- North Carolina State DT Alim McNeill
- Round 3, Pick 101 -- Syracuse CB Ifeatu Melifonwu
- Round 4, Pick 112 -- USC WR Amon-Ra St. Brown
- Round 4, Pick 113 -- Purdue LB Derrick Barnes
- Round 7, Pick 257 -- Oregon State RB Jermar Jefferson
