Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes has made a ton of impressive moves, but what has been his best?
By now, Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes has built himself quite a resume. From his age-like-wine swap of Matthew Stafford for Jared Goff and a haul of picks to his odds-defying 2023 NFL Draft class, Holmes seems to make at least one stunningly good move in each of his five offseasons.
It seems silly to rank all of his roster decisions, but this deep into the offseason, there is no such thing as too silly a question. So today’s Question of the Day is:
What has been Brad Holmes’ singular best roster move in his Lions career?
My answer: Personally, I think it’s between two decisions made in the Lions’ very first draft.
Remember that in the 2021 NFL Draft , the Lions had the seventh overall pick, and there were just about a million different ways they could approach the first round.
With all of the extra draft picks from the Stafford trade, and a very uncertain future with Goff, Holmes could have gotten aggressive and made a play for one of the top quarterbacks. Good thing he didn’t, because the first three picks were Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, and Trey Lance. He also could’ve traded up for a skill position player—and there were rumors he did target Ja’Marr Chase at one point—but Holmes stood patient.
At Pick 7, Holmes had another debate on his hands. On one hand, you had the best offensive tackle in the class. On the other hand, you had a quarterback with a tantalizing upside. Looking back, Penei Sewell over Justin Fields looks like a no-brainer, but it was a real debate at the time. Holmes made the right decision, and chaos ensued:
This was our reaction to getting our guy @peneisewell58
Reply with yours. pic.twitter.com/lCApNCOj8j
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) April 30, 2021
Two days later, Holmes knocked it out of the park again with what has undoubtedly been his best value pick. Amidst concern that Detroit’s wide receiver room was barren, Holmes finally made his move in the fourth round to find Amon-Ra St. Brown. Detroit proceeded to get three incredible seasons out of St. Brown before they had no choice but to break the bank for the All-Pro receiver.
Despite plenty of stronger moves from Holmes after that, I believe those may go down as his two best decisions.
What do you think Holmes’ best roster move has been so far? Scroll down to the comment section and share your thoughts.