Brad Holmes has been very active on draft day every year. Which trade was your favorite?
Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes never shies away from trading for players he likes, whether that’s moving up or down. It can come at a steep cost, but that is easily forgotten if the picks pan out. While there was a less than enthusiastic response to the price the Lions paid to trade up 32 spots in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft for WR Isaac TeSlaa, Brad Holmes has given us plenty of reason to trust his judgement.
Following his fifth draft as Lions GM, Holmes has over a dozen trades under his belt. As we look at the higher rounds, they’ve panned out quite well. That includes trades for picks used to select stars like Jameson Williams, Brian Branch, and Terrion Arnold. But in the later rounds, it has been somewhat hit or miss. The jury’s still out on picks like Brodric Martin and Giovanni Manu.
Question of the day: Which Brad Holmes draft day trade has been your favorite?
My answer: I think my favorite was trading up for Jamo in 2022. Obviously Jamo’s first two years weren’t the best, but the aggressive move was just such a change of pace. After a rather quiet first draft in 2021, Brad Holmes made it clear from the start in 2022 that this Lions team was willing to pay to get the guys they wanted. Jamo was such an electric player and the idea of him on an otherwise dire Lions team at the time was rejuvenating.
Strictly from a value standpoint, I don’t think this was necessarily the best. You can make that case for drafting a player like Brian Branch, or trading down with the Cardinals to turn the sixth overall pick into both Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta. However, from the standpoint of what it meant to the fan base, the Jamo trade stands out to me as a very culturally defining moment for this regime.
Which Brad Holmes draft day trade has been your favorite? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.