Holmes deserves job with Lions
If there was ever a time for the Detroit Lions to build through the NFL Draft, it is now.
The Lions are coming off three straight losing campaigns — 6-10 in 2018, 3-12-1 in 2019 and 5-11 in 2020.
Additionally, this past year, Detroit set franchiseworst marks in both total points (519) and yards allowed (6,716) for a single season.
It was a tell-tale sign of how barren the talent cupboard is on the defensive side of the ball — a byproduct of the previous regime led by Bob Quinn in the front office.
It made the team’s selection of its next general manager ultra important.
Its next front-office lead personnel decision-maker needed to be someone with a keen eye for college talent.
Enter former L.A. Rams director of college scouting Brad Holmes, who was formally announced as the Lions’ new GM Thursday.
The 41-year-old Holmes brings with him nearly two decades’ worth of scouting experience — all of which stems from his 18 years with the Rams.
He started off as an intern in the team’s public relations department in 2003, and rose to the position of head of college scouting in 2013.
And, during his time in the role, he was known for finding impactful talent both at the top of the draft and in the mid-late rounds.
In that span of time (2013-20), the Rams’ draft picks included franchise cornerstones Aaron Donald (2014) and Jared Goff (2016) in the first round, as well as players like wide receiver Cooper Kupp (third round in 2017), safety John Johnson (third round in
‘17), nose tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day (sixth round in 2018), running back Darrell Henderson (third round in 2019) and safety Jordan Fuller (sixth round in 2020) in the later rounds.
All seven of the aforementioned individuals suited up for at least 12 games this past regular season.
This is the type of depth that Detroit needs to build through the draft moving forward.
What makes it even more impressive for
Holmes and Los Angeles is the fact that the Rams haven’t held a first-round pick since taking Goff No. 1 overall in ‘16.
All the while, Holmes, along with general manager Les Snead, helped build Los Angeles’ defense into the No. 1 unit in the league in terms of both total points (296) and yards allowed (4,511) — the polar opposite of the Lions.
Sure, the Rams’ D wouldn’t be the best in the NFL today without Snead having traded for Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
However, Holmes deserves credit for helping Snead identify Donald, Johnson, Joseph-Day and Fuller in the pre-draft process as players that the organization needed to target.
Heck, it’s pretty much common knowledge by now that he played an instrumental role in the franchise’s decision to draft Donald out of the University of Pittsburgh at No. 13 overall in the ‘14 draft.
Remember, this was the same draft in which the Lions — with then-general manager Martin Mayhew calling the shots — took tight end Eric Ebron at No. 10 overall.
Detroit and 11 other NFL franchises ended up missing out on Donald.
Holmes made sure the Rams didn’t make the same mistake, after showing up to a Pittsburgh practice extra early to check out the now five-time All-Pro defensive tackle.
According to The Athletic’s Vincent Bonsignore,
“When Holmes arrived at the practice field at 2:45, all he saw were the Pitt specialists going through their normal pre-practice routine. Nothing unusual about that. Then, he glanced over to the Pitt bench, and what he saw blew him away.
Sitting all by himself, completely taped up and in full uniform and practically chomping at the bit to get to work, was none other than Aaron Donald.”
Holmes told The Athletic, “And he had this body language that was screaming, ‘I’ve been waiting on this all day. I’ve been looking forward to this all day.’ And I mean … it’s a Tuesday practice.”
This personal experience for Holmes with a then-college-aged Donald went a long way toward Snead & Co. deciding to use their
‘14 first-round selection on him.
This is just one — but perhaps the best — of the various instances during which Snead entrusted in Holmes to make a vital decision for the Stan Kroenke-owned organization.
And more often than not, entrusting in Holmes and his scouting expertise paid off for the franchise.
Subsequently, he more than deserved the opportunity to run his own team.
And now, he gets the chance to do so with the NFL franchise that arguably needed his college scouting acumen the most in the Detroit Lions.