Lions GM Brad Holmes’ five savviest past draft moves

Lions fans used to say it didn’t matter where their team picked in the NFL Draft because their team would ruin the player no matter what.

Now, they still say it doesn’t matter where their team picks in the draft because general manager Brad Holmes is bound to find a stud.

How did we get here?

Over his first three drafts in Detroit, Holmes has used his capital — early-, middleand late-round picks alike — to slowly build the Lions into a sustainable contender. And with a majority of his draft picks still classified as upand-comers, it’s possible that his 2021-23 drafts look even better this time next year than they do right now.

On the heels of an NFC Championship game appearance — and the understanding that this draft requires a bit more heavy lifting than drafts of Lions past — let’s take a look at Holmes’ five savviest moves in the draft as Detroit’s GM.

. Drafting WR AmonRa St. Brown in fourth round, 2021

Holmes’ first draft pick as GM of the Lions — All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell — is arguably his best, but there wasn’t much savviness to it beyond avoiding the temptation to draft a quarterback and letting Sewell fall in their lap at No. 7. After Sewell was drafted, though, pretty much all Lions fans began tapping their foot, waiting for the team to draft a receiver, even owner Sheila Hamp.

Holmes sat back and watched as 16 receivers came off the board before he decided to select St. Brown, who turned in an All-Pro season in 2023 and made his first Pro Bowl in 2022. Ultimately, in a draft that featured two elite receiving prospects at the top in Ja’Marr Chase (Cincinnati