Jimbo

BPA isn't an exact science. BPA usually means BPA on their board (not Mel Kipers board) and I am pretty sure most teams make those boards a lot on (starter) need because who they focus on. If they were slim on corner they probably would of interviewed more corners and therefore had more corners on their board like they did last year. I also think the media and people posting obsess with comments about GM's drafting for need. You also have to adapt to the position your in. When your rebuilding, you also have the luxury of true BPA. When your a top team, BPA is something different. If I could be a fly, I would be more interesting in knowing where everyone was on their board and the comments for each of those players. Like was Mike Green or James Pierce on their board with an asterisk? What did they think of the players that were drafted before their pick and what grade was a player like Graham, Grant, or Nolan compared to Williams. Was their someone that they wanted that they tried to trade up to get because they were in a higher tier. Stuff like that is more interesting to me. I am usually more interested in previous coaches and GM's points of view compared to Kiper.

It will be interesting to see Holme's approach the next couple of years. Eventually he is going to have to let players he has drafted go by either trading or taking comp picks. He hasn't had to yet except for a couple of players that were lower on depth chart like Iffy. If he can continue to draft as good as he has so far, letting some drafted players leave shouldn't be a big issue. I think a lot will depend on the position, fit to the team, and if they are at the top of their positions. I don't think he has to make the decision on both Laporta and Jamo with the cap going up each year. If he had to choose 1 I think he chooses to trade or let Jamo leave.

I kind of look at the trade with Carolina or Dallas similar to the actual trade that got us Jamo. LA pick was further down to ours this year and Carolina is 4 spots higher and Dallas is exactly at the same pick (12). Even if Jamo is valued as a 2nd rounder. Jamo and our 1rst could net Dallas's pick and possibly Carolina's pick (with maybe a 3rd or 4th added). This is just fun draft speculation. I actually think Minn got screwed with that trade although every draft is different. No idea if either team even wants Jamo or if the Lions want someone like Walker or Grahm (or someone else). Was thinking with Carolina because I think they need some play makers and reuniting Jamo with Young.

I am starting to believe more that the Lions could possibly trade Jamo. Trade Jamo for a draft pick. Sign Cooper or Allen. Then draft a speedy WR. Would Carolina trade their 1rst for Lions 1rst and Jamo?

Teams do not let top level pass rushers leave in their prime. Hendrickson would be a possibility although there would have to be another team involved. No way Cincy is going to want to deal with another WR contract.

After reading ESPN's Ranking Depth at each position for this years draft I realize one reason why Holmes is one of the best GM's in the league. It was going through RB and TE depth and who they identify as 1rst round grades. It says that in 2023 ESPN identified only Bijon as the only 1rst round grade for RB and Kincaid and Mayer for TE. That just show's that ESPN influences how we think of the draft. Because obviously Holmes identified Gibbs and Laporta as 1rst round grades when ESPN didn't and he was proven right. I think we can comfortably say Laporta is better than both of the TE's given 1rst round grades in 2023. And Gibbs is at least just as good if not better than Bijon. I just remember everyone being so upset during that draft (that did also include Campbell). Now I am not saying ESPN (and other sports sites) always gets it wrong, I am just saying that I put a lot more trust into what Holmes evaluates than what you read online. I do understand though that ESPN and other sites have to evaluate in general and not fit for each team (even though they try).

I just feel like after the worst GM's in the history of any sports franchises we got the guy that is just better than almost all the others at identifying talent and character. Of course he's not going to bat 100% (he's made some misses) although the run he has had is about as good as it gets. So I am not scared of him missing.

After watching the combine and doing my own "research" (which in reality is watching some college games and reading ESPN lol). I realize that I really don't know as much as Brad Holmes knows (obviously). This is more of a joke than reality but I could not say that about most of the Lions past GM's. So that being said, its kind of boring but its Holmes I trust. If there is a player he feels like he can get that is on top of his board and is a day one starter (that he feels won't be there at our pick), than I want him to trade up. If there are a couple of players he feels like are in the same tier and his pick is coming up, I want him to stay put. If at our pick and he is struggling on what player to take because there are a few picks at the same tier than I would prefer getting more picks and trading down. If we have the ability to getting a potential star DE or DT but have to trade future assets, I am good with that since we are officially in win now mode. Although I don't want us to reach and get a similar player we could of gotten at our actualy pick or a trade down scenario.

These kind of decisions should take place after these next couple of years. Right now we are set up for a serious run in the next two years and also for the future (with possibly a year or two of retooling). So I am really not wanting to trade a top 5 player at any position (this year or the next) to help us out with the cap down the road. I am OK with us not going all in this year (trade away our future for one big run) but I also don't want us to keep on saying next year is the year. Trading LaPorta for draft picks and then taking Loveland (hoping he is as good as Laporta) with either our first or the one traded for Laporta doesn't make our team better this year. Last year we were officially in win now mode and that should be our situation for the next two years and possibly more. I really do believe if we didn't get hit so hard with the injuries last year we were right there with Philly.

The only way we do this is if the Lions get a first round pick for Laporta and then they draft one of the tight ends. Still don't think that's a good decision. Could be said about Gibbs and one of the early RBs as well. Both RBs and TE's have some serious top level talent. I don't want them to trade either. These next two years should be going all in for the championship and trading top 5 player in each position with the hope of replacing them with the same production is slim. When they traded Hockenson it made sense because we were rebuilding.

I am looking forward to seeing a lot of footage of Mrs. Goff

DE and RB is also deep which could help the Lions since they don't really need a RB. This could be a draft they trade down.

They might draft a player more with upside more now than in the past. Your teams roster does change how you create your board. This what I think the Vaki and Manu picks were. I could be wrong but its just a different team now which means your needs change. When you have holes everywhere, its easy to go with straight up BPA. There is also the situation where you think there is a game changer that has dropped because other teams needs and the rules of not drafting certain positions early (Gibbs pick). I also think they might be willing to take a player like Jalen Carter more now than two years ago because of the leadership they have. They did go with Jamo three years ago although I don't think he was thought to be an issue when they drafted him.

Philly had a great draft. I think its pretty safe to say that 2024 was Detroit's worst draft in the Holmes era. Still think this draft will look a lot better down the road than it looks right now.

This team will be competitive for years. There will be years where we don't win the division and barely make the playoffs (or miss the playoffs) although I don't see this team going back to SOL. We finally have competent upper management. I am thinking if Goff can't get us to the Superbowl in the next 2-3 years, there is a good chance we will be looking for someone else. Hopefully we can match what Philly did the last two years. They collapsed last year and then won it this year.

Yeah maybe BPA isn't the right term. I think they stick to their board and they move around based on tiers for their board. For instance, Arnold might of been the only player left for a 1rst round grade tier and it was a player of need. So they traded up to get him. When they trade down, they might have a bunch of players left for that tier (and for that pick). That is how I feel this regime drafts. I think most teams draft for BPA although their board doesn't identify talent as good. I also think good GM's stick to their board that they spent all this time developing. There was a lot of information about Millen during the drafts that he would go against his and his scouts own board because he would be enamored with a player.

I can't wait for the over reactions to the game last night. Everyone is going to say we need to do whatever it takes to get a better defensive line. You do not want to be the team chasing trends of success, you want to be the trend. Not sure what was happening with KC's offensive line. I don't think Philly blitzed once. I know Philly's front 4 was very good but that was just dominance like I have ever seen. Lions were the best team in the league on paper at the beginning of the year although you can not sustain injuries like they did. That is part of the game. Maybe not the extent the Lions endured though. Philly stayed relatively healthy for whole year. Not only does that build cohesion it enables you to rest your dominant players. This is also an example of Any Giving Sunday and having the perfect match up.

I think its a big mistake for teams that are clearly in rebuild mode to not consider trading assets over the age of 27, especially if they are wanting to be traded. All that does is make you a team that is good enough to barely make the playoffs or just miss out. You need to bite the bullet for a couple of years if you want to be a Superbowl contender. Now if your worried about selling team jerseys first than you keep a player like Crosby. Not even sure the Lions would want what it would take to get him. Just think its a big mistake for teams to hold on older stars when your not close to being a contender.

What would you be willing to give up for Garrett? Would you give up Jamo, Hooker, and 2025 1rst round pick? Do you think Crosby is going to be available?

To bad he didn't say that before last trade deadline.

I disagree and do think his age is a factor when someone is unproven. A team will take a chance on Darnold (who is the same age) now because he proved he could run an offense after 6 years in the NFL and having success last year. Teams will take a chance on unproven talent if they are young. I am not talking about staying in the league. I am talking about his chance to be a starter in this league.

Just because a draft pick is a need does not mean its not BPA. I do think Arnold was BPA when he was drafted. Every team has a different board but who at the time of the draft was considered to have a higher grade. Two things can be true. They loved him and he was the the BPA.

I think the biggest problem with Hooker is his age. That is why wasting (probably not the best choice of word) a 3rd round pick on a lifetime back up wasn't Holmes best decision. If he was a couple of years younger and had a 1rst round grade before the injury, this pick would of been a lot better because I do think other teams would of been interested in him. This is when BPA in a draft can be an issue. Now if the Lions truly feel like the next two years he can legitimately take over if Goff gets hurt then its not as bad as a pick. Last year was about as bad as it can get for injuries although we have been lucky with Goff staying healthy.

This could be a Morton request. It also doesn't hurt that he is another minority hire. Its definitely going to be interesting to see if this team changes a lot on their play calling and trick plays. It will show how much is the talent you have on the field and head coach to the coordinator.

I've always felt this regime has stuck to the same philosophy for each draft. Its easy to say they changed their approach last year because they took two CB's. I actually think it was the perfect example of BPA. Things are going to look different when you draft later. There is no argument that 2024 was Holmes weakest draft but a lot is where they were drafting and the amount of picks. Plus this draft didn't have that guy that really played that much better than their draft position in the 24/25 season. A lot of this is also what happens when you have a good team and players don't get the opportunity. There is also different kind of BPA's. When your team is rebuilding, your BPA needs to be players that can play right away. When your team is a contender, your BPA might be the player with the best upside. I think the fact that so many teams went offensive players in last years draft, they didn't think there was any way they could get Arnold. Not sure what their draft board looked like but I feel like he was one player left that still had a 1rst round grade for them. It didn't hurt that was one position that we needed to upgrade. So not sure if it was another player (that they were solid at) that was out there with a similar grade they would of traded up for. With Rakestraw, this was definitely BPA. They could of possibly been looking at him for the original 1rst round pick. Holmes and Campbell are pretty straight up guys but I still don't think they are going to give all there secrets to their draft strategy. So saying they always go BPA, is just a small part of their strategy.