2025 NFL Draft

[Motown Bombers]

I don't think Glasgow lasts beyond this season so I would be good with that. 

[Stanley70]

It almost feels like they are cornered into taking a pass rusher/edge guy early. Those guys cost so much in free agency you almost have to draft one. It seems like they don't value pure pass rushing skills as much as some other teams do so maybe they can go BPA early. I think they prefer a guy who stops the run first so maybe they can wait and get a guy like Sawyer in the second.

[1984Echoes]

3 hours ago, Stanley70 said:

I want a stud pass rusher but trading down makes sense. The number of players who are on the last year of their contract is always an issue. And with so many large contrats on the horizon they will need in house replacements to keep this team rolling. 

 

And I see several "high level" needs for this team where I sorta wish we had (4) 2nd rounders as ATF alluded to:

Starting LG. I'm good with Mahogany as RG and Glasgow as top backup for all 3 interior spots. But I think this is a good draft to get a starting LG. So many that would fit right in: Mbow, Ratledge, Savaiinaea, Booker, even Zabel as a Glasgow 2.0. And as the O-Line goes, so goes Goff and our offense. I don't want to take any O-Line need lightly.

Starting DT. I think our interior line had as many problems as the Edge after all the injuries, especially after Alim went down. Reader is here for only 1 more year. If Kenneth Grant, who completely dominates the interior and also has some pass-rush ability (not a lot, but just enough... mostly collapsing the pocket...) is there at the #28 reason: Why would Brad Holmes pass on him? Imagine McNeil and Grant dominating every single O-Line...!

And yes, a top edge prospect. Can Holmes find some hidden piece of gold in this year's draft that none of us are even considering? In the 2nd or 3rd round? I wouldn't put it past him.

Does anyone in here have 100% comfort level with Jamo? I don't. I want a high-end X-Receiver simply to have "one more guy" that Goff can depend on. This could be any round though... 2nd through the 6th, just as a guess.

I see 4 high level needs that are just high enough... that I don't want to strip Holmes of multiple picks to go up and get "one guy". If he can do it cheaply (which he's been able to do for the most part...) I'm ok with that. But not if it costs too many other valuable picks. And at the end of the 1st, sometimes there are very unique opportunities to trade down a few spots and gain another high value pick. If the draft falls just right... 

But I'm fine with whatever Brad does.

In Brad Holmes I trust.

[AlaskanTigersFan]

https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2025/3/26/24394034/discussion-should-detroit-lions-trade-up-or-down-in-2025-nfl-draft - Lions fans (the masses) want Brad to trade down.....  I'm totally cool with that. Get a 2nd an 3rd for our first or a 2nd this year and a 2nd next, I'm also cool with that as well. Get Brad as much ammunition in the first three rounds as possible. 

[MichiganCardinal]

I don't think he's likely to trade down. Not that he won't, but looking at the current 53-man projected roster, there aren't seven obvious holes. Let alone 8, 9, or 10 with added capital.

Rather than draft nine guys and have to release both of our 7th rounders, hoping they make it to the practice squad, just because of space, I'd prefer to draft five, have them all make the roster, and have the best player on Brad's board (when he moves up) make a significant impact on day one.

[Jimbo]

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.

 

[Mr.TaterSalad]

The only reason I could see the Lions trading down is for depth purposes. We saw how injuries ravaged this defense last year. So maybe they want to pick up an extra 3rd, 4th, 5th along the way to have what they might believe is more quality depth talent. That said, I think it is more likely they trade up, get aggressive in the first round, and go and get their guy.

[RandyMarsh]

From what I have read from multiple places the consensus feels that this draft has about 15 "true" first round rated players, if Brad feels the same then given his track record it's far more likely to me that he tries to trade up and grab one of them then it is he trades back.

He did that with Jamo when he said he was the last of the 1st round grades in that class and Arnold last year. 

[1984Echoes]

9 hours ago, MichiganCardinal said:

I don't think he's likely to trade down. Not that he won't, but looking at the current 53-man projected roster, there aren't seven obvious holes. Let alone 8, 9, or 10 with added capital.

Rather than draft nine guys and have to release both of our 7th rounders, hoping they make it to the practice squad, just because of space, I'd prefer to draft five, have them all make the roster, and have the best player on Brad's board (when he moves up) make a significant impact on day one.

How about if we traded ALL of our 2025 draft picks and ended up with two high 2nds, two high 3rds, and two high 4ths?

Wouldn't 6 high end (in draft position) picks be perfect for Brad to find exactly what he wants out of this draft?

I could care less how we get there. Trade ups or trade downs.

I identified 4 key needs this team could use a good player at and I'm sure Brad could come up with two key backups elsewhere to fill those 6 draft picks.

I'll take whatever Brad gets out of this draft and expect those players to make an impact on this team. No matter how many there are. No matter in which round they are taken. And even if we don't actually see those 4th round and later players play as they develop and percolate under Campbell and his coaches' tutelage... I'll trust in Holmes' judgement thank you very much.

[1984Echoes]

2 hours ago, RandyMarsh said:

From what I have read from multiple places the consensus feels that this draft has about 15 "true" first round rated players, if Brad feels the same then given his track record it's far more likely to me that he tries to trade up and grab one of them then it is he trades back.

He did that with Jamo when he said he was the last of the 1st round grades in that class and Arnold last year. 

It takes two to tango.

If a deal is there for Brad to do that, without overpaying (I don't remember any overpay that he's done... it seems like it's all been fair value or we got better "trade value" a bit...); then you may be correct.

But I also know Brad places different values on guys then the rest of the league... So I don't know if that means he will get that trade up...

Or a team who wants a 5th year on a QB (just for the extra year of control) could look to move up to the end of the 1st round. If Brad has a chance to drop to the top of the 2nd and gets a high 3rd with that (not just Tennessee after a QB but also Giants, Browns, Saints, and a couple other teams...).

He might take that opportunity. It'll mean that he's eyed a guy that he thinks he can snag at the top of the 2nd. And he has two more players that he is eyeing at the end of the 2nd round/ start of the 3rd that he thinks will fall to that area and he wants them.

He's cagey like that. He has a plan seemingly for everything. Even for trading down (Gibbs) and then back up (Campbell) in order to get the guys that he wants. And then did it again trading up for Brian Branch after using the extra pick gained by trading down from #6 to later select Gibbs... (2nd round #34 overall) on LaPorta.

Guys... I'm going to just watch this MASTER dance all around the 2025 NFL Draft and see what he comes up with.

I'm pretty certain I'll love it.

Whatever dance he plays.

[AlaskanTigersFan]

10 hours ago, 1984Echoes said:

It takes two to tango.

If a deal is there for Brad to do that, without overpaying (I don't remember any overpay that he's done... it seems like it's all been fair value or we got better "trade value" a bit...); then you may be correct.

Didn't we overpay for Manu? (I guess that's still a wait an see).

 

I just am starting to worry. Brad has nailed the last three drafts. We only have essentially wasted three or four picks of guys who aren't on our team anymore..... That is beyond statistical outlier.... Most teams are happy to get two or three solid players, let alone six or seven each draft. At some point Brad's going to miss. That's my biggest fear if he trades up for "one guy" and he misses. I remember in my keeper stratomatic fantasy baseball I drafted Brandon Wood  (a sure fire 3B from the Angels who couldn't miss). Well, you probably never heard of him.

We've struck out a lot in previous administrations of our team. Hopefully Brad can keep drafting savy. I just hope he doesn't put all his eggs in one basket and "misses". I like his track record, but eventually everyone has a miss...... I trust BH so it'll be fun to see what he does.  

[1984Echoes]

Yeah... I'm definitely not in the "all our eggs in one basket" camp.

We're in the same "let Brad do all the magic he wants to" camp...

[Gozer]

7 hours ago, AlaskanTigersFan said:

Didn't we overpay for Manu? (I guess that's still a wait an see).

 

I just am starting to worry. Brad has nailed the last three drafts. We only have essentially wasted three or four picks of guys who aren't on our team anymore..... That is beyond statistical outlier.... Most teams are happy to get two or three solid players, let alone six or seven each draft. At some point Brad's going to miss. That's my biggest fear if he trades up for "one guy" and he misses. I remember in my keeper stratomatic fantasy baseball I drafted Brandon Wood  (a sure fire 3B from the Angels who couldn't miss). Well, you probably never heard of him.

We've struck out a lot in previous administrations of our team. Hopefully Brad can keep drafting savy. I just hope he doesn't put all his eggs in one basket and "misses". I like his track record, but eventually everyone has a miss...... I trust BH so it'll be fun to see what he does.  

I remember the good old days when we had a hard time nailing a 1st round pick let alone 2nd's and 3rd's.  Boss Bailey, Jordan Dizon, Mike Williams, Gosder Cherilus, Ikaika Alama-Francis, Shaun Cody, Kerrion Johnson(injuries), Jahvid Best(injuries), Jeff Okuda and many many many more.  Brad crushing it 3 years in a row can't be an anomaly but even if he hits on 2-3 guys...only, most teams would kill for that.

[buddha]

its way too early to tell if last year's draft class was a success.

[Shinzaki]

I still think it's gonna be Grey Zabel unless he's gone...fits too many slots to pass up and gives us an heir apparent to Ragnow.  

[Jimbo]

 

21 hours ago, AlaskanTigersFan said:

I just am starting to worry. Brad has nailed the last three drafts. We only have essentially wasted three or four picks of guys who aren't on our team anymore..... That is beyond statistical outlier.... Most teams are happy to get two or three solid players, let alone six or seven each draft. At some point Brad's going to miss. That's my biggest fear if he trades up for "one guy" and he misses. I remember in my keeper stratomatic fantasy baseball I drafted Brandon Wood  (a sure fire 3B from the Angels who couldn't miss). Well, you probably never heard of him.

We've struck out a lot in previous administrations of our team. Hopefully Brad can keep drafting savy. I just hope he doesn't put all his eggs in one basket and "misses". I like his track record, but eventually everyone has a miss...... I trust BH so it'll be fun to see what he does.  

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. 

[Jason_R]

11 hours ago, buddha said:

its way too early to tell if last year's draft class was a success.

I don't know... Holmes picked a starting CB, he got what appears to be a starting OL in the sixth round, and got a core special teams piece in the 4th round. That's not bad. NFL dot com rates it a C- but a big part of their analysis was how much playing time the draft picks got, so this is in some way also a measure of the weakness of the rosters of the teams who threw their rookies right in. If Manu develops and it turns out Holmes ended up replacing 2/5 of his starting OL for ten years with a 4th and 6th round pick, he will look like a genius. 

[buddha]

2 hours ago, Jason_R said:

I don't know... Holmes picked a starting CB, he got what appears to be a starting OL in the sixth round, and got a core special teams piece in the 4th round. That's not bad. NFL dot com rates it a C- but a big part of their analysis was how much playing time the draft picks got, so this is in some way also a measure of the weakness of the rosters of the teams who threw their rookies right in. If Manu develops and it turns out Holmes ended up replacing 2/5 of his starting OL for ten years with a 4th and 6th round pick, he will look like a genius. 

the jury is still out on whether arnold is actually good.  rakestraw didnt play.  manu didnt play.  mahogany played a few games.

look, i trust brad holmes, but we just dont know yet if those guys are GOOD.  too early.

[AlaskanTigersFan]

1 hour ago, buddha said:

the jury is still out on whether arnold is actually good.  rakestraw didnt play.  manu didnt play.  mahogany played a few games.

look, i trust brad holmes, but we just dont know yet if those guys are GOOD.  too early.

Wasn't Arnold ranked like 105 out of 119 CB's? I thought it was something insane like that..... 

[RandyMarsh]

Arnold's PFF grade was terrible but to me he looked much better on the eye test,especially the 2nd half of the year. 

Barring injury of course I think he is going to be a special one. 

[buddha]

cornerbacks usually take a while to develop unless youre a superprospect like woodson or sauce gardner.

[Jason_R]

If I recall correctly, Arnold had a marginal call go against him early in his first game. That set the narrative for the refs who continued not to give him the benefit of the doubt for most of the season. They'll stop picking on him.

I'm excited about Mahogany.  

But you're right, if Manu does not pan out and if Rakestraw can't get healthy this will not be a great draft.

[Jason_R]

Two mock drafts in two days have Detroit picking Mike Green. SI (https://www.si.com/nfl/2025-nfl-mock-draft-first-round-predictions-cam-ward-shedeur-sanders-travis-hunter) and Pat Kirwan on Moving the Chains SiriusXM NFL Radio.

Leaving aside the allegations against him, it seems he's too small to be the "can crushing" DE they like. Pearce is also expected to be around late in the 1st round but also seems a little undersized and has his own character questions. Mykel Williams from Georgia fits the profile but is expected to go early. 

With GB picking at 23 and MIN at 24, it wouldn't be a total shock to see Holmes try to move up to 20/21/22 with DEN/PIT/LAC if a guy they love starts to drop. 

[Hongbit]

Typical Brad move would be to trade up for a player and position that nobody was expecting and have them turn out to be a pro bowler.

Edited Sunday at 04:01 PM by Hongbit

[Jimbo]

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).