The NFL Draft in Pittsburgh is just over a week away as Lions general manager Brad Holmes and his personnel staff put the final touches on their draft board and complete their pre-draft prep over the next week. Holmes and the Lions currently have nine selections in next week’s draft.

Of the 36 selections made by Holmes dating back to his first draft in 2021, 20 have gone on to start as rookies (55.6 percent). Those 20 players have combined for 180 starts in their first year, and since Week 1 of the 2021 season, at least one rookie has started for Detroit in 83 of a possible 85 games. Seven of those picks have earned a Pro Bowl selection.

Holmes held a pre-draft press conference at the Meijer Performance Center Monday and spoke on a variety of topics. Here are all the key questions from Holmes' presser:

How does Holmes feel the first wave of free agency went for Detroit?

The Lions' big addition was center Cade Mays, who was the only free agent to sign a multi-year deal with the team. Other free-agent additions expected to play roles and make impacts for Detroit include T Larry Borom, EDGE DJ Wonnum, LB Damone Clark, DB Christian Izien, RB Isiah Pacheco and CB Roger McCreary to name a few.

"I feel like we did the best we could and we maximized the resources we had available," Holmes said. "That's my job to do that and I think we accomplished that."

The Lions have signed a number of core players to contract extensions the last couple seasons and have more core members like linebacker Jack Campbell, running back Jahmyr Gibbs, safety Brian Branch and tight end Sam LaPorta quickly approaching the end of their rookie contracts.

While there are financial constraints the team is working with, Holmes said it's a good problem to have that they've done so well drafting and developing that the third part of the equation - re-signing - has limited them some when it comes to making free-agent additions.

"At the end of the day, they are good problems and I'd rather have those problems," he said.

Why does Holmes go best player available vs. drafting for need?

"The reason why we always go with the best player available approach is because there is only one draft and the roster is going to change every single year," Holmes said. "Every single year is going to be new needs and contracts are going to expire. So, what may not seem like an immediate need right now or this year that might not be the case next year."

Holmes wants the best player on his board at the time of the pick and wants to have conviction for drafting that player. He thinks teams get into trouble when they reach for a position and the player they reached for shows deficiencies on the field that were already on the tape.

How do you approach an NFL Draft that has grown in average age each of the last three seasons due to NIL?

It's a fact that less underclassmen are entering the draft, choosing instead to cash in on lucrative NIL deals to stay in college. It's decreased the overall depth of the draft and increased the average age of prospects coming into the NFL.

How does Holmes view a 24- or 25-year-old prospect vs. a 20- or 21-year-old? For him, it always goes back to the tape.

"What has the tape looked like? How consistent has the player been for an older player, older coming out in the draft at 24- or 25-years-old," he said.

There are some positions where the added maturity and experience helps and is seen as a strength, per Holmes, but there's also times where it can be a warning sign. It's something Holmes and his staff have adjusted to, and it really comes down to the tape and a case-by-cases basis. Some prospects will be pushing 30-years-old by the time their second NFL contract comes around which is a new reality teams have to prepare for.

What does Holmes think about this year's group of tackles entering the NFL Draft?

Detroit will have a new starter at left tackle after veteran Taylor Decker was released this offseason. The Lions could move Penei Sewell to left tackle after signing Borom, who has started more at right tackle throughout his NFL career.

There's certainly room to add another tackle to the mix via next week's draft too, as Holmes mentioned Monday a team can never have too many good players at a premium position like tackle.

"I think anytime you're dealing with a rookie, I don't care where you draft him at, you're going to have to be prepared for a growth period," Holmes said. "Some guys are maybe a little bit more ready, but you never know."

Holmes agreed it can be tough to find consistently good tackles in this league and that there are some solid players in this class that look to have potential. They'll see how it plays out during draft weekend.

How does Holmes feel about the 2026 draft class overall?

As NIL becomes more lucrative at the college level with players regularly reaching seven-figure deals, the overall talent pool and depth of the NFL Draft has suffered. Teams are valuing those first-through-fourth round picks even more now.

"I think it's very similar to the past couple drafts," Holmes said. "When the amount of underclassmen that would enter the draft kind of drastically fell off so that's why I would compare it to the past couple of drafts."