Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes made five selections on Day 3 of the NFL Draft Saturday to come out of draft weekend with seven players added to the roster overall that Holmes feels really strongly about.
"It was just finding gritty football players, getting back to – I'm not saying we forgot about our identity, but just making sure that was at the top of mind," Holmes said. "That's why every single player that we took – there were sometimes where we were writing notes and I write down, 'This guy is a football player.'
"I go back and I'm reading my notes through all the guys that we've picked, and I'm just highlighting that I said that about every single one of these guys. And so, as long as me and (head coach) Dan (Campbell) are seeing it the same way in terms of they're football players that fit us, I would say that is the overall theme."
Here's a look at all the key questions coming out of Holmes' post-draft press conference Saturday night:
Why did Holmes view this draft a little different than past years?
Holmes admitted he had a little bit more fire and motivation coming off a 2025 season in which the Lions were at home watching the playoffs after finishing 9-8 and last place in the NFC North.
"Look, I take every draft serious. I just feel like it's too critical and too important," Holmes said. "You guys know about me not going to the (League) Meetings just to kind of work on some other things to make sure this – it was stuff like that.
"But when you miss the playoffs, that might be the kick in the rear that you need at times. That right there, I had written up on my office wall and all that kind of stuff. Not saying that I don't have fire in other drafts, but it was just a little bit more – the urgency just needed to be pushed up on everything. It was just a little bit more fire to the intensity on this one."
What was Holmes' overall impression of his Day 3 picks?
Detroit added linebacker Jimmy Rolder (Michigan), cornerback Keith Abney II (Arizona State), wide receiver Kendrick Law (Kentucky), defensive lineman Skyler Gill-Howard (Texas Tech) and defensive lineman Tyre West (Tennessee).
"Yeah, look, when you get to Day 3 … you can throw a lot of the stuff out the window. 'What round did you have him in? What grade did you have on him?' Just pick the player that you want," Holmes said.
"We were able to get some guys that we had ranked way higher that fell for whatever reason. I'm not really worried about that. We're just thrilled that we have them. That's just kind of how it exceeded my expectations. But all of them, every single last one of them, they are complete, true fits. These guys are Lions. I know technically they are, yes, but they fit everything that we're about. We got some good football players."
How many of these draft picks have a chance to make the roster?
The Lions expect first-round pick tackle Blake Miller and second-round pick edge rusher Derrick Moore to be immediate impact players. When we get to Day 3 of the draft, if teams can get starters and instant impact players that's a huge bonus. Those fourth-through-seventh rounds are key to adding depth and special teams contributors to the football team.
Holmes thinks he might have added players Saturday who can make some veteran players uncomfortable come the start of training camp in the summer when the competition really kicks off.
"Look, that is competitiveness, so however high that these guys take it in terms of climbing the depth chart, I do think that they're going to have the ability to potentially make some people uncomfortable," he said.
How does Holmes see Law fitting in?
Law was kind of a gadget player at Alabama before transferring to Kentucky as a senior where he made an impact as a receiver and special teamer, particularly with his ability to make plays after the catch.
"I think he could do multiple roles," Holmes said of Law. "I think the easy low-hanging fruit narrative is that he's that 'gadget' player. What was very interesting with Law was that the first time I saw him, that was 2024 when he was at Alabama.
"Me and (Lions Assistant General Manager) Ray (Agnew) were at the Georgia-Alabama game. I saw him out there on the field and I was just impressed about his build and how explosive he was. I had no idea who the player was. I just told Ray, 'Who's that number one out there?' I was calling (Lions Director of College Scouting Brian) Hudspeth, our college rep, and I was like, 'Man, is this guy an underclassman? Is he going to come out?' And all that, and then he said, 'No, he's going to go back to school.'
"I didn't think about him at all until last fall and he kind of popped up on that list. I was like, 'Oh, this is the kid that I saw a year ago at Alabama.' I was fired up about just what he did offensively. I had no idea about his special teams ability. That's what really elevated him even more, and not just a return like a Leaf, (Kalif Raymond) but this guy can play gunner. He's a four-phase special teams player. He's another one, he's a dog, man. He's a football player."
With the team beginning the first phase of the offseason program last week, is there any update on the injury rehab of safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch?
Joseph is rehabbing a knee injury that prevented him from playing the last 11 games of the season last year. Branch is coming off a torn Achilles suffered in December. The Lions didn't add a safety in the draft.
"It wasn't that we intentionally didn't draft a safety because we feel good about them," Holmes said. "I feel like they're both trending in the right direction, but it just didn't line up, just like it hasn't lined up at other positions in the past.
"We didn't ignore it. There were some good ones that were out there that just got picked before we were able to, but it just didn't quite line up. And I didn't really think that class was as deep, either, so it had to line up and you had to strike right."
