The Detroit Lions have in the past targeted draft prospects who were basically redshirted their rookie campaign in the National Football League.
Offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, defensive tackle Brodric Martin and quarterback Hendon Hooker have not had significant on-field contributions during the regular season and postseason.
Heading into a pivotal draft, general manager Brad Holmes was asked about targeting players that are ready to contribute right away versus still being willing to target a player that has a high upside, but may need additional time to acclimate to the next level.
"It’s a fair question. It’s got to be the right project. It’s got to be the right developmental upside guy that might not be ready to go because there’s a ton of them in every draft. (Giovanni) Manu is just one of those guys that was like, man, was really appealing and we had a lot of love for in the process and kind of just – we were in position to take him," said Holmes. "But look, Derrick Barnes was developmental when we took him and was kind of still learning how to play the linebacker position and all that kind of stuff."
Holmes recalled back in 2021, the philosophy was different, as the team was looking to add as many talented football players as possible during a rebuilding period.
Now, the team is again expected to be a playoff contender, but is stacked with talent at many different positions.
Detroit's front office has not been locked into any specific strategy, other than targeting players who are the right fit for the scheme and culture.
Even though the Lions have Super Bowl aspirations, Holmes is not opposed to targeting players that could take a season or two to contribute on a weekly basis.
"So, it all goes back to the right intangibles and who we feel is a good football player. But I totally understand. It’s just that I think in the past we didn’t really – like when we first started in ’21, we didn’t have as much talent on the roster at the time and all those young guys had to play," said Holmes. "And then we were fortunate enough to have all those additional picks after the (Jared) Goff trade and I thought we made good use of those picks.
"Those guys are really, really good players that were like immediate impact. So, we don’t really go into like, ‘Man we’ve got to get high floor, ready to go but the ceiling might be a little lower.’ Or, ‘We’re just going to take developmental guys.’ There’s no problem taking a developmental guy," Holmes explained further. "Like I said, some of these guys, man you can take a late-round pick and it’s got to be the right guy or it’s going to be hard to make the roster.”
