DETROIT (AP) – Detroit will host the NFL draft, and this time around, the Lions are coming off a winning season and look to have addressed every need with sensible decisions.
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Expected to bring in a large crowd to Motor City over three days, the event will serve more as a showcase for the city than an opportunity for the Lions to select a much-needed player in the draft.
It is anticipated that the streets surrounding Campu Martius Park in the center of downtown would be packed with over 150,000 spectators, many of whom are Lions fans.
General manager of the Lions Brad Holmes is ready to perhaps let down fans in Detroit who arrive Thursday morning or afternoon on April 25 expecting to see their team play at the end of the evening, only to discover that their club was traded out of the first round with an offer that was too good to pass up.
Thursday, one week prior to the selection, Holmes grinned and added, “Hopefully, our fans will forgive us.”
FILE:se Brad Holm, general manager of the Detroit Lions, talks during a press conference on March 1, 2023, at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis. The Lions own the 29th overall pick in the NFL; if they choose not to move up earlier, this will be the latest the team has selected in the first round. One of the league’s most remarkable turnarounds has been spearheaded by Holmes. Three years ago, he took over a laughingstock of a team, and the previous season, he turned it into one of the best in the NFL. (File: Michael Conroy/AP Photo)
Holmes has accomplished enough in Detroit to warrant a second look.
He oversaw one of the league’s most remarkable comebacks. Three years ago, Holmes took over a laughingstock of a team, and last season, he converted it into one of the best in the NFL. Holmes’ contract was extended during the summer.
With his first pick, No. 7 overall, the former Los Angeles Rams executive selected Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell. He also selected USC wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown in the fourth round of the 2021 draft, which may have been the steal of the draft.
Both Sewell and St. Brown were selected to the 2023 All-Pro squad.
All-Star tight end It will be difficult for any bunch of rookies to defeat Sam LaPorta, explosive running back Jahmyr Gibbs, strong linebacker Jack Campbell, and astute defensive back Brian Branch in Detroit this season.
That’s OK for the Lions, who won’t be anticipating to select a player who is expected to start this coming season when they enter the draft.
“Free agency is the time to pull out the depth chart and start plugging holes and all that kind of stuff,” Holmes stated.
Instead of making a major impact in free agency, Detroit added and kept a few guys to cover gaps.
The team’s ineffective pass defense should be strengthened by edge rusher Marcus Davenport, defensive tackle DJ Reader, and cornerbacks Carlton Davis and Amik Robertson.
Emmanuel Moseley was one of the two veteran cornerbacks that Detroit kept and added, but they lost Cameron Sutton, who turned himself in on a domestic abuse warrant. Davenport was also signed by the Lions to play opposite Hutchinson, but he was only able to appear in four games for Minnesota the previous season due to injury.
It would be wise to find a young guard to play backup to Zeitler, who is 34 in July, and Glasgow, who is 32, in case they get injured.
The defense appears to be strongest at middle linebacker and the interior of the line, while Detroit’s offense has everything it needs.
During his junior year, Georgia cornerback Kamari Lassiter was predicted to be a first-round choice. He might be the
