Lions GM Brad Holmes hams it up after finally getting coveted edge defender in the draft
Allen Park — Brad Holmes didn’t just walk into the media room after selecting Michigan Derrick Moore in the second round Friday night, the Detroit Lions general manager strutted to the podium.
With a smirk on his face, eyebrows raise, Holmes gesticulated with his hand to the collected group of reporters multiple times as if to say, “Are you guys happy?”
This wasn’t a confrontational interaction. However, over the past three years, finding an edge rusher to pair with Aidan Hutchinson has become something of a running joke between the general manager and both the media and fan base.
To be fair, there’s been truth in the jest, and, at times, some of the needling questions have undeniably gotten under Holmes’ skin. The selection of Moore, which saw the Lions use a fourth-rounder to move up six spots to secure the defender, should provide temporary reprieve.
“You're going to get off my ass now?” Holmes quipped when one reporter mentioned the feud in his question, drawing laughter from the room.
Holmes insisted that answering his critics was not a factor in the pick. It would be concerning if that was on his mind. No, this was about making the Lions better, and entering the draft light on edge defenders, and even more so beyond the upcoming season, landing one bordered on necessity.
According to Holmes, Moore was the No. 1 option on the team's board entering Friday. Holding the 18th choice on the night, urgency increased when three edges were selected in the first nine picks.
Assessing Baltimore was in the market for an edge at pick 45, and with Moore’s former defensive coordinator at Michigan, Jesse Minter, recently hired as the franchise’s head coach, Detroit pulled the trigger on a trade to secure their desired target.
Confirming Detroit’s speculation, the Ravens did grab an edge at 45, taking Missouri’s Zion Young.
What set Moore apart from the other Day 2 options at the position for Detroit? Holmes explained that Moore fit the mold that the team likes, in terms of physicality and football character, he had showed steady improvement during his college career and had impressed when matched up against high-caliber competition at this year’s Senior Bowl.
Repeating a sentiment Holmes used to describe first-round pick Blake Miller a day earlier, Holmes vouched for the defender’s high floor. They’re comfortable with what he’ll be at his worst, while still excited by what he could end up if he reaches a level closer to his ceiling.
When I asked Holmes what he thought about Moore’s run defense and tackling, the GM raved about the newcomer’s instincts.
“When you start talking about guys who have good floors or higher floors coming in, usually those guys are instinctive players, and that’s what he is,” Holmes said. “He’s very instinctive in the run game and it matters because (when) you talk about edge rusher, ‘Rush, rush, rush,’ well yeah, we want to get to the quarterback, but you can’t just get gashed all the way downfield either. I think that’s a good component to his game that he’s going to bring.”
Holmes understandably declined to put statistical expectations on Moore’s first season, saying he just needs to “come in and be who he is.” In terms of a role, Holmes likes how Moore will complement free-agent addition DJ Wonnum and be a viable option to spell Hutchinson, who has worked an excessive workload the past few seasons because of a lack of alternatives on the roster.
“Again, I probably sound like a broken record, it’s not something that we have been ignoring,” Holmes said. “It just has to line up. Like I’ve said in years past, the year before, the easiest thing is to draft a defensive end every single round, every single year. That’s very easy to do, but you want him to be a good player and produce. …That’s what the hope is for Derrick and we feel good about it.”