Lions GM Holmes recaps draft class, explains added emphasis on grit, roles for Abney and Day 3 d-linemen, not getting a safety and more

Allen Park — After making a seventh and final selection in the 2026 NFL draft on Saturday night, Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes met with the local media for the third time in as many days to recap the team's class.

● After falling short of the playoffs last season, Holmes admitted he went into this draft with a little more fuel, a little more motivation to get the franchise back on track.

“When you miss the playoffs, that might be the kick in the rear that you need at times,” Holmes said. “…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 on everything. It was just a little bit more fire to the intensity on this one.”

Holmes wouldn’t reveal the exact wording, but he had motivational messaging on his office walls that served as a constant reminder of coming up short last season.

That extra work paid off Saturday, when the team came into the day with six selections and made five picks, the most in Rounds 4-7 during his six-draft tenure.

“We were able to get some guys that we had ranked way higher, who fell for whatever reason,” Holmes said. “I’m not really worried about that, we’re not worried about that, we’re just thrilled that we have them. That’s just kind of how it exceeded my expectations. All of them, every single last one of them, they are complete, true fits. These guys are Lions.”

Holmes said one of his biggest goals this offseason, particularly in the draft, was adding some grit he felt the roster had lost, bolstering the competition and rooting out complacency.

“I do think that they’re going to have the ability to potentially make some people uncomfortable,” Holmes said.

● Following the draft, the team immediately turned its attention to adding undrafted rookies to fill out the roster. Holmes also acknowledged he plans on revisiting some vets who remain available after free agency.

“There will be some veterans out there, who will be very interesting, that we’re going to take a long, hard look at next week,” Holmes said.

Just scanning the depth chart, the Lions could probably use some more competition at linebacker, defensive tackle and edge rusher.

● Regarding cornerback Keith Abney, one of the team's fifth-round picks, Holmes said the defensive back was one of the players the Lions had much higher on the team’s draft board.

“He’s another instinctive guy that could find the football, he could trigger, he can tackle, he’s pretty sticky,” Holmes said. “He was just a simple one because we had him ranked a couple rounds higher than where he was, so that was a no-brainer for us.”

Despite playing outside most of his college career, Holmes said the early vision is moving the newcomer to nickel. I asked what traits the GM looks for when making an assessment that an outside corner can capably move inside.

“You want to see the instincts and really the toughness,” Holmes said. “You’ve got to do a lot of things at that nickel spot. You want speed to be able to match vertically, but you want a guy who has a little more short-area suddenness, just to handle the two-way gos and be able to get off the spot. There’s a lot of run-action coming at you too at that spot. So, he’s going to be just fine.”

● Detroit’s other fifth-round pick, wide receiver Kendrick Law, initially caught Holmes’ eye in 2024, when attending the Georgia-Alabama game. The GM checked in with his staff to get more information, and put a pin in the evaluation when he learned Law was heading back to school.

When he returned to the evaluation last year, learning about Law’s special teams abilities put him over the top for Holmes.

“I didn’t think about him at all, until last fall, when he kind of popped up on that list,” Holmes said. “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 returner like a (Kalif Raymond) Leaf, but this guy can play gunner. He’s four-phase special teams player. He’s another one, he’s a dawg, man.”

● Detroit didn’t select a safety in the draft, although Abney volunteered his services if the Lions want to use him there. Holmes was asked if we should read anything into the approach at the position, specifically in regards to the health of starters Kerby Joseph (knee) and Brian Branch (Achilles).

“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. It just didn’t quite line up. I didn’t really think that class was as deep either, so it had to line up and you had to strike right.”

It’s not much of an update, and, frankly, the Lions didn’t need to push for a solution in this draft. Holmes aggressively signed multiple veterans during free agency to provide important short-term insurance.

● Earlier in the day on Saturday, it was reported that the Lions won’t conduct a rookie minicamp this year. Holmes said the decision was part of the overall evaluation to change things up and challenge conventional approach.

“I told you guys at the end of the season, me and (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell) were going to take a long, hard look at everything single thing, from top to bottom, and that’s what we did,” Holmes said. “Those kind of involvements or efficiencies, those came about from that. We’re not doing things just to do it, just because you feel like you have to do it. You can’t be scared when you want to try something new that you think is going to be better for the football team, and so that’s what we did and that’s why some things are, from a calendar standpoint look like they’re removed.

Holmes said there are plans to replace the rookie minicamp with alternative usages of the time, but declined to elaborate on specifics.

“I can’t say it, but we’re not just removing just to use it as idle time to twiddle our thumbs,” Holmes said. “It’s something that we’re utilizing to put in place of that that we feel is going to be more efficient and better for us.”

● On the two defensive linemen the Lions selected late, Skyler Gill-Howard and Tyre West, Holmes highlighted their pass-rush ability ahead of their other traits.

“Both of them, really, their ability to apply pressure as sub-rushers,” Holmes said about what stood out with the late-round picks. “Gill-Howard, obviously, came from Northern Illinois and then when he came here (Tennessee), he showed pretty consistent tape in terms of his motor. He’s 100 miles per hour. He’s not the biggest guy, but he’s quick, he’s relentless, he’s instinctive, and he can win quick. So, that was intriguing about him.

“And then, the same way with Tyre West. He was kind of part of a rotation with a lot of defensive linemen that were NFL-caliber players. It wasn’t really a knock that he wasn’t really getting all of the snaps, it was just they had a lot of guys. But, when he would come in, he would take advantage of the opportunities that he got in terms of being able to apply pressure and get to the quarterback. He was one that we brought him in for a visit, enjoyed the time that we spent with him, and felt really good about it.”

● Holmes noted the Lions didn’t intentionally focus on drafting defense after adding five players on that side of the ball. He acknowledged that it was more reflective of how they graded out the overall talent of this class.

“I would say this, I think the way that our board was set up that we had a little more volume on the defensive side, so I think that’s why it tilted that way,” Holmes said.

● As usual, Detroit’s war room wore themed attire for the last day of the draft.

This year, team leaders honored outgoing president Rod Wood, who announced his pending retirement this spring. The t-shirts had a photo of Wood from his days as a high school basketball player, with the phrase “Bring the Wood” across the back.