Notes from Lions GM Holmes pre-draft press conference: On streamlining process, need vs. BPA, older prospects and Rueben Bain news

Allen Park — Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes met with the media for his annual pre-draft press conference on Monday. Here are the highlights from the session.

● For the first time during his tenure, Holmes skipped this year’s league meetings. Word going around the event was that he had opted to stay back in Detroit to focus on the draft preparation process.

Holmes was asked if he was feeling more pressure ahead of this draft after last season’s disappointment, but the general manager framed his decision as a matter of efficiency.

“It’s a lot of time that you miss,” Holmes said. “So, by the time that you get back, I’m kind of in a make-up mode because of all the time that you missed for our process.”

Similarly, Holmes said the impact of lost time is why the Lions opted to remove a local pro day from the team’s calendar this year.

“Just internally, we kind of made a decision to utilize that time for some other things, but still utilize the local (30) visits, as well,” Holmes said. “We still utilize the local visits, but we just made the decision, really last summer, to do away with the pro day. We’ll see how it goes. If we feel like we missed something by not doing it, we’ll look at it and adjust again.”

● Holmes faced annual questions about drafting for need vs. sticking to a best-player-available approach. Not surprisingly, there’s no plan to deviate.

“I actually think you can get in trouble by doing that because you might start to reach for a certain player because you feel like you need that position. And you never want to feel that way when you select a player,” Holmes said. “You passed up a really good player that you liked even more, but there is a question mark on your roster, so you just go ahead and get that player that you weren’t as excited about.

“I know, for me, it’s hard to sleep at night when you do that, when you don’t get the player that you really, really wanted because you reach for a need,” Holmes said. “…You already reached for a player that you weren’t as fired up about, but it fits a certain position. What if the player shows or demonstrates the reason you weren’t as fired up about him? So now you’ve reached for the guy and the guy’s not even performing up to standard (for) the same reason why you had reservations about him. Now you’re really in trouble. That’s why I think you have to be careful.”

Holmes clarified that he’s never actually experienced that regret as general manager because of a steadfast commitment to BPA.

“I can only imagine,” Holmes said. “…We haven’t done that. We only take players that we’re really excited about.”

● The topic of prospect age has been a popular one this offseason, both because it’s a lingering group that gained added eligibility tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, plus many players are staying in school longer because of earning opportunities tied to NIL deals.

“It depends on what has the tape looked like, how consistent has the player been for an older player coming out in the draft?” Holmes said. “…Maybe, with some positions, that maturity helps. Sometimes it might be a little more of a warning sign. It is something that we have adjusted to, but I think it’s case-by-case. Just depends on the player, depends on the position. It’s a lot of factors that goes into it.”

Holmes did acknowledge part of the evaluation process that’s changed is weighing the potential age of the player as they approach their second NFL contract.

“You’ve got to be prepared for that because it’s real, man,” Holmes said. “I say it like, ‘Look, (the) guy’s 24 or 25 years old now, and he’s going to be looking at 30 by the time the second contract comes.’ Well OK, so how much longevity is it? Maybe he hasn’t played a long time and he doesn’t have as much wear-and-tear, but Father Time is Father Time, too. You have to look at all of it, and it is case-by-case, but it is real, though.”

● Holmes was asked about whether he’s prepared to go all-in on a player — regardless of the cost in draft assets — if he’s convinced it’s the missing piece for a Super Bowl run.

The question was framed in a way that the asker was talking about a veteran — perhaps a former Eastern Michigan edge rusher currently playing in Las Vegas. Holmes heard it differently, framing his answer about trading multiple picks to move up in the draft, but the principle is similar.

“Absolutely,” Holmes said. “Yeah, if it’s the right guy. You guys know me. I feel like you guys get mad at me sometimes, like I do it too much. If we have that kind of conviction for a player, absolutely, we’re going to go and get him.”

Holmes has consistently showed a willingness to trade up for a player he covets. Some notable examples include Jameson Williams, Terrion Arnold, Brodric Martin and Isaac TeSlaa. Results on those selections have been mixed.

● When looking at the team’s long-term needs heading into the event, there’s a lot of focus on offensive tackle. Holmes reiterated that he’s confident in free-agent addition Larry Borom’s ability to be the starter, if need be.

Holmes praised Borom’s 2025 tape and noted that the lineman is a young player with an arrow that’s still pointing up.

The general manager was more intentionally vague when talking about the top tackle prospects, only acknowledging that he’s always eager to add talent at premium positions.

“Those guys are hard to find, but you’ve got to make sure that you get the right one,” Holmes said. “But I think there’s some good ones (in this draft). We’ll just kind of see how it falls.”

● Holmes confirmed the team was previously aware of Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain’s involvement in a 2024 fatal car accident ahead of the news being reported over the weekend.

“We’ve known that for a while, so that doesn’t really change anything from our standpoint,” Holmes said.