One of the more interesting revelations from Lions GM Brad Holmes during his excellent, lengthy sit-down interview with Peter Schrager of the NFL Network involved Detroit’s 2023 NFL draft board.
Specifically, Holmes dropped some insight on the top of the Lions draft board. The Lions went into the draft with far fewer players with first-round grades than there are first-round picks. Detroit’s scouting department evaluated just 14 players worthy of being selected in the first round.
“You know, everybody was saying like, ‘This is a different draft, this is a different draft,’ Holmes told Schrager. “Well, let’s just call it what it is: it just wasn’t as strong of a draft as it normally has been in the past. In a normal year, you’ll have like true first-round talent players, you might have about 17 or 18 guys. I really haven’t seen any higher than 20 in all the years that I’ve been doing it.”
Holmes then dropped the info,
“We ended up with 14 guys, and that was at the very end.”
He was quick to note that even though Iowa LB Jack Campbell was selected No. 18 overall, he was one of the 14 players with the first-round assessment.
“When I say there was only 14 guys, Jack Campbell wasn’t 14th. You know what I mean, so, that’s why it was easy.”
Let the speculation begin on who the other 12 players were along with Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell…
