Every NFL Draft is important, but some drafts are more important than others.
The Detroit Lions would not be in their current position without general manager Brad Holmes. Whether that is a positive or a negative is up to you. Many look at his draft history and compliment the job he has done to rebuild a desolate franchise. Some will look at his draft history, especially his recent draft history, and see missed opportunities. Holmes thrived when the roster was pitiful and draft picks were plentiful,
yet as the roster talent has gone up and the draft capital has gone down, the Lions are suddenly at a crossroads.
With a lot of star power on the team, the Lions should be a Super Bowl contender. At the same time, the team is coming off a 9-8 season where little went right. It is not easy to win in the NFL, but winning has become the expectation in Detroit—that is the standard that Holmes has set. To get back to their winning ways, they need a successful 2026 NFL Draft. Entering Holmes’ sixth draft as a general manager, is this perhaps the most important one of his career?
Today’s Question is:
Is the 2026 NFL Draft the most important draft of the Brad Holmes era?
My answer: No, I view it as his second-most important draft.
In my mind, the most important draft of his tenure as general manager was his first one, 2021. As a team coming off a catastrophic era under Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia, the Lions needed to not only hit the reset button, but instill some kind of optimism for the incoming regime. With Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown standing out from the onset, it made a 3-13-1 season an easier pill to swallow—the team had a blueprint for success.
The team added to that blueprint over the following drafts, landing impact players in both the 2022 and 2023 drafts. These were certainly impactful drafts for establishing the core of the current Lions roster, but Holmes also had plenty of draft capital and good will to offset some misses, such as Josh Paschal or Hendon Hooker.
However, a few years into the 2024 and 2025 draft classes, some of the optimism surrounding Holmes has evaporated. The Lions have found starters like Terrion Arnold or Tate Ratledge, but these classes have thus far lacked the immediate impact that Holmes’ earlier drafts had. The 2024 draft was full of risks—trading up for Arnold, doubling up at cornerback with Ennis Rakestraw, drafting projects like Giovanni Manu and Sione Vaki. The 2025 draft almost felt like a pivot—even when you include the trade up for Isaac TeSlaa, class as a whole felt modest and safe.
I think that the 2026 NFL Draft is the second-most important draft of Holmes’ career because, for arguably the first time, his critics have legitimate ammunition. The Lions’ failure to advance deep into the playoffs in 2024 and failure to make the playoffs in 2025 are partially caused by those draft classes. He has made some gambles that, entering 2026, have yet to pay off. Worse yet, Detroit no longer possesses the hoard of draft capital that Holmes had in his early tenure.
This is the year where Holmes needs to demonstrate his mastery of the NFL draft. He has limited resources—just two top-100 selections entering draft week—and the team has arguably more holes than available draft picks. If his 2026 draft class is successful, that could be enough rekindle Super Bowl aspirations. If his 2026 draft class is unsuccessful, that would give him a streak of three lackluster draft classes in a row—how long would the good will from his early successes last?
How Holmes tackles the 2026 NFL Draft will be telling for the future of the Lions. I do not necessarily buy into the idea of competitive windows, but there is no question that the Lions are in a good position talent-wise and salary-wise. That can only last so long, and part of what makes a good team good is balancing expensive talent with low-cost and impactful young players. As it stands, the Lions are having to re-sign their draft picks from 2021 through 2023, but many of their 2024 and 2025 players have yet to cement their role on the team.
The 2026 NFL Draft will be a pivotal moment for the Detroit Lions under Brad Holmes, but we will likely not know the full extent until many years down the road—hopefully a road that involves a Lombardi Trophy.
