If the latest mock draft roundup is any indication, just about everyone thinks the Detroit Lions will go offensive tackle with their first-round pick on Sunday. As a reminder, of the 72 mock drafts that Erik Schlitt looked at over the past week, 70 of them had the Lions selecting an offensive lineman. Take away the three that slotted guard Vega Ioane to the Lions, and that’s 67-of-72—or 93%—who expect Detroit to take a tackle.
Whether a tackle will be the best player on the board at 17 overall is
debatable—and truly unknowable—right now. However, Lions general manager Brad Holmes has said time and time again that they do not prioritize positions in the draft. They take who they deem is the best player. Whether that’s actually true or not is up for debate, too, but Holmes’ has made it clear that’s the company line.
“I’ve always said the reason why we always go (for) the ‘best player available’ approach is because there is only one draft, and the roster’s going to change every single year,” Holmes said this past week. “Every single year it’s going to be new needs, contracts are going to expire, things are going to happen. So, what may not seem as an immediate, ‘I need this right now or this year,’ that might not be the case for the next year. So, that’s what’s been our approach on that. But you know, there’s times where you might—it lines up.”
So today’s Question of the Day is:
Do you agree with Holmes’ pure ‘best player available’ approach?
My answer: There are obvious exceptions, but I do actually believe this remains the best draft strategy no matter where the team is in their roster health. The obvious exceptions are drafting a quarterback when you don’t need one, and—for a team like the Lions right now—drafting a running back high when you already have an RB1.
Otherwise, I think it’s a sound strategy. As Holmes outlined, needs can change in a hurry and are very much year-to-year. There is no greater example that the Lions’ safety room from 2025 to 2026. Last year after Kerby Joseph signed his extension, it looked like the Lions’ were headed for a decade of top-tier safety play with Joseph and Brian Branch holding down the fort. Then Joseph missed most of the 2025 season with a concerning knee condition and Branch suffered a torn Achilles that will likely impact his 2026 availability.
Beyond that, if you just target the best players the draft has to offer, things tend to have a way of working out. Good NFL coaching can adapt to have a surplus of talent at a specific position, whether that means adopting new personnel packages, finding creative ways to getting your best players on the field, or splitting the workload in a way that maximized efficiency.
Don’t get me wrong, when the Lions are as close as they are, the temptation to add “the final piece” is there. But I find the idea of a final piece more fantasy than fact. There are a million different things that can influence whether a team wins a Super Bowl or not, and relying upon a rookie to get you over the top is a pretty foolish approach.
All that said, do I still want the Lions to draft an offensive tackle early in this year’s draft? Yeah, absolutely. It’s a short and long-term need, and I think there should be a talented player or two at the position with Pick 17. But if Holmes doesn’t feel the same about the talent available there, I would have no problem with him pivoting.
What are your thoughts on best player available? Is it too strict of a strategy? Does your draft strategy have to change at different points of roster talent? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
