And just like that, we’re through the 2023 NFL Draft…

May 3

The 2023 NFL Draft has come and gone (how time flies!). I can’t say that I’ll miss the constant

speculating, the Twitter armchair GM arguing, or the seemingly never ending draft rumors, but, it’s

always a good time! And to make sure we’re all settled up here, let’s talk about my post-draft thoughts

for our Lions. But, first, a summary:

Brad Holmes isn’t wearing a “Villain” hoodie around for nothing. He was acting the part

according to many Lions and non-Lions fans alike after night one of the draft where Holmes ended up

trading back out of the sixth pick to pick twelve and, according to some, “reaching” for Jahmry Gibbs,

RB, Alabama. He then doubled down on his “reach” and selected Jack Campbell, LB, Iowa with pick

eighteen. Twitter was nearly shut down with the cries of “HOW COULD HE” flooding the server, analysts’

heads exploded left and right, fans swiftly jumped back into their SOL bandwagons and were gone with

the wind…

You caught the sarcasm there, yes?

After a heavily criticized first round, Holmes was widely praised for righting the ship in rounds

two and three. Night two saw the addition of:

Rounding out the draft on it’s final day Saturday, the Lions finished up by taking:

One Pride may still be all over the place in terms of whether or not we all agree with what

Holmes has done. But, my mind is made up. I liked our draft. Hell, I loved our free agency too. And, I’m

sure that Brad isn’t done. Listen, I get the arguments about the “value” of certain players being taken at

certain spots, but I must agree with Fox Sports’ review of the Lions’ draft, in that, “If you don’t look at

where each prospect was taken, the draft in totality was solid.” The Gibbs pick ended up making a lot

more sense given the eventual trade of D’Andre Swift to the Eagles. Flip flop a few picks here and there

and I bet we’d have seen a lot less outrage.

The thing is, Holmes and Campbell got THEIR GUYS. That much is crystal clear. Bonus: they got

THEIR GUYS that should be able to make an immediate impact. Bonus bonus: albeit not in the order

most thought they would, they addressed most of the team’s holes.

I’m not going to leave a draft grade because I find them sort of silly prior to seeing a single

rookie take a snap. But, I will finish up by saying what we can and DO know for sure:

Brad Holmes doesn’t give a sh** about your mock drafts!!

#OnePride

“Hard Knocks” Tried to Run it Back