When you're a good team, like the Detroit Lions are, the draft can be a cornucopia of possibilities since you're not married to having to fill obvious needs. General manager Brad Holmes has never been married to drafting for perceived need, and he re-confirmed that this week at the NFL Combine, in response to a question about last year's first and second round double-dip at cornerback.
"We're not a needs-based drafting team," Holmes said, via Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire. "We just get the best football player for us. We don't really get too fixated on positions. But I will say that one--it just kind of lined up perfectly because of what we went through during that previous season where we got so low on secondary depth."
It's also fair to say, with taking Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw with the first two picks last year, Holmes is aware of needs and won't ignore them if the draft board falls a certain way. What he more or less said this week is the Lions won't be beholden to needs in the draft. As expected, and as usual.
'Ideal' draft haul for the Lions looks like something Brad Holmes would do
Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus recently outlined the "ideal" three-round draft haul for each NFL team. Remember the Lions will get a third-round pick to losing Aaron Glenn to the New York Jets, projected to be pick No. 101 pending the official announcement.
Locker has the Lions getting Texas A&M edge rusher Nic Scourton in the first round (pick No. 28), Florida State cornerback Azareye'h Thomas in the second round (pick No. 60) and Georgia guard Tate Ratledge in the third round.
"Scourton (80.8 PFF pass-rushing grade) wasn’t as monstrous in 2024 as the year before, but he’s still 20 years old and could develop nicely next to Aidan Hutchinson. Thomas (78.0 PFF coverage grade) is also only 20 years old and could provide physicality and length next to , especially with Detroit’s corner situation in flux. Ratledge, the No. 2 guard on PFF’s big board, would make sense given the potential loss of Kevin Zeitler and Graham Glasgow’s declining play (57.2 overall PFF grade)."
Scourton has become a popular pick for the Lions in mock drafts lately. Lance Zeirlein of NFL.com had Thomas going 28th overall to the Lions in his first 2025 mock draft. Ratledge was a three-year starter at right guard for Georgia, and it's fair to say he gave off some serious vibes when he talked to reporters at the combine.
Zierlein's evaluation that Ratledge plays with a "dirt-dog mentality" also screams "Dan Campbell guy."
As a wide range of viable scenarios go, an edge rusher there's a case to trade up for, a cornerback who fits the defensive scheme (such as that will be need) and a potential starter at guard (future, or maybe immediate if necessary) would be a nice haul through Day 2 of this year's draft for the Lions.