2026 is, in many ways, a make-or-break year for this version of the Detroit Lions.
General manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have been rightfully lauded around the league for turning the franchise around, but the regime is still searching for Detroit’s first Super Bowl win and the window to do so isn’t exactly swinging open.
Holmes has developed a reputation as one of the NFL’s best drafting general managers after landing the likes of Penei Sewell, Aidan Hutchinson, Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell in the first round between 2021-23.
He’s also gotten some steals after day one in Amon-Ra St. Brown, Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph, and Alim McNeill, among others.
But for as many huge hits Holmes has had in the draft, some of his more ambitious swings have left a bit to be desired.
Holmes has to avoid project picks on Day 1 of NFL Draft
Players perceived as high-upside, “project”-type prospects have been aplenty in Holmes’ career. 2022 second round pass rusher Josh Paschal hasn’t worked out, though injuries have mostly been the culprit. 2023 third rounders quarterback Hendon Hooker and defensive tackle Brodric Martin were cut before the 2025 season.
2024 second round cornerback Ennis Rakestraw has also struggled to shake the injury bug, and the Lions traded a third round pick for the right to draft Canadian offensive tackle Giovanni Manu, who appeared in four games last year and made one disastrous start against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Detroit also traded up to draft Utah safety-turned-running back Sione Vaki in the fourth round that year, who also has not delivered much. And the jury’s still out on second-year pro Isaac TeSlaa, who the Lions traded not one but two 2026 third rounders to move up for last spring.
Many of these players, to varying degrees, were seen as low-producing players in college but had the upside to develop into much more in the NFL if they were afforded patience. There’s something to be said about swinging for the fences in the draft. It’s worked out for Holmes before.
But the Lions’ roster, despite a disappointing 2025, is as built to win right now as any in the NFL. That should significantly speed their clock up with prospects. If the goal is to contend for a championship now, spending valuable draft capital on prospects they know will need more time to chisel into NFL-ready contributors seems counterintuitive.
The rest of the NFC North is rapidly ascending. The Chicago Bears are coming off their best season in almost two decades. The Green Bay Packers might’ve been Super Bowl contenders this year if Micah Parsons and Zach Tom stayed healthy. Even the Minnesota Vikings, with their well-publicized quarterback issues, have a roster that’s nearly as good as anyone’s.
In this year’s draft with the 17th pick in the first round, the Lions should be eyeing players they believe are ready-made NFL contributors right out of the box. This should be an offseason characterized by urgency and a hunger to get back to the top of the NFL.
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“It would be irresponsible for us to go into [the offseason] thinking that, ‘Well, we drafted a developmental player a couple years ago, he's going to be the guy,’” Holmes said in January. “I could be wrong, but I don't think that we've ever gone into an off season with a question mark or a hole and urgency. Sometimes it just doesn't work out as well as we want to.”
The Athletic mocked Detroit to pick Miami edge rusher Akeem Mesidor in the first round, and he’s a player that certainly fits that mold. Mesidor has NFL size and strength, plus some solid burst and the ability to play inside or outside. But he’ll be 25 when the season starts, which could take him off some teams’ boards who are prioritizing the future.
The Lions need to be prioritizing the present, and pick whoever they feel is best suited to help them right away. The time is now for this organization to go all in. Maybe that goal is better suited for free agency or even the trade market, but the Lions should have a free agency-esque approach to how they’ll bolster their roster in April’s draft.
“As long as they're made up of the right kind of stuff, I think that's the main thing that matters,” Holmes said. “Yeah, there's a baseline of talent that you have to have for this league. But they have to have the right temperament, the right intangible qualities, they have to have the right football character. Regardless if that's a higher floor player, whether that's a developmental player.”