During a receipt-cashing spree at his end-of-season media session, Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes declared a draft class should be graded three seasons after the selections are made, not the day after the event. Well, good news, that’s how I’ve long approached the process.
With the 2024 NFL Draft later this month, it’s time to review the Lions’ 2021 class, the first of Holmes’ tenure with the franchise. It’s the safest of bets it’ll score better than the D+ given to the 2020 class, the fifth and final group selected by predecessor Bob Quinn.
Recap: Sewell A+
-Biggest whiff: none Levi F a bust to date
Biggest whiff: Asante Samuel Jr, Nick Bolton, Alim A-
-Biggest whiff: perhaps Nico Collins or Adebo, but hard to fault this pick Iffy B
-Biggest Whiff: Ernest Jones ARSB A+
-Biggest Whiff: None, nothing even close Barnes C+
-Biggest Whiff: Opportunity to upgrade S Hufanga Jermar Jefferson D
-Biggest Whiff: Aleric Jackson OT
Overall Grade: A-
While the Onwuzurike selection has proven to be a misfire, Holmes did very well in his first draft, scoring two future All-Pros, an above-average starter in McNeill, and potentially another in the late-blooming Melifonwu. Even Barnes was a decent get on Day 3, as a quality special teams contributor who has slowly morphed into a reliable defender.
Anytime you are able to draft a future HOFer like Sewell you nailed the draft. Then you throw in St Brown and it’s even more impressive. Then you get Alim, iffy, and Barnes and you see why the Lions are SB contenders.
IDK Barnes was ballin last year, sure look more like a B+ than a C+
Levi I’ll give the pick a D not an F. D because he listened and didn’t trade up. And because he was trying to find some of that Aaron Donald inside juice.
Can’t blame the man for that. But Asante Samuel was obvious.
Hope we don’t look back on 2024 draft and be like damn we took a bum instead of Mikey or Green
Easy for writers to play the what if game, so, what if Levi was drafted with our 4th round pick and ARSB was drafted with our second round pick?
We ended up with the same players just at different selections.
Last year, we get Gibbs with our second round pick and Laporta is taken at 12. We take Branch at 18 and Jack is our in the second round also. Everyone feels better now?
Sewell is a future hall of famer
St. Brown is breaking Lions receiving records
Alim and Barnes are starters
And Iffy was a play making machine last year when finally healthy.
If you add 5 legit talents in the draft every year… a team would be unstoppable year after year
If we take Samuel in the 2nd, perhaps Philly doesn’t trade back and allow us to trade up to take Alim since they were probably banking that Alim would fall to them since we already took a DT.
Changing any of the picks, changes the way the dominos fall. That’s why it’s futile to say we should’ve done this or that and expect the rest of the draft to play out the same.
Exactly, but then what articles get written in place of this one each off-season? The dominoes and chain reactions caused in the space-time continuum…
Like watching a superhero movie, you are required to “suspend disbelief” in order to be entertained by articles like this. in 2024, Journalism = Entertainment.
No such thing as a perfect draft. So in my opinion, there are no “whiffs”. There’s also a strategy involved. BH knew he needed to upgrade the DT’s in the worst way. So he went 3-tech, and then NT back to back. So, he didn’t “whiff” on anyone. I loved the strategy. I’m also grading the picks, and the players.
Sewell was risky, and thats why he fell. He was Raw, and didn’t play at all in 2020. He took the Covid leave. Holmes knew he inherited a good offensive line, and he completed that line with who he thought was the best player that fit the building culture. Drafted at 20 years old. He’s still a kid. One of the best (if not best), and our future LT. A+ player, and A+ pick.
Levi O = Bust. It’s just the truth. But I don’t fault BH for knowing this team needed DT’s bad. A for the pick, and F for the player.
Alim McNeil was a good pick. Again, BH wanted DT’s. He doubled down on a 3-tech and NT. Now Alim is more of a 3-tech while still being good at run stopping. A solid player. A grade for the pick. C+ for the player.
Iffy in my opinion is not set in stone yet. Great play down the stretch doesn’t erase his past struggles, and injury history. He needs a full season. Plus, he was a little bit of a gimmick. They needed pass rush help badly, so they blitzed him a lot. Grade C for picking a DB. Grade C for the players that can be higher if he continues his play next season.
ARSB is who Brad had on his radar, So Brad deserves all the credit for this pick. Obviously, ARSB is an A+ player, and the draft grade is still an A because they needed a WR. I think Brad mentioned how he got criticized for not picking a WR early. Then boom!
Barnes was a good pick. I’ll give it a B. LB’ers are always good draft picks especially later. C grade player.
I’m excited to see what Levi does this season. It’ll be the first time he’s been healthy. That’s huge. I’m going to call it right now and say onwuzurike will be our most improved player next season. If I’m wrong so be it but right now I’m two glasses into the kool aid. He’s going to be extra motivated it being his contract year.
Yes - just as obvious to me was Nick Bolton, who I had a draft crush on. Right behind him was JOK (Owasu-Koromoa) who had over 100 tackles last year. Sigh.
What we should all appreciate with last year’s draft, was that our second round flop streak has FINALLY been broken – Even after Brad’s first two years, picking Levi and Pascal (I know jury’s still out, but…) we hadn’t had a good second round pick since … Darius Slay? LaPorta and Branch turned that around quickly.
