Jon Gaines- 5 starts 2 years at OG
Clayton Tune- 27 passer rating 0-2 record
Owen Pappoe- 0 starts backup LB
A Thomas- 5 starts at CB
Jaylin Simpson- virtually no playing time
Micah Andaham- zero snaps
Que Robinson- 9 pressure in 150 snaps at OLB
Tai Felton- 3 catches 25 yards #81 2026 #88 2026
We gained
Bromart
Manu
Vaki
Teslaa
Mahogany
Miles Frazier #205 in 2026
Out of all the players listed.. Mahogany has had the most snaps and starts….and Teslaa has easily the the most succes of any non- OL player listed above
So we traded 10 picks for 7, and got better players (so far) than what was taken with what we gave up?
I would love to have #81 and #88 this year for sure but… I don’t mind how it’s played out
The fact that Brad consistently find guys like J Reynolds, Raymond, Anzalone, Glass, Rock etc for 1- 2.5M is amazing
This year it’s McCreary, Dortch, Pacheco, Wonnum, Scruggs, and Iziem…. That’s 11M COMBINED for 6 roster spots that have all logged 15 plus starts and had solid nfl seasons as a starter.
A few will be back at 3-5M per next year, other will be replaced by draft picks or new bargain finds next year.
People whine about this shit all the time, and it’s objectively crap.
First, it wasn’t an extra “ten picks”. We traded 10 picks and received 6 picks in return, three of which were used on the headline players. One of the other three was Christian Mahogany, one was Hassanein, and the other remains to “fill out the roster”.
Second, there’s always this implication that draft picks are the sole way to add to a roster; by trading away two 2023 fifth-round picks, we’re down two players on the roster.
Third, the assertion is that the picks we traded away would’ve translated into the players we need right at this moment. I highly doubt that anyone selected 139 and 168 in the 2023 draft would be contributing on the 2026 roster.
For sure, BroMart didn’t work out. Would it have been better if he did (or if a different player was chosen)? For sure. The outcome was as bad as it reasonably could have been.
Duh. No one is debating that.
But let’s be real. A failed third-round pick is pretty normal, and it’s not the difference between a Super Bowl and not. The fact that the pick was acquired in a way you don’t prefer (trade up) and used on a player you didn’t want doesn’t make it any more apocalyptic.
This is so true. But I love my draft picks. I also hear fans saying we had to sign these cheap FAs to fill roster spots for a year. Maybe Brad views it as he can package these picks for a shot at a real impact player in the draft while knowing he can fill the roster with low price free agents who are just as good as the middle round picks.
There is no chance we would have drafted all - or probably any - of those guys
This is the wrong metric anyway. Could just as easily have been a Sun God or Brady in one of those late picks (well, not that easily), Holmes has already gone on record that missing on Nacua is is biggest draft regret.
Imagine a scenario where instead of moving up for Martin they sit tight and draft Nacua. That would preclude them for moving up for TeSlaa which would give them 3 additional picks. If we trust Holmes to draft well (I generally do) then we want him to have as many darts as possible.
The only way it makes sense to extend LaPorta and especially Branch now before seeing how they play post injury is if Holmes can get them at a discounted rate due to the injuries then it could turn out to be a fairly low risk very high reward thing but if it’s for top of the market value then WTF is he doing?
TeSlaa needs to learn to create more separation, but he’s gonna be a stud. Not regrets whatsoever there.
Lions also traded up for Jamo and Branch, btw. And they traded down, picking up pix, for Gibbs, LaPorta, Josh Paschal, Kerby Joseph… I’d say those worked out pretty well.
So I’d say if you look at the overall picture of the trade work Brad’s done, it’s pretty good!
People complaining about Brad… If people knew that we would have the success that we’ve had now, in conjunction with the roster we have now… Especially factoring in injury problems the last couple of years have been nuts
Holmes has done an amazing job of turning this team around
When the Lions decided to let Decker and Skipper walk they knew that sitting at 17 they would have the opportunity to draft a quality OT. With 5-6 OT’s with first round grades on them… it was a no brainer to get younger. With a player like Sewell on the roster the Lions have position flexibility to take just about any one of them.
All they need is insurance incase both of the top two OT’s they covet do not make it to them….. insert Borom. Who is a low level starter and an above average swing tackle. Borom gives them the ability to trade down and to draft an OT (late first) who might need a few weeks before he’s NFL ready.
I expect the Lions to try to trade up if the players they covet are on the board by pick 11….. but I think it might be difficult to do as they lack the ammunition to pull off an aggressive trade….. they know this…. So they needed insurance incase the players they’re left with need a little time.
