Round 3: Pick 96 overall: Western Kentucky DT Brodric Martin
Round 5: Pick 152 overall:
Round 7: Pick 249 overall:
So we started with 9 picks and now we have 8 picks.
We basically gave up two 6th’s and a 5th for a 3rd and a 7th.
We move down from 6
Up from 45
Up from 55
Up from 81
Gained 96OA
Lost 159
Lost 183
Lost 194
Gained 249
I give Holmes credit for working the phones and moving around the board to get players he coveted. Most Lions GM’s wait to see what the draft brings them. In fact most GM do not move around a lot. Holmes is not afraid to move around to get the players he wants.
With that said I’d like to take a closer look at it.
I’m not sure if it’s necessary to move around so much.
Would we be better off had we just stayed put? I honestly don’t know.
I’m a fan of going to get what you want. I do not put much stock into the 6th round picks. Most don’t make the roster anyway. I like Holmes aggressive style but I do wonder if he’s just a tad too aggressive.
At one point we had 3 second rounders. I just wonder if we moved around too much and had we been better off stopping after the first trade.
This is a debate I’m having with some close friends of mine.
I’d like to hear your thoughts on all of the trades.
I think Martin is the one that has people scratching their heads. But I’m heartened by my belief that there is no way we give up all of that if we simply view him as a Gilbert Brown type. Clearly we think he’s got upside to be much more than simply a block eating NT.
The answer is yes, moving around was not profitable.
The last trade for a 6th round NT, giving up all the later picks doesnt make sense.
I mean if Brad can find a 6th round LB that can play, a 5th round DE that looks amazing, etc - why is giving up all those picks for a NT that no one was taking. The player said it himself, he and his agent were shocked he was picked in the 3rd round.
So again - if you do things that no one else would do, it better work out.
I like it, clearly he went out and got the guys he wanted for the most part. Getting 6 picks in the first 3 rounds is something I can’t remember the Lions ever having.
We have increased the talent level a ton in the past 48 hours. Got arguably the best nickel, best linebacker, one of the top TE’s, one of the top RB’s. a likely first round QB if he wasn’t injured, and a massive NT. I’ll take it!
Also, like @LineBusy said yesterday, the whole no depth chart in the war room thing, yea not sure I’m buying that after these picks.
The conviction Brad has in maneuvering and getting the guys he wants is reassuring. We will never know how deep their board is for day 3. If there’s only a few HAVE TO HAVE guys then giving up capital makes sense.
We gotta remember Brad does a great job with UDFAs as well so late round fliers are nice to have but not necessary especially with the roster we have constructed already.
Probably only 4 or 5 guys were going to make this roster the others would maybe make it to the Practice Squad where they could be poached for nothing (therefor wasted picks) so moving up didn’t bother me.
The thing I don’t understand is trading Swift at this point (if it happens). We will carry 5 running backs so say he is RB #3. his cost is 1.8M (ballpark) a mid 4th is 9.5M a 5th 8.5M so he roughly costs us a million to keep. That is CHEAP! His trade value is low right now. Who they going to draft that offers as much playmaking ability as him in the 5th?
Keep him until after camp/preseason (remember Mikel LeShoure) a RB somewhere WILL get hurt and teams will pay a premium for a guy like Swift and we get an extra bean in 2024 instead of tis year when whoever they pick at this point might not even make this roster.
I agree 100% said the same thing in the chat yesterday, now if he’s pissed off and wants out that could potentially be a locker room issue. Otherwise keep him.
Other GMs might need a depth chart in the war room. Brad doesn’t need one because he knows his team better than any GM. And he knows each of his players as humans. Hopefully this helps
He’s only a 6th round DT on some boards. He was a 4th on others, rated the 6th best DT in some NFL circles. He had calls from other teams whom also wanted him coming up. It’s all a matter of how teams perceive him and their needs.
Trade values were dead even on all the trades except the last one… we gave up a late 5 too much according to chart.
By moving down from 6… we guarenteed ourselves that we got OUR next 3 guys LAPORTA, BRANCH, HOOKER
Perfect wheeling and dealing. We accomplished what we set out to accomplished
Best homerun RB
Best MLB
Best TE
Best Star/NB
the backup QB we wanted
a top run stuffing NT ---- we gave up 2 6s and a 5 to guranteee we got a BIG MAN at a BIG NEED
Why not just add up all the point value of the picks we started with vs the point value of the picks we ended up with? I can do this later but I somebody has more ambition go ahead.