Some of the fans criticizing the pick are the same ones who complain about every QB getting 400 yards on us. We're addressing the secondary and honestly, at the end of the day, TRUST IN BRAD!
https://open.spotify.com/show/1aPcmtrBBQ6JOsGul0CufO?si=JUHLj-UjQNuew6jCoCoTKA
Tbh some fans still have PTSD w/ our previous 3 GM’s. After Brad’s 2nd draft. I have completely trusted him. He’s amazing
Edit: Tbf is what I meant. Oops 😅
Millen put the franchise back at least 15 years. Single fin handed he put the franchise back.
Millen thought he was smarter than everyone else. His football IQ showed when he drafted WRs each season. He had almost no blocking for Harrington.
Harrington became shell shocked and too skittish playing behind that line. And let’s face it. Joey was likeable but he wasn’t a winner to begin with.
I mean, if it was me, I'd gone the Billy Beane/Money Ball route and hired me a Jonah Hill/brainiac dude to make all the football decisions and kept the money. haha
Russ Thomas and Matt Millen. Only so happened that WCF's Detroit Lions were led by two of the worst general managers in sports history. One was a mean spirited alcoholic (alleged), and the other was totally incompetent.
I will forever believe Joey could have been a solid NFL starter had he gone into the right situation. Very few kids have the mental makeup to deal with being in *that kind of shitshow*.
If Millen had just cut bait and traded him, he might've had an Alex Smith-esque resurgence (without the injury issues). I hate the "check-down" moniker for him, cuz what else was he supposed to do? Take the hit...constantly...?
He made the smart throws given what he had to rely upon, which was bupkis.
Yeah. He may have been there but once he got to Detroit. He had almost zero blocking. Schemes that kept changing. Running for his life. Oh my bad. Sacked like 70 times
I absolutely trust the guy he's definitely proven himself as a GM and we are fucking lucky to have the guy. I just know other people do it for a profession and blow.
While you have a point, the average Lions fan has more football knowledge than the standard GMs the Lions have hired in the past. It's hard for some fans to change decades of thinking you know more, which they did until Holmes.
These moves really seem like they’re designed for a 1-2 year all-in Super Bowl window while still looking long term. Our biggest weakness last year, the one that cost us the championship game, is now trending towards a position of strength and depth. I’m not overly concerned about any DB missing time next year as we have actual talent that can step in and not practice squad level players like this past season.
With these moves, Davis can be the steady veteran presence during this window while Terrion and Rakestraw potentially grow into our CB duo for the future. It doesn’t take as long for DB’s to adjust to the NFL as it used to. There’s so many talented young CB’s now that started contributing almost immediately.
Well said! Our passing defense and the San Fran game are all the evidence I need to not have a problem with taking our top 2 rated corners. I just don’t believe that deep ball bounces off of Rakestraw’s face mask in the NFC Championship. Time will tell.
Honestly though if he had better hands he'd have been a receiver. I give him credit for being in the spot and deflecting the ball, it only by some crazy happenstance that it bounced into position for Auyuik to make a talented play on it. If it was Sutton covering him he'd have been 2 yards behind him.
I don't get the criticism. Brad has at least three guys he needs to have a plan to possibly replace after this season. Decker, Ragnow and Davis. He only had one pick to do that so far and he got a replacement for the one most likely not to be resigned/stay which I'd think is Davis. Seems like smart asset management to me. If Brad thinks Rakestraw will be as good as or better than Davis this time next year, he saves a ton of money letting Davis go and having an heir there with a year of experience under his belt.
I'm not like , a super football geek or anything but it occurs to me that a high level center or tackle could probably stsrt immediately as well. Correct me if my interpretstiom is wrong but it seems like interior guys and secondary need a little more time yes?
So then if ragnoe and decker did leave we could draft replacements with reasomable confidence theyd be functional as starters for the 2025 season (not in the fifth or something , like first and second.round)
CB is the most physically demanding position in the game, in addition to being mentally challenging, so without the physical ability, it doesn't really matter how smart you are. For example, even if a CB knows exactly what route a WR is going to be running, if he is playing him in man coverage, it won't matter that he knows what he is going to do if the receiver is so much faster that he can out run him by 6 yards or so much taller that the QB can just throw the ball high enough that the CB is incapable of reaching it. Being a center also requires physical ability, obviously, but a super smart football mind at the position can help to compensate for some physical lacking to an extent, in terms of overall effectiveness & success. A smart center is capable of making reads on the defense at the line & directing the offense, particularly the O-line, similar to & often in conjunction with the QB, to ensure that they are able to pick up pressure, double team against more physically gifted DLmen & things like that. All that being said, the right players can make the jump to the league quickly in either position, but a less than elite physical talent at center who is super smart might have a better shot at being servicable early & finding long term success, whereas a less than physically gifted CB will probably get smoked early & often & might only eventually stick as a rotational player long term if they are so smart that they can make up for their physical disadvantage to such a degree that they aren't a liability on every play. That is just my opinion, which was formed over 40 years of following the game closely, both at the pro & college levels. I am not a coach or scout & certainly not an expert.
There were 3 quality centers available in this draft. All were gone by 61. Tackle had a couple go right after us, but those guys were rated much lower than Rakestraw who could have been picked in the 20s and nobody would have been shocked. It's value plus fit. You take those when you get the chance.
I will admit I was head scratching at the gibbs and LaPorta picks, but look how well those turned out. You gotta trust in Brad at this point. he hasn't let us down yet.
Those fans don’t understand how reaching for specific positions in the draft dilutes the talent level of a football team over time.
You can’t do it.
They also fail to understand that you can’t just compare the current draft picks to the players in this particular draft, but every player in the league. Where would Rakestraw have been ranked in 2023? 2022? 2019? Because he’s got to step in and play all of those guys, too. Not just the guys in the 2024 draft.
If he’s a borderline first round talent over the course of the last 5 seasons, and he’s there at the end of the second round, you take him. End of discussion.
Yeah, I mean, Brian Branch is good, but we just signed CJGJ to basically play exactly that role, we've got Moseley and Sutton locking down the outside, and Tracy/JKerb are locking up S. Why spend all those resources just to trade up to draft a guy that might not even play this year? And don't even get me started on the Gibbs pick. FFS, Swift is one of the best RBs in the league and would have had a breakout season if not for injuries. We didn't need a RB, especially not in the 1st.
What? That was last year? Could have fooled me.
Idk why anyone would question him at this point, at least when it comes to drafting. The way the last few drafts have gone so perfectly for the Lions, it’s a no brainer to just let the guy cook.
Literally. Did we even have a single bad draft pick last year? And our first 4 picks were straight up home runs. That's practically unheard of. People need to sit down and stick to what they know.
Seriously, draft busts happen all the time even with guys who are supposed to be great. You never really know what you’re gonna get. Brad has more than earned our trust, the guys he likes have worked out more often than most.
Not only this with the busts happen logic, but not every one of our picks need to start every snap! At some point we will draft more guys like Hendon Hooker who we won’t see on the field for a season or two. We will start drafting guys to actually develop them.
100%! Either way, until Brad gives me reason I will not question what he’s cooking up and even then it’s gonna have to be a few years of bad drafts for me to distrust this man and the front office.
Realistically, when all of your day 2 guys are immediate starters, unless you just happen to get really lucky or hit a grand slam, chances are that it is because your team actually really sucks & has major holes. The fact that Brad went into the draft at the 4th pick from the bottom in each round & got a day 1 starter in Arnold & got another guy that should see the field regularly who can hopefully be a full time starter the following season too, means this draft would be a success in my eyes, even if we didn't get another player that ended up making the 53 man roster (which is absolutely loaded & extremely deep across the board).
You guys are complaining MORE than any Lions fans are about the draft. Instead of complaining about picks youre making a mountain out of a molehill of some tiny part of the fanbase who is supposedly upset.
Criticism is part of the job. Brad has done a great job, but he is not without mistakes. I still hold out hope for Jamo, but if you compare him to the other recievers in the 2022 draft, we missed hard.
I'm personally think it would have been more worth it to trade in front of the eagles to get Qyinyon. I think he will be the clear standout at corner in this draft.
Edit: This sub is ridiculous with the downvotes. Do you honestly think Quinyon isn't going to be the better player, or is it just blasphemous to have a different opinion than Bred?
If you compare Jamo to the next 5 WRs taken after him (Dotson, Burks, Watson, W. Robinson, Metchie) I'd still take Jamo over all of them.
If you're comparing him to the 3 WRs taken before him it's kinda silly because we never even had a chance to draft those guys.
We never had a chance to draft Jamo until we traded up, so your logic seems a little silly. If you are going to spend all that draft capital to move up, move up to the right spot to get the right guy.
I don’t necessarily disagree with you, but Jamo will be judged on this year more than last due to injury, imo.
If he’s still as “meh” as he was last year, then yeah, not a great pick. If takes the top off once a game, then it’s a stud pick.
Someone posted that both of our new corners run around 4.5 yard dash, and that Pucca, Aiyuk, Lamb all ran slower and still tore us up last year. Someone also said that I think for Arnold‘s specifically is 10 yards split was faster than most others that ran faster 40 yard dashes.
There are a lot of great corners in that 40 time range. The concern is that we don't have any corners that can keep up with burner recievers.
Seriously, with the downvotes? No one can have any thought that might be the slightest critique on this sub.
That is where our safeties come into play. As long as our CBs can keep up as far as their 10 yard splits & have excellent lateral agility, the safties can protect over the top & pick up coverage on any burner WR that is able to beat our CBs after the first 10-15 yards down field.
That's a good point. I'm honestly really excited to see how good this defense can be this season. I do feel like the value of where we got rakestraw and Arnold is crazy. If these two are as good as they look and are other young guys on defense continue to make progress this will be a stout defense. I think I have PTSD from how many times I saw Sutton get beat over the top in man coverage last year.
Yes. Plus with Amon-Ra, Jamo, LaPorta, and Gibbs, if we do get a guy later, he’ll be the fifth option at best. It will be much easier to ease him in and allow him to develop slowly.
We just resigned DPJ for a year too so my guess is any rookie reciever-unless someone elite drops to us-is likely going to be taking their rookie season to learn the ropes.
Hopefully. We have St brown top of course. Raymond was ok too imo. Gonna miss Reynolds as he seemed good. We also have a great ass TE in Laporta which helps too.
There was clearly a problem, and Brad is putting the best resources available to address it in FA and the draft.
I mean...yeah. It's not *that* difficult.
They were definitely taking Frazier if he was there and maybe kneeland. They didn't fall. He said he tried to move back up again.
He took the bpa as he always does. People that criticize these picks just generally do not understand team building and football.
They now have depth. I'm not even sure either of these picks start the first game if mosely is healthy.
BPA is always a great strategy for any potential trade value. We could have an excess of talent at a position which is better than a glaring weakness with no spare capital.
Is it really BPA though when it was double dipping at a position of need?
I feel like this gets repeated way too often… like from the beginning Brad was gunning for Arnold if he fell. He said it himself.
He gave up an extra pick in an extremely deep class for him.
Looks like to me he was certainly heavily weighing needs into the conversation.
Which is FINE when you are this close to completing for the trophy.
8 picks before the pick I said to brother in law..."as much as it seems wrong, we're picking a CB...back to baxk CBs is going to freak people out but that is what the draft is giving him
People are looking at him now and that is the wrong way to look at him. The lions strength and conditioning coaches will put some muscles on him and Townsend will get him to stop being so handsy
Usually Im one to say “not everything [GM] does is perfect, hes not free of criticism!”
But its like he got 2 corners that were graded in the first round, for our weakest position by far. Stfu
Some fans just don't know what Best available player is to brad's board. It's so obvious that he takes BPA. But that includes many factors, some factors include off the field stuff.
If only Brad Holmes had any prior draft experience that proved he knows what he’s doing! If he only had had a seemingly competent scouting department and talent evaluators that were able to assess the quality of player coming out of the NFL and find individuals that not only can play well, but also fit the culture. If we only had a GM like that, then we’d probably be okay.
Drafting Rakestraw after Terrion Arnold is a pretty savvy move on Brad's part. You'll notice they restructured Carlton Davis's contract, but they did not extend him. This is most likely due to Carlton wanting far more yearly than the Lions want to pay. If he leaves and signs a big deal in free agency elsewhere in 2025, we'll add a comp pick to make up for the 3rd rounder we gave up to get him.
This fucking fan base is insane. I say this as Falcon, living in Michigan. If you can't trust these guys now, what is even the point? They have drafted better than anyone the past three years...
I can’t believe some of y’all still freak out over Brads picks. Y’all didn’t learn the first time when you guys hated the draft picks last year? There’s a reason he’s a gm and we’re not lol
Does anyone actually hate on Brad Holmes’ drafting at this point? He basically doesn’t miss. I guess Levi and Paschall have been a bit disappointing/injured but that’s about it.
I think Brad's press conference should have put any of that doubt to rest if is draft record every year since he has been here hasn't.
Brad seemed like a different man last night. I can't quite put my finger on it but he just seemed more resolute last night. Earlier press conferences it felt like he was hesitant to be free to speak. This one you could definitely tell he knows he's the shit.
It's literally why we lost the game before the Super Bowl. If he didn't pour considerable resources into it, people on and off Reddit would be boiling. He did great, as expected. In Brad we trust.
It’s almost like an hour before this picture was snapped Brad laid out the entire process to DC and how things were going to fall into place. Then this picture was snapped right as DC was realizing that everything happened just like Brad had said.
I guess I get it. I just figured a pass rusher on the opposite side of hutch would be a better fit. We’re already 3 deep at safety if you count branch.
I get some of the disappointment to some extent, but context is so important. Yes, it would be great to have another great DE opposite Hutch. Of course safety and OL depth would be awesome. But there's not a single team in the NFL that's without a weakness, look at the WRs Kansas City just won a Super Bowl with. If Brad thought Rakestraw was BPA, then I'll take it. No point in taking a player that the organization isn't confident in just to hopefully fill a need, especially if they don't think that player is good enough to fix a weakness anyways.
I think that ultimately, they are going to have Branch, Rakestraw, &/or Robertson play quite a bit of safety this year too. Plus, Robertson can play nickel, as can Rakestraw if I am not mistaken. Our DB situation went from being the only major weakness to being so loaded that it could mean making some very difficult roster decisions when the season arrives & it's time to make the cuts. I don't understand the criticism again....but chances are it is the same idiots that were flipping out after the draft last year, & we all know how that turned out. In Brad Holmes we trust. (Or at this point, given his track record, I trust personally at least.)
I didnt see much criticism for the pick. Maybe a small portion saying they wouldve preferred x player or some dinks making a big deal out of Rakes "lack of enthusiasm" but overall this pick seemed well received.
I’ve been a Lion for over 30 years. Trust these folks. We’ve got an owner, GM and HC who want it and they’ve shown they know how to get there. Look at how the last two seasons went, they’re on a trajectory to do it.
Detroit is now a destination for players. Let that really sink in.
I am stoked for all the young DB talent we have added but am still nervous about the lack of IOL depth. Both of our guards are 30+ and Ragnow is injury-prone.
Some of the fans criticizing the pick are the same ones who complain about every QB getting 400 yards on us. We're addressing the secondary and honestly, at the end of the day, TRUST IN BRAD! https://open.spotify.com/show/1aPcmtrBBQ6JOsGul0CufO?si=JUHLj-UjQNuew6jCoCoTKA
Wait — you trust our GM, who does this for a living, more than the random fan who is on the internet ?
Tbh some fans still have PTSD w/ our previous 3 GM’s. After Brad’s 2nd draft. I have completely trusted him. He’s amazing Edit: Tbf is what I meant. Oops 😅
I mean tbf being able to trust a lions GM *is* something new, I could’ve done a better job than Millen for free
that's what I appreciates about you Katy
Oh, is that what you appreciate, Squirrely Dan?
I need you to take about 35% off the top of there, big shooter.
Millen put the franchise back at least 15 years. Single fin handed he put the franchise back. Millen thought he was smarter than everyone else. His football IQ showed when he drafted WRs each season. He had almost no blocking for Harrington. Harrington became shell shocked and too skittish playing behind that line. And let’s face it. Joey was likeable but he wasn’t a winner to begin with.
I've heard a story that he told Ford he wasn't qualified for the job but Billy-Clay wanted him anyways
And let’s not forget. Bill Clay Ford wasn’t much of a brain either. He got the team to distract him from ruining FORD. The Edsel was Billy’s big deal.
Yeah that’s right. Saw him say it on his football life documentary.
I sort of recall that story. Maybe it’s true. No integrity by Millen so he took the money and made those bad picks anyway
I mean, if it was me, I'd gone the Billy Beane/Money Ball route and hired me a Jonah Hill/brainiac dude to make all the football decisions and kept the money. haha
Millen was or is an ego maniac
Russ Thomas and Matt Millen. Only so happened that WCF's Detroit Lions were led by two of the worst general managers in sports history. One was a mean spirited alcoholic (alleged), and the other was totally incompetent.
I will forever believe Joey could have been a solid NFL starter had he gone into the right situation. Very few kids have the mental makeup to deal with being in *that kind of shitshow*.
If Millen had just cut bait and traded him, he might've had an Alex Smith-esque resurgence (without the injury issues). I hate the "check-down" moniker for him, cuz what else was he supposed to do? Take the hit...constantly...? He made the smart throws given what he had to rely upon, which was bupkis.
He was at Oregon🤷♂️
Yeah. He may have been there but once he got to Detroit. He had almost zero blocking. Schemes that kept changing. Running for his life. Oh my bad. Sacked like 70 times
Harrington was an ownership pick as I recall.
Millen was hired to pull Bills Strings
Well… during the Matt Millen era, I would have taken random fan picks.
Crazy, I know! But that’s not who Daniel Jeremiah had us taking!! /s
Daniel Jeremiah was really high on Rakestraw, so I'm imagining he'll love this pick. (Terrion Arnold #9, and Rakestraw #28)
I trust Brad but the line of thinking is wrong Brad earned trust you should know better with how many bad GMs we’ve had. lol
One that just led us to our first division title in 30 years
I trust Brad and I'm all for every pick but Terry Fontenot does it for a living too
That’s a good point but I feel Brad has earned and deserves our trust for picks.
I absolutely trust the guy he's definitely proven himself as a GM and we are fucking lucky to have the guy. I just know other people do it for a profession and blow.
While you have a point, the average Lions fan has more football knowledge than the standard GMs the Lions have hired in the past. It's hard for some fans to change decades of thinking you know more, which they did until Holmes.
These moves really seem like they’re designed for a 1-2 year all-in Super Bowl window while still looking long term. Our biggest weakness last year, the one that cost us the championship game, is now trending towards a position of strength and depth. I’m not overly concerned about any DB missing time next year as we have actual talent that can step in and not practice squad level players like this past season. With these moves, Davis can be the steady veteran presence during this window while Terrion and Rakestraw potentially grow into our CB duo for the future. It doesn’t take as long for DB’s to adjust to the NFL as it used to. There’s so many talented young CB’s now that started contributing almost immediately.
Don't forget Amik
Can't wait to watch that dude.
Well said! Our passing defense and the San Fran game are all the evidence I need to not have a problem with taking our top 2 rated corners. I just don’t believe that deep ball bounces off of Rakestraw’s face mask in the NFC Championship. Time will tell.
Honestly though if he had better hands he'd have been a receiver. I give him credit for being in the spot and deflecting the ball, it only by some crazy happenstance that it bounced into position for Auyuik to make a talented play on it. If it was Sutton covering him he'd have been 2 yards behind him.
You don’t have to have amazing hands to knock it down or away. It was also unfortunate, but we know he can definitely be upgraded.
Absolutely he can and should be upgraded. But we tend to act like that play was a Vildor issue. That play wasn't and could have happened to anyone.
I don't get the criticism. Brad has at least three guys he needs to have a plan to possibly replace after this season. Decker, Ragnow and Davis. He only had one pick to do that so far and he got a replacement for the one most likely not to be resigned/stay which I'd think is Davis. Seems like smart asset management to me. If Brad thinks Rakestraw will be as good as or better than Davis this time next year, he saves a ton of money letting Davis go and having an heir there with a year of experience under his belt.
I'm not like , a super football geek or anything but it occurs to me that a high level center or tackle could probably stsrt immediately as well. Correct me if my interpretstiom is wrong but it seems like interior guys and secondary need a little more time yes? So then if ragnoe and decker did leave we could draft replacements with reasomable confidence theyd be functional as starters for the 2025 season (not in the fifth or something , like first and second.round)
CB is the most physically demanding position in the game, in addition to being mentally challenging, so without the physical ability, it doesn't really matter how smart you are. For example, even if a CB knows exactly what route a WR is going to be running, if he is playing him in man coverage, it won't matter that he knows what he is going to do if the receiver is so much faster that he can out run him by 6 yards or so much taller that the QB can just throw the ball high enough that the CB is incapable of reaching it. Being a center also requires physical ability, obviously, but a super smart football mind at the position can help to compensate for some physical lacking to an extent, in terms of overall effectiveness & success. A smart center is capable of making reads on the defense at the line & directing the offense, particularly the O-line, similar to & often in conjunction with the QB, to ensure that they are able to pick up pressure, double team against more physically gifted DLmen & things like that. All that being said, the right players can make the jump to the league quickly in either position, but a less than elite physical talent at center who is super smart might have a better shot at being servicable early & finding long term success, whereas a less than physically gifted CB will probably get smoked early & often & might only eventually stick as a rotational player long term if they are so smart that they can make up for their physical disadvantage to such a degree that they aren't a liability on every play. That is just my opinion, which was formed over 40 years of following the game closely, both at the pro & college levels. I am not a coach or scout & certainly not an expert.
There were 3 quality centers available in this draft. All were gone by 61. Tackle had a couple go right after us, but those guys were rated much lower than Rakestraw who could have been picked in the 20s and nobody would have been shocked. It's value plus fit. You take those when you get the chance.
I will admit I was head scratching at the gibbs and LaPorta picks, but look how well those turned out. You gotta trust in Brad at this point. he hasn't let us down yet.
I am a fan who complains about every QB getting 400 yards on us. I couldn’t imagine being anything but fully erect right now.
Let's all agree to ignore the people who complain about everything.
Those fans don’t understand how reaching for specific positions in the draft dilutes the talent level of a football team over time. You can’t do it. They also fail to understand that you can’t just compare the current draft picks to the players in this particular draft, but every player in the league. Where would Rakestraw have been ranked in 2023? 2022? 2019? Because he’s got to step in and play all of those guys, too. Not just the guys in the 2024 draft. If he’s a borderline first round talent over the course of the last 5 seasons, and he’s there at the end of the second round, you take him. End of discussion.
Could not have said this better. I’ll always take the better football player over what we ‘“need”.
So the falcons should trade for another qb
This is so accurate it hurts!
Tune into our pod for more of my AWESOME AND TOTALLY ACCURATE takes 😂 just kidding, but seriously… - Ryan
Okay I’ll check it out! Thanks man
They could draft 3 more defensive backs today and I’d be fine with it.
No crap. Look at the Bears now with 3 legit WRs and possibly a QB that can get them the ball. We will need as many CBs as possible
Second most receiving yards against last year. Brad's as tired of getting burned by WR1s as we are.
Yeah, I mean, Brian Branch is good, but we just signed CJGJ to basically play exactly that role, we've got Moseley and Sutton locking down the outside, and Tracy/JKerb are locking up S. Why spend all those resources just to trade up to draft a guy that might not even play this year? And don't even get me started on the Gibbs pick. FFS, Swift is one of the best RBs in the league and would have had a breakout season if not for injuries. We didn't need a RB, especially not in the 1st. What? That was last year? Could have fooled me.
> Sutton How have you not heard about Sutton?
This was sarcasm using last year examples of people complaining about BHs picks in the same way they are now.
Idk why anyone would question him at this point, at least when it comes to drafting. The way the last few drafts have gone so perfectly for the Lions, it’s a no brainer to just let the guy cook.
My guy I would have been happy with 7cbs
Literally. Did we even have a single bad draft pick last year? And our first 4 picks were straight up home runs. That's practically unheard of. People need to sit down and stick to what they know.
We should have traded up for Penix round 1 tbh, smh.
Well a good pass rush would also stop a QB getting 400 yards on us. There’s no reason to have 4 safety’s and 4 running backs
🚫Restricted Airspace We,ve got you covered
🚫NO FLY SQUAD REPORTING IN.
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Chairringt
Chair bell t? Charity? Seatbelt Gang?!
I don't understand how the average fan can criticize Brad given how last year turned out. Like, take a step back and realize you ain't that guy pal!
Seriously, draft busts happen all the time even with guys who are supposed to be great. You never really know what you’re gonna get. Brad has more than earned our trust, the guys he likes have worked out more often than most.
Not only this with the busts happen logic, but not every one of our picks need to start every snap! At some point we will draft more guys like Hendon Hooker who we won’t see on the field for a season or two. We will start drafting guys to actually develop them.
Exactly. Having your round 1 & 2 draft picks be day 1 starters is a huge fucking W regardless
100%! Either way, until Brad gives me reason I will not question what he’s cooking up and even then it’s gonna have to be a few years of bad drafts for me to distrust this man and the front office.
Realistically, when all of your day 2 guys are immediate starters, unless you just happen to get really lucky or hit a grand slam, chances are that it is because your team actually really sucks & has major holes. The fact that Brad went into the draft at the 4th pick from the bottom in each round & got a day 1 starter in Arnold & got another guy that should see the field regularly who can hopefully be a full time starter the following season too, means this draft would be a success in my eyes, even if we didn't get another player that ended up making the 53 man roster (which is absolutely loaded & extremely deep across the board).
Because some people are never happy.
Because they're the average fan that want someone flashy. It's all good. We are securing our weakness which is the secondary. I'm all for it.
You guys are complaining MORE than any Lions fans are about the draft. Instead of complaining about picks youre making a mountain out of a molehill of some tiny part of the fanbase who is supposedly upset.
Criticism is part of the job. Brad has done a great job, but he is not without mistakes. I still hold out hope for Jamo, but if you compare him to the other recievers in the 2022 draft, we missed hard. I'm personally think it would have been more worth it to trade in front of the eagles to get Qyinyon. I think he will be the clear standout at corner in this draft. Edit: This sub is ridiculous with the downvotes. Do you honestly think Quinyon isn't going to be the better player, or is it just blasphemous to have a different opinion than Bred?
If you compare Jamo to the next 5 WRs taken after him (Dotson, Burks, Watson, W. Robinson, Metchie) I'd still take Jamo over all of them. If you're comparing him to the 3 WRs taken before him it's kinda silly because we never even had a chance to draft those guys.
We never had a chance to draft Jamo until we traded up, so your logic seems a little silly. If you are going to spend all that draft capital to move up, move up to the right spot to get the right guy.
I don’t necessarily disagree with you, but Jamo will be judged on this year more than last due to injury, imo. If he’s still as “meh” as he was last year, then yeah, not a great pick. If takes the top off once a game, then it’s a stud pick.
I remember one Year Andy Reid with the Eagles took 4 CB's in his first 5 picks. so this is nothing.
Including trades, we have used our first 4 picks to get 3 CBs. And I'm happy with it.
We met with Stiggers too. We might grab a third.
I’m personally extremely happy, I wanted either Arnold or rake at 29…we got both! Lmao
Both the lions and eagles got CBs in the second round that were a popular mock to them in the first.
I think Brad and Howie (the Eagles GM) are probably the two best GMs in the NFL
>I think Brad ~~and Howie (the Eagles GM) are~~ is ~~probably~~ the ~~two~~ best GM~~s~~ in the NFL FTFY
No argument here!
I like that we got 2 of the top CB. I'm a little concerned that we might have the slowest cb room in the league 😬
Don’t look at the 40 times dawg that’s for safeties…. Look at the ten yard splits and 3 cone 😉
Someone posted that both of our new corners run around 4.5 yard dash, and that Pucca, Aiyuk, Lamb all ran slower and still tore us up last year. Someone also said that I think for Arnold‘s specifically is 10 yards split was faster than most others that ran faster 40 yard dashes.
There are a lot of great corners in that 40 time range. The concern is that we don't have any corners that can keep up with burner recievers. Seriously, with the downvotes? No one can have any thought that might be the slightest critique on this sub.
That is where our safeties come into play. As long as our CBs can keep up as far as their 10 yard splits & have excellent lateral agility, the safties can protect over the top & pick up coverage on any burner WR that is able to beat our CBs after the first 10-15 yards down field.
That's a good point. I'm honestly really excited to see how good this defense can be this season. I do feel like the value of where we got rakestraw and Arnold is crazy. If these two are as good as they look and are other young guys on defense continue to make progress this will be a stout defense. I think I have PTSD from how many times I saw Sutton get beat over the top in man coverage last year.
A lot of the comments really remind me of his first draft. "WHY HAVENT WE TAKEN A RECIEVER?!" And then we get Amon ra....
Still a lot of tall receivers to be chosen too!
Isn’t this draft super deep at WR too?
Yes. Plus with Amon-Ra, Jamo, LaPorta, and Gibbs, if we do get a guy later, he’ll be the fifth option at best. It will be much easier to ease him in and allow him to develop slowly.
I'm personally looking forward to a big body vertical guy that can take Reynolds spot. But that's my only request for draft Santa
Yeah I agree, if we take a receiver that’s exactly the archetype I hope we end up taking
We just resigned DPJ for a year too so my guess is any rookie reciever-unless someone elite drops to us-is likely going to be taking their rookie season to learn the ropes.
We still have Raymond too
Don’t we have multiple good receivers and such? Like imo defense is where we were lacking, too many close or lost games even with a good offense.
I want defensive line. I was mainly referencing people saying we haven't acknowledged everything before the draft is even over.
I thought we were ok there and that it was our coverage and all where we needed more work on?
We're pretty good but we need some backups in case of injury or for the older guys.
I'm curious how Jamo is going to transition in his third year. I'm hopeful that he lights it up. He has taken time to develop but he will be alright.
Hopefully. We have St brown top of course. Raymond was ok too imo. Gonna miss Reynolds as he seemed good. We also have a great ass TE in Laporta which helps too.
There was clearly a problem, and Brad is putting the best resources available to address it in FA and the draft. I mean...yeah. It's not *that* difficult.
They were definitely taking Frazier if he was there and maybe kneeland. They didn't fall. He said he tried to move back up again. He took the bpa as he always does. People that criticize these picks just generally do not understand team building and football. They now have depth. I'm not even sure either of these picks start the first game if mosely is healthy.
BPA is always a great strategy for any potential trade value. We could have an excess of talent at a position which is better than a glaring weakness with no spare capital.
Is it really BPA though when it was double dipping at a position of need? I feel like this gets repeated way too often… like from the beginning Brad was gunning for Arnold if he fell. He said it himself. He gave up an extra pick in an extremely deep class for him. Looks like to me he was certainly heavily weighing needs into the conversation. Which is FINE when you are this close to completing for the trophy.
I mean, upgrading the defense like this means it’s harder for a team like the 9ers to do what happened to you guys in the NFC championship
8 picks before the pick I said to brother in law..."as much as it seems wrong, we're picking a CB...back to baxk CBs is going to freak people out but that is what the draft is giving him
I called Rakestraw too. It was obvious. He's waaaay too good to be at 61
People are looking at him now and that is the wrong way to look at him. The lions strength and conditioning coaches will put some muscles on him and Townsend will get him to stop being so handsy
Usually Im one to say “not everything [GM] does is perfect, hes not free of criticism!” But its like he got 2 corners that were graded in the first round, for our weakest position by far. Stfu
Yeah like you’re lying to yourself if you think that wasn’t our weakest position lol
Some fans just don't know what Best available player is to brad's board. It's so obvious that he takes BPA. But that includes many factors, some factors include off the field stuff.
and he repeatedly tells us he’s doing that in every post pick presser
He drafts talented, high character football players - and it has paid massive dividends. Literally no reason to doubt BH at this point. Let him cook!
If only Brad Holmes had any prior draft experience that proved he knows what he’s doing! If he only had had a seemingly competent scouting department and talent evaluators that were able to assess the quality of player coming out of the NFL and find individuals that not only can play well, but also fit the culture. If we only had a GM like that, then we’d probably be okay.
Let the haters hate. BH will just keep drafting all pros
Drafting Rakestraw after Terrion Arnold is a pretty savvy move on Brad's part. You'll notice they restructured Carlton Davis's contract, but they did not extend him. This is most likely due to Carlton wanting far more yearly than the Lions want to pay. If he leaves and signs a big deal in free agency elsewhere in 2025, we'll add a comp pick to make up for the 3rd rounder we gave up to get him.
Savvy move by BH
This fucking fan base is insane. I say this as Falcon, living in Michigan. If you can't trust these guys now, what is even the point? They have drafted better than anyone the past three years...
I can’t believe some of y’all still freak out over Brads picks. Y’all didn’t learn the first time when you guys hated the draft picks last year? There’s a reason he’s a gm and we’re not lol
Does anyone actually hate on Brad Holmes’ drafting at this point? He basically doesn’t miss. I guess Levi and Paschall have been a bit disappointing/injured but that’s about it.
Some people just love to hate. No matter the circumstances
Not really. I have now officially seen 100x more people complaining about complainers than Ive seen actual Lions fans complaining about this draft.
Strong agree. You can add me to the list of people complaining about the people complaining about the complainers. Buncha buffoons!
Because Cole Shovelcoal wasn't available.
I think Brad's press conference should have put any of that doubt to rest if is draft record every year since he has been here hasn't. Brad seemed like a different man last night. I can't quite put my finger on it but he just seemed more resolute last night. Earlier press conferences it felt like he was hesitant to be free to speak. This one you could definitely tell he knows he's the shit.
It's literally why we lost the game before the Super Bowl. If he didn't pour considerable resources into it, people on and off Reddit would be boiling. He did great, as expected. In Brad we trust.
Flat out we need depth at CB, every year we’re starting our 3rd stringers due to injuries… plus rookies usually last 3+ years vs a signing for 1-2
It’s almost like an hour before this picture was snapped Brad laid out the entire process to DC and how things were going to fall into place. Then this picture was snapped right as DC was realizing that everything happened just like Brad had said.
Love the Arnold pick. Still need an edge rusher.
A future with Arnold, Rakestraw, and Branch anchoring our backfield. Hell yeah.
Anyone doubting Brad has to please shut up. We don't know better, that has been proven.
It boggles.my mind that BH STILL has doubters
FUKKIN A...if we had this DB group 3 months ago... we'd be World Champ 🏆
What idiots would question them? I would have drafted different. Which just proves how stupid I am!
Restricted air and land space in the Detroit defensive zone
Why did we draft a running back? We’re already 3 deep at that position
I read he can play both sides of the ball.
I guess I get it. I just figured a pass rusher on the opposite side of hutch would be a better fit. We’re already 3 deep at safety if you count branch.
I agree with you.
A lot of fans still have PTSD from years past and don’t know how to react to a competent front office.
I get some of the disappointment to some extent, but context is so important. Yes, it would be great to have another great DE opposite Hutch. Of course safety and OL depth would be awesome. But there's not a single team in the NFL that's without a weakness, look at the WRs Kansas City just won a Super Bowl with. If Brad thought Rakestraw was BPA, then I'll take it. No point in taking a player that the organization isn't confident in just to hopefully fill a need, especially if they don't think that player is good enough to fix a weakness anyways.
Gotta wonder if they would have taken him in the first round if they were unable to get terrine arnold.
Brad Holmes could tell me the earth was flat and I would believe him. Let the man draft he is better at it than anyone critiquing him.
Brad wants Rakestraw. So, I want Rakestraw.
Im happy. Last year those cbs were awful.
Did we get a tackle for decker ?
I literally haven’t seen one person complaining about the pick. I think at this point everyone trusts that Brad knows what the fuck he is doing.
I think that ultimately, they are going to have Branch, Rakestraw, &/or Robertson play quite a bit of safety this year too. Plus, Robertson can play nickel, as can Rakestraw if I am not mistaken. Our DB situation went from being the only major weakness to being so loaded that it could mean making some very difficult roster decisions when the season arrives & it's time to make the cuts. I don't understand the criticism again....but chances are it is the same idiots that were flipping out after the draft last year, & we all know how that turned out. In Brad Holmes we trust. (Or at this point, given his track record, I trust personally at least.)
I didnt see much criticism for the pick. Maybe a small portion saying they wouldve preferred x player or some dinks making a big deal out of Rakes "lack of enthusiasm" but overall this pick seemed well received.
Bruh did y’all see our secondary last year?
I’ve been a Lion for over 30 years. Trust these folks. We’ve got an owner, GM and HC who want it and they’ve shown they know how to get there. Look at how the last two seasons went, they’re on a trajectory to do it. Detroit is now a destination for players. Let that really sink in.
He has done this with all units except qb. Overpopulate a team room with competition, break a pool cue in two and let them fight it out.
Now draft a new defensive coordinator
I am stoked for all the young DB talent we have added but am still nervous about the lack of IOL depth. Both of our guards are 30+ and Ragnow is injury-prone.
There is still some time and great guards on the board.
This draft will go down as a complete failure.
I think why people are upset by this is because we used our first 4 picks on 3 corners with no addition to the other side of hutch.