Karnage84 Posted April 13, 2022 Share Posted April 13, 2022 Lions GM Brad Holmes took over as the Director of College Scouting in 2013 and left for the Lions in 2021. I wanted to take a look at his draft history and if there are any patterns we might see. Round 1: WR (1); LB (1); OT (1); DT (1); RB (1); QB (1) Round 2: CB/DB/S (2); OT (1); TE (1); RB (1); WR (2) Round 3: WR (2); CB/DB/S (4); OT (3); RB (2); QB (1); LB (1) Round 4: WR (2); OG/OC (2); DL (2); TE (2); LB (1); OT (1) Round 5: DB (1); RB (1); LB (1); DL (1); OT (1) Round 6: DB (2); WR (2); OG (1); OT (1); DL (3); LB (1); RB (1); FB (1) Round 7: OL (3); DB/S (2); DL (3); LB (3); K (1) Holmes' first draft as Lions GM played out as: 1 - Penei Sewell, OT 2 - Levi Onwuzurike, DL 3 - Alim McNeill, DL 3 - Ifeatu Melifonwu, DB 4 - Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR 4 - Derrick Brown, LB 7 - Jermar Jefferson, RB The Rams plan to trade for Jared Goff in 2016 and first round picks to acquire players like Jalen Ramsey does somewhat skew things. Running Backs: The Rams drafted a running back in 6 out of 8 drafts. The only exception was from 2016 and 2017 when Todd Gurley was winning the OPOY. Holmes took Jermar Jefferson in round 7 last year. With a stable of D'Andre Swift; Jamaal Williams; Craig Reynolds; Godwin Igwebuike; and Jermar Jefferson, we probably don't need to add someone. However, I suspect that we're probably going to see a RB added. Swift is only 23 while Williams is 27, Reynolds is 26 and Igwebuike is 28 while Jefferson is only 22. Swift adds more value as a pass catcher and therefore we could be looking to add more of a true RB1 (even in a RBBC) to eventually replace Williams and get younger at the position. Wide Receivers: The Rams have principally invested at the position in rounds 2, 3, 4 and 6 taking two guys in each round. . Kupp has worked out pretty well. Holmes hit on St. Brown in round 4 and we absolutely need to add someone else into the mix. The last time the Rams doubled up at the WR position in the draft was in Josh Reynolds draft year (2017) where he was selected in round 4 and Kupp was selected in round 2. Quarterbacks: The Rams have only drafted three guys with Holmes leading the charge - Garrett Gilbert, (2014 - R6); Sean Mannion (2015 - R3); Jared Goff (2016 - 1st Overall). If the Lions don't take a QB at #2 or #32 (please don't) then we could see them take a flier on someone late but we could also not see a QB in this draft at all. Linebackers: The Rams did not take a LB until round 3 and nearly matched the amounts they took from rounds 3-6 as they did in round 7. Jeff Risdon has mentioned that the Lions are content with their LB corp. We could see a scenario where the Lions don't draft a LB until later on in the draft (if they do at all). Offensive Line: The Rams added pieces to their OL 6 out of 8 years, whether at tackle or interior. We saw Holmes continue this with the addition of Penei Sewell. We should expect to see at least one piece being added here. Defensive Backs: The Rams have invested 11 picks into the DB group (CB/S). They've never selected a DB in round 1 but they've made considerable investments here in round 2 (2); round 3 (4), round 6 (2) and round 7 (2). Holmes took Melifonwu in round 3 last year and hit on UDFA's like AJ Parker and Jerry Jacobs. Sauce is likely off the table but we could definitely see some help, especially at safety, by the end of round 3. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Want A Title Posted April 13, 2022 Share Posted April 13, 2022 Given the state of the roster that he inherited, it is kind of tough to map what he did with the Rams to what he is going to do with the Lions. We need serious help at LB and it will probably happen in Round 3 this year. We don't have any legit safeties outside of Tracy Walker so that should be in-play at #32 and or #34. As I have mentioned in other threads, this draft lines up very well with the most pressing needs on our roster. Brad Holmes may have some tendencies with who he drafts but the biggest risk he has this year is to not over-thing things and align BPA with our most pressing needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karnage84 Posted April 13, 2022 Author Share Posted April 13, 2022 37 minutes ago, Just Want A Title said: Given the state of the roster that he inherited, it is kind of tough to map what he did with the Rams to what he is going to do with the Lions. We need serious help at LB and it will probably happen in Round 3 this year. We don't have any legit safeties outside of Tracy Walker so that should be in-play at #32 and or #34. As I have mentioned in other threads, this draft lines up very well with the most pressing needs on our roster. Brad Holmes may have some tendencies with who he drafts but the biggest risk he has this year is to not over-thing things and align BPA with our most pressing needs. Sure but Holmes could very well factor in positional value and view his success getting particular players in different rounds as a part of his "philosophy". McVay only joined the Rams in 2017, so there's 4 seasons of drafting before they really hit the ground running. Jeff Risdon (I'm quite sure it was him) that his sources said that the Lions were content with their LB group. I personally don't think that's the position we should be taking but it seems like they didn't value LB's any higher than round 3 (outside of Ogletree who was selected at #30). It also wouldn't shock me to see us take a RB and/or TE this draft, even though we could argue we have many other needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Want A Title Posted April 13, 2022 Share Posted April 13, 2022 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Karnage84 said: Sure but Holmes could very well factor in positional value and view his success getting particular players in different rounds as a part of his "philosophy". McVay only joined the Rams in 2017, so there's 4 seasons of drafting before they really hit the ground running. Jeff Risdon (I'm quite sure it was him) that his sources said that the Lions were content with their LB group. I personally don't think that's the position we should be taking but it seems like they didn't value LB's any higher than round 3 (outside of Ogletree who was selected at #30). It also wouldn't shock me to see us take a RB and/or TE this draft, even though we could argue we have many other needs. How could the Lions be content with a LB group that couldn't cover TEs or RBs to save their collective life or contributed to the Lions putrid run-defense? That sounds like pre-draft smoke. Edited April 13, 2022 by Just Want A Title 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.