Lions GM could use past success to fuel draft day stunner
There are plenty of different draft strategies the Detroit Lions can employ with a total of nine picks. Some certainly make more sense than others, but Lions GM Brad Holmes isn’t ruling anything out. With the sixth overall pick, many draft experts believe the Lions will draft for need and take the best available defensive […]
There are plenty of different draft strategies the Detroit Lions can employ with a total of nine picks. Some certainly make more sense than others, but Lions GM Brad Holmes isn’t ruling anything out.
With the sixth overall pick, many draft experts believe the Lions will draft for need and take the best available defensive prospect. Whether that be Jalen Carter, Christian Gonzalez, or Devon Witherspoon will likely be determined by how the board falls.
There is one elite prospect who is defying one NFL trend that isn’t being talked about enough in the Motor City. Texas running back Bijan Robinson is garnering plenty of attention across league circles. When asked about the potential of selecting Robinson, Holmes has a pretty open mind.
“I kind of just look at it as they’re all football players,” Holmes said at his pre-draft press conference. “If they can help you, they can help you. I understand the narrative of that, but if you think that player is that good, if he’s out there producing for you, I don’t think anyone’s going to look back and say — I don’t think anyone said in 2016 or ’17 or ’18, ‘Man, they picked Todd Gurley at 10.’ No, he was just a really good running back. He was one of the top prospects in the draft. So, yeah. We didn’t really bat an eye.”
It’s interesting to hear Holmes bring up Gurley. When he was serving as the Rams’ Director of College Scouting, Los Angeles took a sizable risk by drafting Gurley at No. 10 overall. It ended up paying off as Gurley was one of the league’s top running backs for a few seasons.
Hitting on a first-round running back is rare. But perhaps Gurley’s success gives Holmes the confidence to nab Robinson if the team believes he’s the best player available at the time the Lions go on the clock, whether that be at No. 6 overall or No. 18.
