The 2023 NFL Draft has finally come to a close for the Detroit Lions and we are able to look at the draft as a whole to determine whether or not it was a success.

Now, to be fair, some fans are right in that it is hard to truly determine whether a draft was good or bad after a full year, much less after a few hours, but trends and data have a way of giving an early snapshot that doesn't prove to be too far off when you look at the big picture.

The first round was a little dicey from this perspective. Running backs and linebackers are generally better in later rounds in a version of the NFL that no longer values these positions at the pre-2010s level. The good news for the Lions is that it doesn't really matter.

Value isn't everything. It is nice for some teams, but the Lions couldn't afford to have a draft like the Eagles when it has been 30 years since they were relevant on the playoff stage.

Corners and tackles that would ride the bench due to established veterans already holding those roles would help the Lions very little in their two-year window to compete with Jared Goff. But hey, they would get value for backs!

This is where the discussion starts to lose its heart. Value is good, but value isn't what teams want. Teams want to win, and the Lions have real expectations that go far beyond retooling their roster for the next two years with "value" picks that don't figure to contribute.

Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell aren't value picks in the first round by modern standards, but they're going to immediately fill vital holes as starters (or fringe starters) from the moment they reach Detroit. Sam LaPorta is going to play big minutes even as a rookie tight end.

As you go down the list of picks, the only player the Lions selected in the first few rounds that doesn't figure to see any playing time is Hendon Hooker, and that is mostly due to his injury from college.

Outside of Hooker, every player from Day 1 and Day 2 has a clear path towards contributing on this team, and that is exactly what the Lions needed, especially when it was clear that this was a playoff team before the draft even happened.

Finding starters to help with a playoff push should be the definition of value for a Lions team that is finally starting to see a shift in the franchise. What this class does down the road may be up for discussion, but this group could still turn out to be the best rookie unit from the class, value be damned.