Brad Holmes and the Lions may have found their new Alabama or Georgia in the Big Ten
Brad and his group are out doing work
If there’s one thing that’s been pretty noticeable about the way Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes drafts, it’s that he tends to find a college program he likes and then goes all in on that school.
For a while, that was Alabama. The Lions drafted Jameson Williams, Brian Branch, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Terrion Arnold out of Tuscaloosa. Last year, it was Georgia with Tate Ratledge, Dan Jackson, Dominic Lovett, and Jackson Meeks, who was at Georgia before transferring to Syracuse.
We might’ve already figured out Holmes’ new team for the 2026 NFL Draft, and that team is in the Big Ten. It’s not the local team. Sorry, Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State fans.
Brad Holmes and the Lions have been paying a lot of attention to Oregon
The Lions had multiple scouts at the Oregon vs Indiana game on Saturday. This is not the first time they’ve been there this year. The Lions were watching Oregon in Week 2 as well.
This makes a lot of sense. The Ducks have a good handful of players expected to go in the first two days of this draft. Look at this list of players:
Oregon players the Detroit Lions could have their eyes on
- QB Dante Moore
- TE Kenyon Sadiq
- Edge Matayo Uiagalelei
- DL A’Mauri Washington
- S Dillon Thineneman
- T Isaiah World
- C Iapani Laloulu
- DL Bear Alexander
- G Emmanuel Pregnon
I would think Isaiah World and Matayo Uiagalelei are the two guys that are catching the Lions’ eyes. Dante Moore could make some sense, too, if he sees a fall. Speaking of quarterbacks, there’s also reason to believe the Lions had their eyes on Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza at this game, too.
The Lions have reportedly visited one more team twice, and that’s Clemson. There’s reason to believe they like the players there, too, but it’s notable that the Lions saw Oregon play once and then returned with multiple scouts a second time. The draft is a long way off; we’ll see what happens this season.