Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes has revealed that his team will not have a depth chart in their draft room when they sit down for the NFL draft later this month. Holmes, who was previously the college scouting director for the Rams, explained that he wants to prioritize talent over need in the draft, and having a depth chart could lead to mistakes. He pointed to the Rams’ success in building a dominant defensive line by taking the best available prospects, regardless of need.
Key Points
- The Lions will not have a depth chart in their draft room
- Holmes believes that prioritizing talent over need is the best strategy in the draft
- Having a depth chart could lead to mistakes
- The Rams’ success in building a dominant defensive line was due to taking the best available prospects, regardless of need
Brad Holmes explains why Detroit Lions won’t have a depth chart in their War Room
“I just think you can make a lot of mistakes with that,” Holmes said. “I’ve been in regimes in the past that have had a depth chart in the draft room, and I’ve just never been a fan of that.”
“Everybody has question marks on their team,” Holmes said. “When you’re approaching the draft and you’re just looking to fill those question marks, fill those holes, I do think that, that can equate to some mistakes cause I say back in St. Louis even, it got to a point where we had a pretty strong defensive line and we had some concerns elsewhere but we just kept adding to our defensive line. And it just turned into this beast that was just a strength of the football team.”
Big Picture: Traditional draft strategies are being challenged by Brad Holmes and other innovative GMs
In rejecting the traditional draft strategy of prioritizing need over talent, Holmes is challenging the status quo in the NFL. Many GMs have long relied on depth charts to guide their draft decisions, but Holmes believes that this approach can be limiting and result in missed opportunities to acquire the best available talent. By prioritizing talent over need, Holmes is paving the way for a new approach to the draft that may lead to more successful teams in the future.
Bottom Line – Talent trumps need in the draft, according to Brad Holmes
In a league where tradition and convention are often prized, Brad Holmes is taking a bold step in rejecting the use of a depth chart in the draft room. By prioritizing talent over need, he is putting the Detroit Lions in a better position to build a winning team for years to come. While it remains to be seen how successful this approach will be, it is clear that Holmes is willing to challenge the status quo in order to find new and innovative ways to build a successful team. As the NFL continues to evolve, we can expect more GMs to follow Holmes’ lead and explore new strategies for building a winning team.
