According to most of the so-called experts, Brad Holmes did a pretty solid job in his first draft as general manager of the Detroit Lions.
But just how good did Holmes do?
Well, we really will not have a concrete answer to that question until we see exactly how the Lions Class of 2021 performs on the field in the coming years.
But, according to Thor Nystrom of NBC Sports Edge, the Lions have the No. 10 ranked 2021 NFL Draft class based on return on investment (ROI).
Here is what Nystrom has to say about Holmes' first draft class with the Lions.
DETROIT LIONS | 2022 DRAFT PICKS (11): 1 1* 2 3 3C 4 5 5C 6 6C 7^ 7&
Talent: 6 | Equity: 8 | ROI: 10
| Pick | Pos | Rk | Name | HT | WT | RAS | Comp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.7 | OT1 | 4 | Penei Sewell | 6'5 | 331 | 8.99 | Trent Williams |
| 2.41 | DL2 | 37 | Levi Onwuzurike | 6'3 | 290 | 8.73 | Leonard Williams |
| 3.72 | DL5 | 69 | Alim McNeill | 6'2 | 317 | 8.53 | Javon Hargrave |
| 3.101 | CB12 | 86 | Ifeatu Melifonwu | 6'2 | 205 | 9.69 | Ahkello Witherspoon |
| 4.112 | WR12 | 78 | Amon-Ra St. Brown | 6'1 | 197 | 7.14 | Sterling Shepard |
| 4.113 | LB12 | 129 | Derrick Barnes | 6'0 | 238 | 8.42 | Jarrad Davis |
| 7.257 | RB15 | 202 | Jermar Jefferson | 5'9 | 206 | 2.28 | Ronald Jones |
| UDFA | WR25 | 206 | Jonathan Adams | 6'2 | 210 | 7.53 | Stevie Johnson |
| UDFA | iOL23 | 219 | Tommy Kraemer | 6'5 | 309 | — | Jamon Meredith |
| UDFA | iOL24 | 223 | Drake Jackson | 6'2 | 293 | — | Joey Hunt |
| UDFA | WR30 | 228 | Sage Surratt | 6'2 | 209 | 5.66 | Michael Floyd |
| UDFA | RB28 | 327 | Rakeem Boyd | 5'11 | 213 | 2.17 | Paul Perkins |
| UDFA | WR46 | 340 | Javon McKinley | 6'2 | 215 | 7.25 | Noah Brown |
| UDFA | CB49 | 426 | Jerry Jacobs | 5'10 | 208 | 5.81 | Doran Grant |
| UDFA | LB45 | 431 | Tavante Beckett | 5'10 | 220 | 1.11 | Eric Striker |
| UDFA | RB39 | 444 | Dedrick Mills | 5'10 | 215 | — | Rashad Penny |
| UDFA | CB54 | 493 | A.J. Parker | 5'11 | 182 | 2.75 | Bené Benwikere |
| UDFA | TE24 | 496 | Brock Wright | 6'4 | 257 | 9.21 | Jerell Adams |
| UDFA | TE29 | X | Jake Hausmann | 6'4 | 242 | 1.69 | David Grinnage |
| UDFA | S50 | X | D'Angelo Amos | 6'0 | 191 | 4.52 | — |
*DET acquired LAR 2022 R1 in Matthew Stafford trade
^CLE has right to pick-swap 2022 R7s with DET for David Blough trade (August 2019)
&DET acquired conditional 2022 NE R7 in exchange for CB Michael Jackson (August 2020)
NFL Draft: Lions GM Brad Holmes took advantage of good fortune and a thrift-shopper’s eye for value throughout in landing the most impressive Lions' draft haul in years. Six of Detroit's seven selections were ranked higher on my board than the slot Detroit picked them in. This is what the draft is all about: Coming out with more talent than should have been possible in your slots. Penei Sewell is the best offensive linemen I've evaluated in five years doing this. What a pick to start things off for Holmes at 1.7. From there, he used his weak roster to his advantage — he let the board come to him and didn't reach for a particular position of need over another.
UDFA: Detroit signed a league-high four prospects I had draftable grades on, including the No. 3 and 7 available WR Jonathan Adams and Sage Surratt, and No. 5 and 6 available iOL Tommy Kraemer and Drake Jackson. Another sign of intelligent design from an organization that’s been devoid of it for far too long. The Lions acquired Adams, Surratt and Amon-Ra St. Brown — a third- and two sixth-round values on my board — for the price of 4.112 and slightly over $100k in guaranteed UDFA money, per Spotrac. Slick bargain hunting.
Still need:Â Wide receiver, quarterback, linebacker
To see how the rest of the league fared, according to Nystrom, please click here.
