Detroit Lions general manager has completed his first NFL Draft since officially succeeding Bob Quinn on the job. And you can bet that he’s feeling good about what he and the team were able to do, which has earned praise from NFL analysts.
“It’s not a monkey off of my back, it’s an accomplishment to get through the first one,” Holmes said. “That feels good. It feels even better to do it with great people. And I think we came away with really good football players that we feel really, really good about, [guys] the entire organization is excited about. So that’s just a good feeling.
“My mom shot me a text this morning. I guess she saw me on the last press conference. She just said, ‘you got to make sure you get some sleep.’ We couldn’t be happier with how it came out.”
With the 7th overall selection, the Lions took Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell, whom Holmes envisions making an impact on the rebuild that he’s been tasked with overseeing.
“Penei is pretty flashy himself,” Holmes said. “Obviously, it’s termed often as not as sexy when you go with a big lineman. Sometimes, they say it’s safe and sound. But I think it will be a very attractive pick when he’s rolling with our offensive line during the season and is making an impact.”
For fans who are hoping to see a new contract extension on the horizon for Frank Ragnow, it appears as though stye needn’t worry. According to Holmes, the Lions “won’t be sitting and waiting on that one”.
“We already view him as a long-term piece and he is a foundational piece,” he said of Ragnow.
And while Holmes is now turning his attention to undrafted free-agents, he’s hoping that he’ll at least be able to squeeze in some more shut-eye – lest he get a stern talking-to from his mother.
“There were other times where I feel like I got back to the bed around maybe 2am or so,” he said. “Hopefully I can get in there early tonight. My mom always gives me the bags-under-my-eyes test, and she always gives me hell for that.”
– – Quotes via Detroit Lions Link – –