Is Lions GM Brad Holmes telling the truth about OT, EDGE?

Detroit Lions executive vice president and general manager Brad Holmes speaks during media availability at Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images On Monday, Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes held his pre-draft press conference, answering media questions for just about 15 minutes before heading back to work in preparation of the 2026 NFL Draft.

As an NFL general manager, you have essentially one goal for these press conferences: don’t say anything. Don’t give away your intentions, don’t make headlines, and say as little as possible to keep your intentions unknown. If I’m being completely honest, I think Holmes pretty much nailed this goal.

Sure, a few headlines have been made and a couple quotes have gone viral, but I wouldn’t say I’m any closer to knowing what Holmes is going to do next week based on his comments. He successfully skirted many questions, and when he did offer answers, they were vague enough to keep people guessing. But if there’s one quote that seemed to be informative or gain attention, it was the one regarding the team’s confidence in where they are at regarding their two biggest perceived needs: offensive tackle and defensive end.

Here’s what Holmes said, particularly regarding free agent adds OT Larry Borom and EDGE Larry Wonnum: “I thought Borom put out good tape last year. I don’t foresee that–I don’t have a crystal ball, but from the last thing I saw on tape, he’s got starter-level ability, and same as Wonnum. You’re talking about guys that have been starters in the NFL, but just kind of look at where the trend is going, where the arrow’s going.