Brad Holmes Lions Pre-Draft Press Conference: Reaching for Need

Brad Holmes delivered his pre-draft press conference earlier this week. There were multiple notable takeaways in regards to medical and injury philosophy when it comes to the draft. In my Brad Holmes 2026 Pre-Draft Presser: Injury Philosophy & Draft Needs , I discussed Holmes' philosophy of drafting injured players, the risks of older prospects, second contract considerations, and the strategy of BPA vs positional need.

Here is the excerpt on the Lions ' draft strategy when it comes to a reaching for positional needs: Reaching for positional needs in the NFL Draft I think sometimes you can get in trouble by doing that because you might start to reach for a certain player because you feel like you need that position And you never want to feel that way when you select a player. While drafting for need can have merits, it’s important to realize that what appears to be a solid position now can quickly turn into a position of need due to injuries. We only need to look at what happened last year with the safety position.

Prior to the 2025 season, the Lions had two star safeties that were destined to be here very long term. Now, it is a position of great uncertainty due to Kerby Joseph’s knee and Brian Branch’s Achilles . Last draft, the Lions traded both of this year’s 3rd-round picks to move up to get Isaac TeSlaa - adding to a WR position that was already stocked with two stars in ARSB and Jamo.

If Holmes instead had traded up to take a safety last year, he’d be looking like a genius right now. The takeaway is you never know when and where injuries are going to hit the roster. Better for the Lions to take a player they feel great about than reach for a current need.