Lions' Brad Holmes discusses NFL draft philosophy on injured players

Detroit Lions general manager 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 analyzed Holmes' philosophy of drafting injured players, the risks of older prospects, and the strategy of best player available vs.

positional need. Here is the excerpt on the Lions ' draft strategy when it comes to a drafting injured players: Brad Holmes, Lions' philosophy on drafting injured players "Depends on what the injury is, it depends on what the injury history has been in the past. Take Jamo, it was his first major injury.

You got to look at everything. It’s case by case for sure," Holmes said. Holmes shows that he is very thoughtful about a player’s entire injury history and takes it all into account.

He recognizes that accumulation of injuries is a concern, which I totally agree with. All injuries can carry residuals, some more than others. Just because a player is fully healed doesn’t mean there aren’t residual disabilities or reliability concerns.