Detroit Lions not afraid to trade out of 1st round despite hosting draft

The Detroit Lions may be hosting the 2024 NFL Draft, but GM Brad Holmes won’t hesitate to trade out of the first round if the deal is right.

On Thursday, thousands of Detroit Lions fans will descend upon Campus Martius in downtown Detroit to see the 2024 NFL Draft and who the Lions may select with the 29th overall pick. But given that first-round talent could be gone by the time the Detroit is on the clock, Lions general manager Brad Holmes did not rule out the chance that they end up trading down out of the first round entirely, despite it potentially disappointing fans who will be waiting hours for Detroit’s pick.

“We have to do the right thing for the organization, and if it makes sense and it lines up and it’s the right thing to do, we have to do the right thing,” Holmes said.

That said, Holmes is empathetic to the Lions fans’ plight. Some will be traveling hundreds (or thousands) of miles to be there, and it’s the first time Detroit has had the literal stage of the draft ever.

“Hopefully they’ll forgive us,” Holmes said. “We won’t expect immediate forgiveness right then and there, but hopefully when the season starts and that player that we end up selecting, then it’s like, ‘Okay, we can kinda get past the…’ But I totally understand that.”

Trading down could make some logical sense for Detroit this year, as well. In addition to not having a shot at a top-tier talent—unless they trade up—the Lions currently only have three picks in the top 150. Getting additional Day 2 resources could help keep Detroit’s roster young and talented. Plus, Holmes admitted they could potentially get the same level of player early in the second round as they may have the option to grab at 29.

“If you’re pretty much convicted these are kind of the same players, regardless of position, you’re getting the same level of player,” Holme said. “Is it a good starter? Is it a developmental, high-upside backup? Whatever the case is, you feel like I’m happy with either one. I just—I always kind of go back to the—you get them in ranges, don’t spend a lot of time arguing going to the Grand Cayman or Turks and Caicos. You’re not going to be mad either way.”

Holmes also admitted that if they stay at 29, they are likely going to have to settle for a different level of talent than they have in the past—having picked in the top-12 in each of the past three drafts.

“You’ve just got to get your head around the players, and we’ve been doing this long enough to know, like, alright, we’re probably not going to be picking some of those (top) guys,” Holmes said. “It’s something I picked up in L.A., where we didn’t even have a first-round pick for a long time. So you can kind of expedite it to the guys you think you’re looking at.”

So if you’re planning on heading to the draft next week—particularly for just Round 1—come prepared with an understanding that there’s a possibility the Lions may not make a pick that night.