By Sunday 
Welcome to Detroit, where the motto at Lions headquarters seems to be: “Draft value? Never heard of her.”
If you were hoping that after five drafts, Brad Holmes would start caring about your big board, your mock drafts, or the collective cries of NFL Twitter — sorry. He’s still very much doing his own thing. And honestly? It’s kind of glorious.
A Quick Recap: Holmes Gonna Holmes
Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, the Lions had seven picks. They came out of it with… seven players. Simple math, right? Well, not so fast.
Holmes couldn’t just sit there — he moved up three different times, pushing the Lions’ grand total to 16 draft-day trades in five years under his watch. It’s basically his favorite hobby at this point.
And when he trades up, he trades up. Twice on Day 2 alone, Holmes jumped for players he simply couldn’t live without, and once more on Day 3 for good measure. Two of those moves were easy to love: Georgia guard Tate Ratledge and LSU guard Miles Frazier — big boys from the SEC who might be bulldozing defensive lines this fall.
Honestly, no one’s complaining there. Those picks made sense.
But then came The Great Receiver Heist of 2025.
Enter Isaac TeSlaa, Exit Two Future Picks
At pick No. 70, Holmes decided it was time to shoot his shot.
He traded up 32 spots — and sent two 2026 third-round picks — to draft Arkansas wideout Isaac TeSlaa. You read that right: two future thirds for a guy most scouts had pegged for Day 3.
Now, TeSlaa isn’t some scrub. He’s 6-foot-4, 214 pounds, and clocked a freakish 96 athleticism score at the Combine, ranking first among all receivers. The dude can move.
Still… was it necessary to empty future draft capital for a player who, at best, might be WR4 this season? Seems a little like paying Ferrari prices for a souped-up go-kart.
But hey — that’s the Brad Holmes way.
Hassanein and the Great EDGE Debate
Meanwhile, if you were sitting around wondering when the Lions would finally grab a pass-rusher to pair with Aidan Hutchinson, you waited until the sixth round.
Holmes finally pulled the trigger at pick No. 196, selecting Ahmed Hassanein from Boise State.
Hassanein has a relentless motor (check), the willingness to “die on the football field” for Dan Campbell (check), and a fascinating backstory as the first Egyptian ever drafted into the NFL (double check).
But… he’s still very raw. Hassanein didn’t even start playing organized football until 2019. Tackling technique, pass-rushing moves — all still a work in progress. So, while he’s easy to root for, counting on him to fill a critical Super Bowl-or-bust roster hole might be a tiny bit ambitious.
In the meantime, Marcus Davenport’s hamstrings are reportedly somewhere on a milk carton.
Holmes: Draft Value Be Damned
Here’s the thing. Brad Holmes has never pretended to be a value drafter.
As the article points out, Holmes previously spent premium picks on a wide receiver (Jameson Williams), a running back (Jahmyr Gibbs), and a linebacker (Jack Campbell) — moves that made old-school draft analysts clutch their pearls.
And guess what? Those guys became key pieces of the Lions’ back-to-back NFC North titles.
So when people get their pitchforks out about taking TeSlaa too early or waiting too long on an EDGE, Holmes probably isn’t losing any sleep.
As the saying goes: “He could not care one bit about what you or I think about his draft strategy.”
Final Thought: Judgement Day Comes Later
Is this draft class perfect? No.
Did Holmes probably overdraft at least once? Sure.
But if recent history tells us anything, it’s that Holmes’ vision — as weird and off-script as it sometimes feels — works.
So maybe, just maybe, we hold off on the “fire him” tweets until the players actually take a snap.
Because in Brad Holmes’ alternate draft universe, crazy might just be the new normal.