By Blessing 
Detroit Lions Found a Hidden Advantage — and It Starts With Three Familiar Faces
“Roll Tide” in Detroit? You better believe it.
The Detroit Lions have quietly built one of the most well-rounded and exciting rosters in the NFL — and it’s no accident. Since taking over as general manager in 2021, Brad Holmes has masterfully drafted talent and cultivated one of the league’s deepest young cores. His strategy? Keep it simple: draft the best player available and don’t overspend unless necessary.
That measured approach has paid off. Over the past two seasons, the Lions are 27-7 — a mark few teams can match. And Holmes hasn’t relied on splashy trades or headline-making free agent deals. Instead, he’s developed from within.
Let’s take a look at 10 of his best draft picks:
- Aidan Hutchinson, DE – 2022, Round 1 (2nd overall)
- Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR – 2021, Round 4 (112th overall)
- Brian Branch, DB – 2023, Round 2 (45th overall)
- Jack Campbell, LB – 2023, Round 1 (18th overall)
- Jahmyr Gibbs, RB – 2023, Round 1 (12th overall)
- Jameson Williams, WR – 2022, Round 1 (12th overall)
- Kerby Joseph, S – 2022, Round 3 (97th overall)
- Penei Sewell, OT – 2021, Round 1 (7th overall)
- Sam LaPorta, TE – 2023, Round 2 (34th overall)
- Terrion Arnold, CB – 2024, Round 1 (24th overall)
That’s not just a good draft résumé — that’s a goldmine. Most teams would be thrilled to hit on half that list.
What’s even more exciting? Three of those stars — Gibbs, Branch, and Arnold — all played together at Alabama. Now, they’re reunited in the Motor City. It almost feels unfair.
Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports recently ranked the top college teammates now reunited in the NFL, and this Alabama trio made his list at No. 7. His reasoning?
“These three former Crimson Tide stars overlapped in 2022, just after fellow Lions weapon Jameson Williams also left Alabama, and currently serve as confident cornerstones of an NFC heavyweight,” Benjamin wrote.
“Gibbs may already be one of the most dynamic ball carriers in football, and both Arnold and Branch still have room to grow as headliners of the Lions secondary.”
That 2022 Alabama squad didn’t win it all, but they were no joke — finishing 11-2 and capping off the year with a Sugar Bowl victory over Kansas State. Still, it feels like their story wasn’t finished. And now, maybe, it gets a new chapter in Detroit.
In college, they built chemistry. In the NFL, they’re building something more — a legacy.
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After a 15-2 campaign last season, the Lions are chasing the ultimate prize. With Holmes adding more fuel through the 2024 draft, Detroit looks poised to make another deep run. And don’t be shocked if it’s that same Alabama trio leading the charge.
Because in Detroit, the road to the Super Bowl might just run through Tuscaloosa.