2025 NFL Draft

[MichiganCardinal]

3 hours ago, 1984Echoes said:

They need to do that for each "instance".

Wasn't there at least one other prospect affected? Mason Graham? More than those two?

Yeah but their dads aren’t famous so it’s okay.

Sorry, correction. Their dads aren’t famous so ESPN doesn’t care. So it’s okay.

[Motown Bombers]

 

[Motown Bombers]

 

[buddha]

17 hours ago, Motown Bombers said:

 

just so folks arent confused, they had a better offer than the rams, but there is no evidence anyone else wanted to trade up for teslaa.  others are assumed to have wanted to trade up for gillotte.  in fact, its what the jags thought the lions wanted to do, but he went off the board to the chiefs just before the jags pick.

[Mr.TaterSalad]

Yeah, I haven't seen any evidence that the Rams or someone else were about to pick TeSlaa if the Lions didn't move up there and get him. This still feels like such a steep, steep reach to me. I hope TeSlaa turns out to be a starting caliber player. 

[MichiganCardinal]

Kind of feels to me like the trade was put in place for Gilotte and then when he was gone, the offer was still on the table and Holmes said “f it” and made the trade anyway for another guy he loved.

Not a great strategy, but hope it works out.

[1984Echoes]

Holmes said he tried several times to move up in the draft for a DE but it never worked out.

This sounds like one of those times...

I also saw somewhere where he tried to trade up for Shemar Stewart.

But it takes two to tango...

[sagnam]

On 5/2/2025 at 12:13 PM, buddha said:

just so folks arent confused, they had a better offer than the rams, but there is no evidence anyone else wanted to trade up for teslaa.  others are assumed to have wanted to trade up for gillotte.  in fact, its what the jags thought the lions wanted to do, but he went off the board to the chiefs just before the jags pick.

I think I’d take the Rams #2 over the Lions 2 #3’s. Also, Buffalo was 2 picks later.

[Mr.TaterSalad]

On 5/2/2025 at 6:01 PM, 1984Echoes said:

Holmes said he tried several times to move up in the draft for a DE but it never worked out.

This sounds like one of those times...

I also saw somewhere where he tried to trade up for Shemar Stewart.

But it takes two to tango...

Mike Green fell into his lap twice . . . I know, I know.

[Mr.TaterSalad]

The Athletic hated our draft. Draft grades for guys who have never seen the field at the pro level mean squat. But an F, that's still way too harsh, even if it's meaningless in the end.

 

[buddha]

38 minutes ago, sagnam said:

I think I’d take the Rams #2 over the Lions 2 #3’s. Also, Buffalo was 2 picks later.

the rams backed out after gillote (sp?) was picked, i think.

[sagnam]

55 minutes ago, buddha said:

the rams backed out after gillote (sp?) was picked, i think.

Agreed. Guess I was saying that the Rams offer was better is all. So not a crazy amount to trade into that spot. I also think that Holmes isn’t afraid to go get his guy. He won’t hit 100%, but he’s doing pretty good so I support him continuing to trust his board.

Edited Monday at 03:24 AM by sagnam

[Jason_R]

10 hours ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

The Athletic hated our draft. Draft grades for guys who have never seen the field at the pro level mean squat. But an F, that's still way too harsh, even if it's meaningless in the end.

 

“Based on data and math.” Trust the science. 

[romad1]

10 hours ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

The Athletic hated our draft. Draft grades for guys who have never seen the field at the pro level mean squat. But an F, that's still way too harsh, even if it's meaningless in the end.

 

the Browns got Shedeur Sanders and therefore an A+ which is something.  

[RedRamage]

33 minutes ago, Jason_R said:

“Based on data and math.” Trust the science. 

I mean, I get what they're saying here and I also would probably somewhat agree with it. But the data and math are basically looking at trends over the last few years and saying "statistically it plays out like this." But a good GM is the one who finds the outliers and sees the trends BEFORE they become the trends. So a GM who can foresee what the NFL is going to be 3 years from now instead of what the NFL was 3 year before now is probably going to be successful and probably will look odd with draft picks.

Disclaimer: I'm NOT saying all odd draft picks equals forward looking GMs who will be proven right. I'm just saying that a grade based on history and trends does NOT account for changing aspects in the NFL.

My final thought is that I remember quite a few times in the past 20ish years where the Lions got excellent draft grades, and yet it amounted to nothing more than the occasional first round playoff loss. Brad and Dan have definitely bucked some trends in the draft and so far it's worked out. I'm perfectly fine with the Athletic using data and math to give the Lions an F every year for the next 10 years if we're also a legitimate SB contender for the next decade.

[RatkoVarda]

Brad's not perfect, but his vision of what to build and how to built that, clearly works, so he gets the benefit of the doubt.

Also, the draft ITSELF is a data point, so if Bradyn Swinson, DE, LSU is ranked pre-draft as a 3rd round talent and no team drafts him in the 1st 5 rounds, then your pre-draft ranking looks incorrect.

NE got him in the 6th, which might be great value or exactly where he should have been picked.

 

 

[RedRamage]

4 minutes ago, RatkoVarda said:

Also, the draft ITSELF is a data point, so if Bradyn Swinson, DE, LSU is ranked pre-draft as a 3rd round talent and no team drafts him in the 1st 5 rounds, then your pre-draft ranking looks incorrect.

NE got him in the 6th, which might be great value or exactly where he should have been picked.

Very valid point. Pre-draft grades are determined by people who are not NFL GMs or in NFL scouting departments. Now, to be sure these graders are getting tidbits of info from teams and scouts and supplementing it with there own opinions/views, but that's not the same as being an NFL GM.

I think it's extremely common for players to move up or down a bit based on what happens draft day... if there's a run on DEs and your team desperately needs a DE, you might reach. But yeah, if there's general agreement by 32 teams that someone is a 3rd round talent he's not slipping to the 6th round. He might slip to the 4th, but no way to the 6th.

[Stanley70]

The Lions draft was about as safe as they could play it, aside from the trade for TesLaa. Williams and Ratledge are likely 4 year starters, but not stars. And they got some value in the late rounds. Grading drafts are a little silly since every teams picks have a different total "value". Are they grading for overall talent they brought in? Or how they used the picks they had?

Holmes made a point that not all drafts are the same. The drafts after the Covid years were deep in the third and fourth, the last few not so much. That was one of reasons he used as a rationalle for dealing multiple 3rds for the guy they liked.

[AlaskanTigersFan]

I think it's also worth pointing out that our roster is pretty much set this year AND next year. After next year is when the contracts are gonna take a while to figure out. Not sure how many more spots we can add.... Our 53 man roster is going to be tough to maneuver minus any injuries that occur......

[holygoat]

The thing about smart motherf***ers is they sound like crazy motherf***ers to dumb motherf***ers. 

[sagnam]

19 hours ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

The Athletic hated our draft. Draft grades for guys who have never seen the field at the pro level mean squat. But an F, that's still way too harsh, even if it's meaningless in the end.

 

The Texans got a C and they drafted 2 Iowa St receivers with their first to picks. Iowa St.

[Cruzer1]

3 hours ago, sagnam said:

The Texans got a C and they drafted 2 Iowa St receivers with their first to picks. Iowa St.

I think they're both good players, mangas. I don't like the grading system here.

[number20]

On 5/4/2025 at 7:00 PM, Mr.TaterSalad said:

The Athletic hated our draft. Draft grades for guys who have never seen the field at the pro level mean squat. But an F, that's still way too harsh, even if it's meaningless in the end.

 

 

Here's all you need to know about these silly “draft grades” Tater…

2023 Lions draft - first four picks:

• Jahmyr Gibbs (pro bowler)
• Jack Campbell (future pro bowler)
• Sam Laporta (pro bowler)
• Brian Branch (pro bowler, future HOF)

2023 Bears draft - first four picks:

• Darnell Wright (underwhelming for 10th overall)
• Gervon Dexter Sr. (average starter)
• Tyrique Stevenson (Hail Mary!)
• Zacch Pickens (“Looking like the latest Ryan Poles mistake” - beargoggles.com)

NFL.com grades:

Bears A- (woo hoo what a great draft!)

Lions C+ (you drafted the wrong TE, Lions! And Gibbs - oh no a running back! Poor value. And and and)

 

[Jimbo]

It is definitely fun to compare what draft grades were a few years ago.  I also like the redrafting articles.  Although we all know the draft grades by these so called draft gurus don't mean anything.   How many years have the Lions won draft day according to these same guys.  The only thing I worry about this regime is they don't get overconfident with their draft success.  I don't feel like that will be the case with Holmes although we have been burned before.  For the last 3-4 years I was OK being a top team without a SuperBowl.  Now the next two years need to net us a SuperBowl or this will be another Detroit sports team with missed opportunities.  Going to work Pistons should of had multiple championships if they drafted anyone out of that draft but Darko.  The Verlander Tigers should of won multiple world series.  It just shows you need to keep your foot on the gas and not get overconfident with your early success.

[Hongbit]

On 5/4/2025 at 10:00 PM, Mr.TaterSalad said:

The Athletic hated our draft. Draft grades for guys who have never seen the field at the pro level mean squat. But an F, that's still way too harsh, even if it's meaningless in the end.

 

Don’t forget the purpose of this article isn’t to show how knowledgeable they are about the draft.  

It’s to draw more clicks.  

Views are just like TD’s, sacks, or INT’s, to a staff writer on a big site like The Athletic.  Leadership isn’t using success rate at predicting draft picks when they decide who to gets a raise and who gets fired.    

It’s all based on data and math.