Pride of Detroit
As I wrote in this week’s Lions-Vikings preview article, “each loss has felt heavier than the last, often coming in ways that raise new questions rather than offering answers.” Christmas was no exception. If anything, it marked a new rock bottom—introducing the one feeling Lions fans hadn’t fully experienced in a while: a jaded numbness.
The outcome also shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise. The offense has been trending downward for weeks, routinely getting its teeth kicked in up front. There was no realistic reason to expect a broken, dysfunctional unit to suddenly fix itself against Brian Flores’ defense. I was among the few Pride of Detroit writers who felt another lump-swallowing was firmly on the table, even with Detroit favored by six points or more.
Now sitting on eight losses, much of what typically fills out this stock report has already been covered—repeatedly. The same underwhelming performances, the same structural issues, the same unanswered questions. With the Lions losing five of their last six games, sitting at 1–4 in the division, and officially eliminated from playoff contention, this week’s stock report will stick to mostly quick hitters (with one exception). The bigger takeaways have been beaten into the ground over the past two months.
Stock down: Brad Holmes, general manager
The Lions have made just 13 draft picks over the past two NFL drafts, tied for the second-fewest in the league—ahead of only Minnesota and a Vikings front office led by Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, whose draft record has drawn plenty of scrutiny. For comparison, the Ravens led the league with 20 picks in that span. Eight teams made 19 selections (ARI, BUF, GB, LV, NE, PHI, SEA, SF), while three more had 18 (HOU, JAX, LAC). More than a third of the league had roughly three additional picks per draft compared to Detroit. In total, the Lions accounted for just 2.5% of the 514 draft picks made over that period.
Holmes needs to do a better job of positioning both himself and the team for sustained success. No matter how sharp the evaluations are, the draft has always been a numbers game. Even Bill Belichick and the Patriots struggled late in his tenure by narrowing their boards too much and becoming overly rigid in their selection criteria. The Lions are already staring down a pivotal 2026 NFL Draft in which they currently hold only two top-100 picks.
Regardless of how “loaded” the roster is claimed to be, that’s a poor justification for limiting your number of bites at the apple—or lottery tickets to scratch. The priority should be finding the best football players, not just the most intriguing high-upside projects or hyper-specific role fits tailored to what was the Lions’ gritty identity. Failing to consistently replenish draft capital drains the well that identity was built from in the first place.
This will be a massive offseason for Brad Holmes—one that requires learning, adapting, and evolving as he enters his sixth year on the job.
Quick hits
STOCK UP...
