No edge rushers for Lions on NFL Draft Day 2 as Brad Holmes sticks to his plan

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ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Brad Holmes and the Detroit Lions war room were spotted wearing hoodies that read “HWS” — height, weight, speed — crossed out. The Lions typically coordinate their apparel during draft weekend. They’ve worn “positional villain” hoodies. They’ve collectively worn Dan Campbell jerseys, perhaps an ode to drafting Dan Campbell guys. So when Holmes emerged Friday at the end of night two, he explained the latest draft-related message.

“Height, weight, speed — it is the opposite of film evaluation, and we’re all about film evaluation,” Holmes said. “That’s the hard part of scouting. Height, weight, speed is easy. Stats are easy. A position listed is easy. But film evaluation is hard to figure out.”

The Lions believe in film. They believe it doesn’t lie. The film told them that Georgia guard Tate Ratledge and Arkansas wide reciever Isaac TeSlaa were the best players available when it was time to make their selections.

It also told them what they needed to know about players they passed on. In many ways, that was the bigger story from Friday night.

About a week ago, Holmes foreshadowed a scenario that ultimately played out Friday. At his pre-draft news conference, Holmes was, playfully, asked what he won’t do in the draft.

“What I won’t do is what I’ve been saying that I won’t do — that I know you guys get frustrated with me not doing,” Holmes said. “Looking at our depth chart — like black-and-white names but no football being played — but looking at a depth chart and seeing a position and then saying, ‘Man, you’ve got to get that position.’”

Edge rusher was the position the Lions were linked to the most this offseason. They released Za’Darius Smith. They re-signed oft-injured edge Marcus Davenport, who looks like a projected starter. It doesn’t feel like enough, and both Holmes and Campbell talked about adding to the room, and when they didn’t in free agency, the draft was next.

But it always came with a caveat. Holmes addressed it.

“You can draft a pass rusher every round. You could. It’s easy,” Holmes said. “That’s just like if a coach told me, ‘Man, we want a guy that’s 6-4, 250 pounds.’ To get a guy that’s 6-4, 250 pounds, that’s easy. You want a guy that’s 6-4, 250 pounds, yeah. I don’t know if he’s a good football player, but he’s 6-4, 250 pounds. … Yeah, you can draft a defensive end.

“If the player playing defensive end is not what we feel is going to be the right guy to really contribute to the football team, then what are you guys going to write about that player? You guys (will say), ‘Man, that’s not working.’ So, we’re not going to reach on players just to fill a position. That’s what we don’t do.”

HWS.

Brad Holmes and the Lions war room wearing hoodies with the letters HWS — height, weight, speed — crossed out with a line through the middle. Holmes said HWS is the opposite of film evaluation. They’re all about film evaluation. pic.twitter.com/AYFf0Aw2ma

— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) April 26, 2025

Fast forward to Friday night. It’s Day 2. On Day 1, the Lions selected Tyleik Williams — a nimble, run-stuffing defensive tackle with room to develop into much more. A sensible pick, but not the edge rusher so many wanted Holmes to draft.

The Lions were slated to pick 60th Friday. There were edge rushers available. But not all of them were fits.

Holmes did, in fact, attempt to trade up for an edge rusher. He confirmed as much, perhaps reluctantly. It was good context, though. He didn’t go into detail about names, but when asked what he looks for in an edge rusher, Holmes described a prospect who can set an edge and defend the run. One of the edge rushers within striking range who fit that description was Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton.

Throughout the pre-draft process, Scourton felt like a player toward whom the Lions would gravitate. He plays with effort, knows how to set an edge, he’s versatile, one of the youngest prospects in the class, was voted a team captain as a 19-year-old sophomore at Purdue (before transferring to A&M) and said he plays the game for his community and the people that raised him. However, Scourton was off the board before the Lions chose, selected by the Carolina Panthers at No. 51.

Other edge rushers were available for the Lions to take. Arkansas’ Landon Jackson, Michigan’s Josaiah Stewart, Louisville’s Ashton Gillotte. They could’ve taken one to take one. But Holmes doesn’t just scroll down his edge rusher board to fill a need. He pivots to the next best player overall.

One of those players was Ratledge. The Lions traded up three spots to get him, sending Nos. 60 and 130 to the Denver Broncos for Nos. 57 and 230. When news broke that the Lions were coming up, this was a logical pairing.

They lost veteran guard Kevin Zeitler to the Vikings in free agency. Their projected starters were Graham Glasgow (who allowed the seventh-most pressures among guards last year, per PFF) and second-year sixth-round pick Christian Mahogany, a player with just two career starts under his belt. So the Lions went out and added a high-end guard prospect with immediate starting upside who could man the interior for a decade.

Ratledge is a self-described “dirtbag.” He gets mad when his quarterback is touched and takes it personally. He’s scheme versatile, capable of playing in a zone or gap scheme. He was voted a team captain by 95 percent of Georgia’s 130 players, with Kirby Smart calling him “as special as they come.” He’s got an every-man mentality — sporting a free-flowing mullet his dad cut in 2020 as a joke, before Ratledge decided to make it his permanent look. And about a year ago, he got a Lion tattooed on his arm. Why?

“Lions are the kings of the jungle for a reason,” he said.

Then there’s TeSlaa — the wild card of the night. Both Campbell and Holmes were aligned in their desire to add a young receiver. It was mentioned at the owners’ meetings and at Holmes’ pre-draft news conference. The Lions haven’t drafted a receiver on Day 2 or higher since they took Jameson Williams in the 2022 first round. It felt like a good time to add one.

The capital it took to acquire TeSlaa, though, was not cheap. The Lions traded No. 102 in the third and their two 2026 third-round picks for No. 70, No. 182 and a 2026 sixth. Per the charts, the deal was relatively even. Future picks are often devalued in trades. But those picks are still two thirds the Lions won’t have next year, so the player — TeSlaa, given a fifth- to sixth-round grade in “The Beast” — has to be a hit. Otherwise, it’s completely fair to question whether the Lions are too comfortable sacrificing capital for swings on prospects.

I completely missed the 2026 6th the Lions got in return.

Makes it even more of a wash: pic.twitter.com/w3EiLYZoHX

— Jeremy Reisman (@DetroitOnLion) April 26, 2025

The good news is that TeSlaa is littered with tools, running a 4.43 at 6-foot-3 with strong hands. Holmes first noticed him at the Senior Bowl, frustrating defensive backs with his physicality as a blocker. Then he noticed the size, the speed, the athleticism. TeSlaa, a Hudsonville, Mich., native, was a zero-star recruit who got his start at Hillsdale College. He produced and produced, ultimately playing well enough to transfer to Arkansas and showcase his skill set.

TeSlaa’s a lifelong Lions fan. On his top-30 visit, he wore a Lions jersey he’s owned since the eighth grade. Holmes thought it was a cheesy way to impress them before he learned this is the franchise TeSlaa grew up idolizing. The Lions fell in love with the character and skill set. He now gets to play for them.

Both Ratledge and TeSlaa fit the description of what the Lions like out of their prospects. Whether they fit what many hoped they’d do is irrelevant in the mind of Holmes. You can look at height, weight and speed. The Lions do. But if the tape doesn’t match, they won’t reach.

It’s a bit of a gamble in the short term, but it was one Holmes was comfortable making because it’s gotten the franchise this far.

“We picked the highest-rated player regardless of position,” Holmes said. “That’s what we did this whole way through. That’s what we’re going to do again tomorrow. So yes, we could’ve — there are some edge rushers still available. We don’t have them rated this high. We’re going to always get the best player.”

(Photo: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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