In recent years, the management of the Detroit Lions has repeatedly had to accept criticism for its own decisions in the NFL Draft. But success slowly seems to prove Dan Campbell, Brad Holmes and Co. right. In the 2023 draft, four current and future top performers were selected with four high-quality picks.
“If you believe they can have a positive impact on the field, then you just take them,” Lions general manager Brad Holmes said last April after Jahmyr Gibbs was selected 12th overall in the draft. Holmes also explained that Gibbs was considered to be in the top quality category throughout the scouting process, so the running back was not chosen as a reaction to players who might have been missed. The general criticism of Gibbs’ selection was based on the fact that a player at such a position would not normally be ranked that high in the draft. Round two or three are generally considered the home of top-tier running backs.
However, Holmes emphasized last spring that Gibbs would not be a classic RB, but would also be useful in the passing game. And Detroit’s general manager was proven right. Including the two playoff games, Gibbs has scored ten rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown, as well as recording 42 first downs through runs and 20 through caught passes. Although David Montgomery is still the number one running back, the Lions’ offense works primarily because Dan Campbell and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson have two high-quality runners at their disposal and they are used together.
Against Tampa Bay, as in previous weeks, the play designers managed several times to get Gibbs into favorable duels with linebacker. Plays that integrate him as a receiver in the form of an RB choice work, especially when the secondary is otherwise distracted, because Gibbs is already making the right moves faster and faster in his rookie year. He also takes care of the ball as a runner. He only made two fumbles while scoring 182 runs. The 21-year-old is the face of an excellent Lions draft class, which is helping to ensure that the Lions have been in an NFC Championship Game for 32 years.
Criticism of Hutchinson last year
“It’s not about saying, ‘Don’t pick a running back.’ Because that’s not how we see him,” Holmes added. “The same goes for: ‘Don’t choose an off-ball linebacker.’ That’s not how we see Jack either.” He was referring to Jack Campbell, who was selected 18th overall by the Lions. Initially, there was speculation that the former Iowa Hawkeye would replace Derrick Barnes in the future. But defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn relies primarily on both linebackers. The Lions’ passing defense may still have room for improvement this season, especially given the fact that they allowed the second-most explosive passes – passes of more than 20 yards – of any team in the regular season. But the potential of Jack Campbell, who has 95 combined tackles in twelve starting appearances and 17 games played, cannot be overlooked.
The same applies to the two second-round picks: tight end Sam LaPorta (34th) and cornerback Brian Branch (45th). LaPorta has made the passing offense a little more variable, which in turn helps Amon-Ra St. Brown and Josh Reynolds immensely. Additionally, LaPorta is good at executing routes like Stick Nod at the right tempo to draw parts of the secondary to him and allow for an inside return from a wide receiver. Or even to get into the end zone himself, as his ten receiving touchdowns prove. When he had to leave the field with a knee injury on the final day of the regular season, there was slight horror in Detroit. That alone shows the importance of the 22-year-old.
Brian Branch has quickly climbed up the internal pecking order and is having a good rookie year so far in terms of interceptions. He has already intercepted the opponent’s ball three times and thwarted many other plays in the secondary, including 13 pass deflections. His year started right away with a 50-yard return touchdown in the win against the Kansas City Chiefs, which was the Lions’ biggest win of the season to date. No Lions player had scored a return touchdown in his debut since 1967. The fact that there were a few ups and downs for Branch is not uncommon in the first year of a second rounder. But what applies to Campbell also applies to Branch, who also has good tackling qualities that are missing from many defensive backs in today’s NFL.
In the past, those responsible in the Motor City have often received criticism for their draft decisions. Remember last year and the choice of Aidan Hutchinson at number two. Even with Penei Sewell at number seven in 2021, not everyone agreed. But just as the Lions leaders believed in head coach Dan Campbell, they also believed in the draft process, which now plays an important role in the Lions reaching a championship game for only the second time in the modern NFL. The Super Bowl is within reach for the first time since 1991.
Constantine Eckner