Why Lions Did Not Prioritize Defense More in Draft
Of the eight picks the Detroit Lions made in the 2023 NFL Draft, just three were on the defensive side of the football.
Lions general manager Brad Holmes opted to put an emphasis on the offense. He added one player at each of the following five positions: quarterback, running back, tight end, wide receiver and offensive line.
Meanwhile, the Lions were quiet when it came to adding defensive talent. Each of the three defensive players they drafted could see an important role next season, though.
This comes after a free-agency period in which the Lions were very active adding players. In particular, the team added a trio of veterans to its secondary.
Moving into the NFL Draft, Holmes wanted the team to focus on adding talent all over the roster, as opposed to filling a certain position of need.
“Those are some reminders that I put down for myself, heading into this offseason, in terms of all three phases of the ball," Holmes said. "Yeah, we were highly productive on offense last year, and then we ranked where we ranked on defense at the end of the year. I do think that we got a lot better in the second half of the season on defense, but it is what it is. We just needed to get better. You’ve got to be mindful of, ‘Well, OK, let’s just ignore the offense and just kind of just put all the eggs on defense.’ No, you’ve got to keep it balanced.
"You’ve got to make sure that your offense is staying explosive," Holmes continued. "You want to have a top-10 defense. Usually, when you have a top-10 defense, you’re going to have a chance. You want to kind of keep your special teams. Special teams is a high emphasis for us on our football team. We want to have special teams as a weapon for us. And so, just all three phases of the ball, you just can’t ignore any of it. You want to keep all of them at a high level. So, hopefully, we made enough improvements on defense. Hopefully, we can keep our offense explosive, and then hopefully, we can continue to have our special teams unit as a weapon.”
The Lions' three defensive picks will have the opportunity to make a major impact in 2023. Jack Campbell has the potential to become the future leader of the defense and anchor the linebacker position for the next decade.
Brodric Martin, who the team gave up three picks to select, should have the opportunity to earn a role in the defensive line rotation.
Brian Branch's versatility provides him the advantage of being able to contribute at multiple positions in Aaron Glenn's secondary.
Should an unlikely injury occur to a veteran, Branch could easily step in and contribute on special teams his rookie season.
Holmes tasked himself with building a roster this offseason that was good enough to get to the playoffs.
When reporters asked if he felt the team was good enough to make the playoffs, he laid out a simple answer: "I do, yes."
