Twitter Reacts: Lions Day 1 Picks Divides Supporters, Forces Debate

The selections made by Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes on the first day of the 2023 NFL Draft have divided the fanbase.

On one side are the supporters who have developed the trust in the personnel department and are in agreement with the selections made.

Over the past two years, Detroit has been able to target and draft several players who have been productive and are now part of the core moving forward.

For others, the Lions selecting running back Jahmyr Gibbs and linebacker Jack Campbell go completely against what they believe NFL teams should do, as both selections are unconventional, given how other teams have operated in the past few seasons.

Many argue the Lions reached to secure two players they potentially could have selected on Day 2.

Positional value has become a hot-button point of contention for many who believe running backs and linebackers should not selected early in drafts.

"Like I told you guys in the past, they’re football players," said general Brad Holmes, when asked about positional value. "If you believe that they have an impact for you on the field, then you just go ahead and take them."

Detroit's third-year general manager indicated the additional information the team has discovered through research and through interviews has given him comfort the players selected are the correct fit for Detroit at this time.

Holmes explained, “If you put them in boxes, you put them on a sheet of paper, you run mock draft analytics, you can come up with those stats, but all the hours and research, and all the time that we put in, in terms of looking at these players, it becomes very, very visible, the kind of impact we think they can bring.”

Here is a sample of the reaction online to Detroit's decision-making on the first day of the draft.

I trust Brad
— Daren C Moore (@theRealDCM) April 28, 2023

Detroit is having the worst draft

RB Jahmyr Gibbs at Pick 12
- 199 lb. pass-catching RB

LB Jack Campbell at Pick 18
- 3 career sacks in 4 years at Iowa

Clear misunderstanding of positional value

Disappointing for a team that had a chance to win the NFC Conference
— Josh Larky (@jlarkytweets) April 28, 2023

So much for Detroit moving forward!!
Defense should've been focused especially with the free agents they signed.
— Tyson #1fan (@1fanTyson) April 28, 2023

This is one of the worst scenarios imaginable for the Lions. I am borderline speechless atm.

Good faith from past drafts completely flushed the down the drain.
— Brett Whitefield (@BGWhitefield) April 28, 2023