Lions Not Afraid of Drafting Players 'You Take a Chance On'

The Detroit Lions have not shied away from targeting players in the NFL Draft that are viewed as developmental prospects.

In fact, general manager Brad Holmes is even willing to be aggressive and trade up for players the organizations wants part of the roster.

Last season, defensive lineman Brodric Martin was drafted by Detroit's personnel department in the third-round.

When offensive lineman Giovanni Manu was available in the fourth-round, Holmes did not sit back and wait, not wanting to risk another team targeting a player with imposing physical traits.

The Lions traded up again to target a player that is not expected to play a significant amount of offensive snaps in his rookie NFL campaign.

Speaking to reporters ahead of rookie minicamp, Lions assistant general manager Ray Agnew explained why the team was willing to target developmental players instead of players more ready to start immediately.

“You never a target a guy that you don’t think can play," said Agnew. "You know a guy is gonna have some development, and Manu will have some development. But Manu’s got major ability. It ain’t like we are getting a player that we don’t feel like will be able to play. We feel like Brodric is going to take steps and become a player. And there’s gonna be players like that, that you take a chance on. We’re not worried about that. We think Manu and Brodric both will be good players.”

Martin, 24, is expected to compete this season for more playing time, while Manu is just beginning the process of learning how his game stacks up agaist higher level competition.

Additional reading

1.) Lions' Brad Holmes Explains Value of Draft Trade Charts

2.) Storylines to Watch at Lions Rookie Minicamp

3.) Lions Hope Mathieu Betts 'Gets 18 Sacks' Like in CFL