Everything Lions GM Brad Holmes said about each 2025 draft pick

We can stand here all we want and try to break down the Detroit Lions’ 2025 NFL Draft class all we want. But isn’t it better to just hear it from the man who drafted them himself?

Lions general manager Brad Holmes met with the media after every night of the draft, he talked to FOX 2 Detroit’s Dan Miller, and he already made a radio appearance on 97.1 The Ticket.

So below is a full recap of what Holmes has said about each individual draft pick he made, via his own words. If you want to listen to Holmes himself, these are the direct resources from theses quotes:

Holmes press conferences:

First-round pick DT Tyleik Williams

One of the biggest things Holmes tried to convey about Williams is that while his ability to stop the run is obviously elite, he has the athleticism to unlock plenty of potential in the pass rush, much like they did with Alim McNeill:

“Just the balance that he’s able to offer in both phases. What he does in the run game I think is very obvious and very stated and documented, but there is upside with him as a pass rusher. So I do compare him to a lot of when Alim (McNeill) came out, he probably came out as more of a nose tackle only, but we all thought that Alim had three-technique in him. So once Alim develops and became more of a three-technique, that’s when his pass rush took off. So we think that Tyleik has those same kind of abilities.”

And while all the athletic traits are out there, Holmes also highlighted the smarts behind the player:

“He has the physical skillset, he’s got the power. He’s got the bend and the agility. He’s a very nimble athlete, but the thing about it is that he’s incredibly instinctive, too. In my opinion, him and one other DT that were in this class were the top-two instinctive defensive tackles in this whole class, and he was one of those guys. I think his versatility is really going to help.”

Second-round pick G Tate Ratledge

Holmes didn’t talk a lot about Ratledge. Unfortunately, the pick got lost in a cavalcade of questions about his trade up for Isaac TeSlaa and the team’s decision not to draft an EDGE on Day 2.

On draft night, he gave some vague quotes about his fit within the organization.

“He has the makeup, he has the attitude, he has the intelligence. He has all the things that you need to be on the o-line for us.”

But in his interview with Miller, he gave a much more thorough answer:

“Played through some serious toughness, played through some injury stuff, came back, has played at the top level for a long time. I don’t think enough can be said about that level of football that he’s played in. Tough kid, great locker room guy. I think you guys are going to enjoy getting to know him. But he’s got a little bit more versatility. He rose more as the process went along because of his versatility that we were able to find out a little bit more about.”

That last part is pretty interesting. Ratledge played almost exclusively at right guard in college, so is he talking about the ability to play on the left side or could Ratledge get some work at center, too?

Third-round pick WR Isaac TeSlaa

First, let’s get into Holmes’ explanation for the trade. He provided the best explanation on his interview with 97.1 The Ticket—where he also mentioned that TeSlaa was his favorite receiver in the draft.

“Yeah, we love the player, but when you start looking at (it). We’re at 102 and you have this player—and take away the player, the specific player—it’s just this player graded at a certain level, maybe it’s only two or three of those guys left on the entire board,” Holmes said. “You’re sitting down there at 102 and you look up, and it’s like, ‘Okay, we love this player, but also there’s probably about eight teams that still are looking for a wide receiver.’ So you’ve got to take all of those things into account. Obviously, it all starts with you’ve got to have conviction of the player.”

And while his production wasn’t great at Arkansas, TeSlaa popped on film and at the Senior Bowl, according to Holmes.

“When you watch his film, he took advantage of every single target that was throw his way. tHat was impressive. Like I said, I saw him for the first time at the Senior Bowl. I had heard about him from the scouts, but just seeing him live and seeing how big he was and how he was trending in the run game and catching everything. He was very productive and it’s hard to be extremely productive in an all-star game.”

Holmes also provided some general context about what makes TeSlaa good:

“You see a guy that’s just big, long, smooth strider, can accelerate, can run. He’s a hands catcher, can play special teams, can block so can do a lot of things.”

And he believes TeSlaa can play both inside and outside:

“I think he’ll be able to do both. Again, just like any other receiver he’s going to need to develop but he’s got the tools to play outside and win outside. He’s going to have to learn getting off press and all that stuff just like they all do, but he’s got all the physical tools and he’s got the intangible makeup to be able to overcome that.”

Fifth-round pick G Miles Frazier

Holmes didn’t provide much insight on the Frazier pick on draft night, just noting that both him and Ratledge will get cross trained at multiple positions.

But he admitted that it was hard to pass on Frazier, because they just didn’t think he’d be available that late in the draft—hence another trade up:

“He was another one we had a lot of conviction about. Big guy, smart, instinctive, tough, physical. We feel really good about him. However where it starts and wherever it goes, but I do think at a minimum it’s gonna be able to improve our depth.

Sixth-round pick EDGE Ahmed Hassanein

The Lions finally got their edge defender in the sixth round, and Holmes said that Ahmed Hassanein fits what they look for in the position: he can set an edge, get to the passer, and has an endless motor.

“We acquired him because he plays with his hair on fire, and as, let’s call it developmental, as he is, he just – he plays hard. We talk about just – I think I said the other night, what do you have to do at that position? You’ve got to set edges and win rushes, and when I say win rushes, it’s not just getting a sack, you can win rushes just by harassment and power and collapsing the pocket and just sheer effort. So, we just liked the upside of him, we like his football character, his work ethic, his passion.”

Of course, for a player who learned the game in the middle of high school, the Lions are also pretty darn excited to tap into all of his potential and growth:

“That’s the coolest part about it is that there’s so much untapped potential inside of him. But he has the foundation that you have to have for a football player, and that’s effort. He plays with high effort nonstop. The more you get to know the person and the energy that he brings, you feel really good about it, because that energy shows on the field.”

Seventh-round pick S Dan Jackson

Holmes came out of the gate and praised two things about Jackson: his smarts and his speed.

“We’ve always had a liking for Dan Jackson just in terms of being a heady safety and who’s gotten his hands on the football, and a lot of it is above the neck, but he actually – he’s faster than what a lot of people think. He’s been at the Senior Bowl, so he put together a nice little year.”

If you have Jackson on the roster bubble heading into camp, maybe you shouldn’t. Holmes told Miller that he believes Jackson is a key special teamer right out of the box.

“He’s going to be able to contribute four-core (special teams) immediately, but he’s going to be a guy that—the more you look at him, the more you find out about him. You think, ‘Well he’s not the biggest. He’s not the most explosive guy,’ but the more you dig into him you find out why he’s back there making all the calls, running the show for Kirby Smart’s defense.”

Seventh-round pick WR Dominic Lovett

On the surface, Lovett is all about his speed. He used those skills as a gunner and somewhat productive slot receiver in college, but there is more to him than that, according to Holmes.

“He’s been a guy that always has kinda caught my eye, and my appreciation for has grown for him more and more as I watch him. Been mostly a slot and he can do some gadget things, but he’s got some toughness about him when he’s got the ball in his hands that we really, really like.”

Like Jackson, he’ll have to win a spot via special teams. What’s interesting is that Holmes mentioned there’s some potential there as a returner—something he didn’t do in college.

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