Brad Holmes 2026 Pre-Draft Presser: Injury Philosophy & Draft Needs
Philosophical draft discussions of injuries, age, and positional needs
Brad Holmes delivered his pre-draft (aka lying season) press conference. While he was careful to not say too much, there were some notable takeaways from a medical and injury standpoint that could hint at the Detroit Lions 2026 draft strategy.
As with any press conference, we need to read-between-the-lines as Holmes usually won’t directly tell us the harsh reality - see his comments on David Montgomery after the season. Thus, don’t take him at face value when he says that he “feels good” with Larry Borom starting at OT.
Here are select quotes from Holmes’ press conference along with my thoughts:
Brad Holmes’ philosophy on drafting injured players
“Depends on what the injury is, it depends on what the injury history has been in the past.
Take Jamo, it was his first major injury.
You got to look at everything. It’s case by case for sure.”
Holmes shows that he is very thoughtful about a player’s entire injury history and takes it all into account. He recognizes that accumulation of injuries is a concern, which I totally agree with. All injuries can carry residuals, some more than others. Just because a player is “fully healed” doesn’t mean there aren’t residual disabilities or reliability concerns.
He mentioned that Jameson Williams had an ACL but was clean otherwise, thus worth the risk. An ACL has a very good long-term prognosis, while some other injuries do not.
Treating every player (or patient) on a case-by-case basis is absolutely the right thing to do as every player has unique variables that can affect treatment and prognosis.
While it’s possible Holmes will continue to take chances on players with injury histories, I expect the devastating number of Lions’ injuries the past two seasons to cause him to be more conservative. We’ve already seen the Lions shift towards younger, healthier players so far in free agency. Expect Holmes to play it safe this draft and select players on the lower end of concern level on my NFL Draft Medical Big Board…
Lions’ view on drafting older players
Maybe some positions the maturity helps, sometimes it may be a bit more of a warning sign. It’s case by case.
Holmes clearly recognizes age is an important component of the draft evaluation, which I wholeheartedly agree with. Age is something that simply should not be overlooked. Here are some health reasons why:
Accumulation of injury residuals
Cartilage wear-and-tear
Slower healing
The older the player, the closer he is to leaving his prime and “falling off the cliff” athletically
Also, the potential second contract is an important consideration…
Age and the second contract: Lions respect Father Time
You got to be prepared for that because it’s real. A guy’s 24-25 years old now, he’s going to be looking at 30 by the time a second contract comes. Maybe he hadn’t played a long time and he doesn’t have as much wear and tear, but Father Time is Father Time.
First of all, I love that Holmes has a long-term view on team building and is thinking about second contracts that are still years away. General managers get fired all the time which means they may sacrifice long-term success for short-term rewards. As a lifelong Lions fan, I have a long-term outlook and am happy that Holmes has a similar perspective.
From a medical standpoint, I really like that Holmes mentioned wear-and-tear as a factor in his draft considerations. Just because a player does not have an injury history doesn’t mean that there isn’t wear-and-tear on the joint cartilage. The older the player, the more likely that wear-and-tear is going to become an issue. This is why in all my NFL Draft Medical Reports, age is always a factor in my medical concern level regardless of injury history.
Aging is simply an unavoidable reality that must be considered when giving out big contracts. Giving Aidan Hutchinson a massive 4-year contract extension at age 25 carries far less risk than if he was 28.
Reaching for positional needs in the NFL Draft
I think sometimes you can get in trouble by doing that because you might start to reach for a certain player because you feel like you need that position And you never want to feel that way when you select a player.
While drafting for need can have merits, it’s important to realize that what appears to be a solid position now can quickly turn into a position of need due to injuries. We only need to look what happened last year with the safety position.
Prior to the 2025 season, the Lions had two star safeties that were destined to be here very long term. Now, it is a position of great uncertainty due to Kerby Joseph’s knee and Brian Branch’s Achilles.
Last draft, the Lions traded both of this year’s 3rd-round picks to move up to get Isaac TeSlaa - adding to a WR position that was already stocked with two stars in ARSB and Jamo. If Holmes instead had traded up to take a safety last year, he’d be looking like a genius right now. The takeaway is you never know when and where injuries are going to hit the roster. Better for the Lions to take a player they feel great about than reach for a current need.
For the analysis of Brad Holmes’ earlier post-season press conference which includes comments on Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch, Sam LaPorta and more…