After the Detroit Lions traded up to acquire pick No. 44, Lions general manager Brad Holmes met with the media to share his thoughts on landing Michigan EDGE Derrick Moore.
"Really, really excited, because it's hard to find guys that, you know, I'm not going to say we're picky, but we just have a certain type that we like and he fits those boxes," Holmes said of Moore.
Holmes was asked why Moore is a fit on the Lions' defensive line.
"What Derrick is gonna bring to the defense is first of all, like you said, you want to call it being very selective on the type of guys that we get. Hutch takes a lot of snaps, man. Just to have another body that literally can spell Hutch in that rush rotation when you line up in nickel and sub-defense. A guy that can line up on the opposite, a guy that can line up inside.
"Shep is going to put the guys in the best position to what they do best, so that's what he showed on tape is he can set edges in the run game, he can rush outside, he can rush inside and I'm quite sure that's how Shep is going to utilize him," Holmes said.
Coming into the 2026 NFL Draft, most felt like—in whichever combination—the Lions would draft an offensive tackle and an EDGE with their first two selections. That's now come to fruition, and Holmes was asked if it was the perfect blend of what the Lions needed and also Blake Miller and Moore were the guys that the franchise wanted.
"It really did line up. We've always said, 'We're just going to take the best player.' Look, I'm sure there were other tackles that were available or there were other edge rushers that were available, but these were the guys that we liked, so when it blends together like that, it's really nice.
"Couldn't be happier actually just from today and yesterday. I know we've still got a lot of picks tomorrow. Or, we lost one pick when we traded up, but I still feel like we've got enough ammo to still make a little bit of hay tomorrow as well. But, yeah, I didn't feel like it was any kind of reaching for positions or anything like that. I know that those were the popular positions and all that stuff that they were talked about for us, but they just happened to be players that we really liked," Holmes said.
The Lions now possess six picks in the final day of the NFL draft on Saturday. Here's a look at the Lions' remaining NFL draft picks heading into Saturday:
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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Brad Holmes press conference: On new Lions EDGE Derrick Moore