ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — The sting of missing the playoffs didn't just linger in Detroit. It sharpened the edge inside the Lions’ draft room.
General manager Brad Holmes acknowledged Saturday that this year’s preparation carried a little bit more fire, fueled by the frustration of falling short and a heightened sense of urgency that defined every decision.
Holmes described an offseason where reminders of that disappointment were everywhere — he even wrote it on his office wall — as he and his staff approached the draft with renewed intensity.
“I take every draft serious,” Holmes said. “But when you miss the playoffs, that might be the kick in the rear that you need.
“The urgency needed to be pushed up on everything.”
When asked what was the most important thing the Lions accomplished during the draft, Holmes responded, “just finding gritty football players. I’m not saying that we forgot about our identity, but just making sure that that was at the top of mind.”
Holmes said the Lions were surprised by the players they were able to select.
“It actually even exceeded my expectations in terms of the players that we were able to get and just maximize the resource that we had on day three,” Holmes said. “So really, just couldn’t be more thrilled with all three days.”
After taking an offensive lineman in the first round in Clemson tackle Blake Miller, Holmes finally got his edge rusher — and had some fun with reporters who frequently brought up his team's need at that position.
“You going to get off my (butt) now?” Holmes joked after he took Michigan's Derrick Moore in the second round. “Probably not.”
It was a lighthearted response to a very real critique that had followed him for years.
Holmes has taken his share of heat for a pass rush that leaned heavily on Aidan Hutchinson, while the opposite edge spot cycled through aging, injury-prone or stopgap options.
Detroit’s fourth-round selection, Jimmy Rolder, was faced with a tough decision in college between baseball and football.
He committed to play baseball at Illinois but ultimately ended up as a linebacker at Michigan, where he led the team in tackles in 2025.
“It was a big-time blessing and very glad and grateful that it happened because I like baseball but I love football,” Rolder said. “So I’m just glad everything worked out.”
Rolder was sitting on a golf cart at a charity outing in Fort Myers, Florida, helping his stepdad — former Illinois and Miami Dolphins lineman Scott Kehoe — when he received the draft news from Holmes.
Keith Abney II was selected in the fifth round from Arizona State with an unusual line on the resume for a football player — roller skating champion.
The first-team All-Big 12 cornerback was a four-time national champion in speedskating and set the national record in the 300-meter sprint for 13-year-olds.
Abney gave up the sport in the ninth grade but credits roller skating for his endurance and lower-body strength.
He said the Lions have been one of his favorite teams but he wasn’t sure whether they were interested him because their contact was only through Zoom calls.