Rookie mistake, right?
In his first draft as an NFL general manager, Brad Holmes got a little too excited when Penei Sewell fell to the Lions at No. 7 overall. Instead of waiting to submit Detroit's pick at the end of the club's 10-minute window, Holmes jumped the gun and submitted it right away.
No harm, no foul. Sewell's still a Lion, lesson learned for Holmes.
"We did get some (trade) dialogue from other teams, but when he fell I just said, 'You know what, I’m just gonna go ahead and turn this pick in and do it immediately,'" Holmes said Tuesday on the Stoney & Jansen Show. "I found out afterward I was kind of in violation because I did it a little bit too early. But I just couldn’t really hold really back that excitement that we had to get him."
Oh, we saw. Holmes went flat-out berserk when the Lions nabbed Sewell, screaming, flexing, and pounding a table in Detroit's draft room. And we get it. Sewell's arrival gives the Lions the makings of one of the best O-lines in football for years to come.
Penei Sewell is a Lion! Get his draft night jersey today at Fanatics!
"To land a cornerstone, foundational piece like him, the talent level is easy to see but the more and more you got to know the human being, he’s just a great kid that comes from a great family," Holmes said. "He’s just such a fit for what our culture is here. We just couldn’t be more excited. It pretty much was an eruption of excitement."
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The Lions spent their next two picks on the other side of the line, taking D-tackles Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill. Holmes said both players will fit new defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn's system as Detroit tries to improve a defense that finished last in the NFL in 2020.
"Where we were at defensively last year and how important that position is within Aaron Glenn’s system that we’re doing now, I thought it just made sense," Holmes said. "At the same time it seems like people wanted us to go wide receiver over the defensive line, but I thought it was too much of an important position. ... Two very talented core pieces and we’ll just see how quickly they develop and are able to contribute."
Holmes address the Lions' need at receiver in the fourth round with USC's Amon-Ra St. Brown, the brother of Packers' receiver Equanimeous St. Brown. He made a statement at the end of last season, racking up seven touchdowns in USC's final three games.
"Amon-Ra was huge for us," Holmes said. "A guy that was highly coveted. High floor, high intangibles, works so hard. He’s everything that we’re about from a culture standpoint, regardless of position. He’s tough, he’s got grit, passionate about football. And I think it’ll be pretty cool with his brother in the division. But he was one that we weren’t sure if he was going to (be on the board at No. 112), so very, very excited that he was."