When the Lions open the season next Sunday against the Eagles, they'll likely be missing both of their second-round picks under GM Brad Holmes.
This year's second-rounder Josh Paschal (No. 46 overall) has already been placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list due to a re-aggravated sports hernia, rendering him inactive for the first four games of the season. And last year's second rounder Levi Onwuzurike (No. 41 overall) is all but certain to miss the season opener due to a recurring back/hip injury.
That leaves two sizable holes on Detroit's defensive line and two potential blotches on Holmes' record in the draft -- and calls into question the strategy of drafting injured players. (The Lions also spent the 12th overall pick this year on WR Jameson Williams, who's still recovering from a torn ACL.)
But Holmes said Thursday the Lions' pre-draft medical evaluation process is sound. In regard to the injuries to Onwuzurike and Paschal, he said nothing has come as a surprise.
"So we’re not kicking ourselves. We’re not saying, ‘Oh, we overlooked this or that.' It’s just things that we were prepared for," said Holmes.
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Onwuzurike arrived in the NFL with a lingering back issue from his college days. It flared up in training camp and limited him throughout the season, even as he played in 16 games. He aggravated it again in the first padded practice of camp this year and hasn't played since. Dan Campbell recently said Onwuzurike is recovering "at a snail's pace."
"Going back with Levi, he was dealing with something that we were aware of and that we knew about," said Holmes. "He actually was able to do more than what we thought he was going to do last year. Unfortunately he’s had to still deal with it, but you don’t have that crystal ball quite yet."
Paschal arrived in the NFL with a lingering sports hernia that required core muscle surgery this spring. He hasn't practiced since rookie minicamp in May.
"With Josh, it was something that we were aware of, that we knew he had to deal with," said Holmes. "We have a timeline in place and we don’t have any problem with it."
If both players return and help the defense this season, Holmes will be right: no problem at all. But the longer they remain non-factors, the more Holmes will be scrutinized for having made a potential mistake.
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