Doug Karsch's quick takeaway from the Lions' draft class: "I like the top of their draft and was really curious about what they were doing in the bottom half of the draft. But that’s where Brad Holmes has excelled, so bring on the William & Mary dude."
That would be fifth-round offensive lineman Colby Sorsdal, who was one of only two players the Lions drafted in the trenches. The other was third-round defensive tackle Brodric Martin, who was generally considered a sixth- or seventh-round pick. Value aside, Karsch says that "if you desperately wanted the pass rush to add some personnel, you probably are disappointed in this draft."
With eight picks, the Lions didn't come away with a single defensive edge player up front, which felt like a need entering the draft. Holmes seems to believe they already have the talent within, says Karsch:
"You don’t want to have just one (pass-rusher). If you’re sitting in the Lions war room and evaluating what they have and this is the group they’re going to take to the field on Sundays, they believe in some guys that are a bit of an unknown. They believe in Romeo Okwara’s return, they believe that Josh Paschal is going to be an impact player, they believe that John Cominsky is scraping the surface.
"Some of those things have to be the in-house beliefs that we aren’t as privy to. They’re bringing back largely the same group from a year ago up front and they have some untapped potential in that group. My guess is they would tell you, we believe in those guys."
The Lions did generate more of a pass rush as last season went on. Aidan Hutchinson and James Houston combined for 17.5 sacks -- an NFL rookie record by teammates -- and Cominsky and Paschal showed what they can do when healthy. Detroit is also counting on a bounce-back for Okwara, its sack leader in 2021 who tore his Achilles early in 2022. On the interior, guys like Alim McNeill and Isaiah Buggs should help, too.
Still, it feels like the Lions neglected a crucial area of their defense in the draft.
"If you wanted pass rush help in this draft, you aren’t going to like this draft," says Karsch. "They clearly believe in their guys, and they might not be done. There could be another move involved to improve that group. I think they think they already put together a team that can compete on Sundays and then they said, 'OK, let’s go get the best football players' in their estimation.
"If you take Brad Holmes at his word, he thinks in the first round they got two guys who were in the top handful of players on their draft board."
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