With NFL Draft in Detroit, Lions' GM Brad Holmes weighs trading out of 1st round

Lions GM Brad Holmes will trade 1st round pick for 'the right deal'

Lions General Manager Brad Holmes met with the media and said despite the NFL Draft being in Detroit, the team could still trade its pick for the right offer.

(FOX 2) - Lions fans should be prepared to wait for a while before Detroit goes on the clock Thursday for the NFL Draft. There is a 10-minute time limit between first-round picks and the Lions sit at 29,

But if a trade goes down - Lions fans gathered downtown to watch the event first-hand - might not get to see a pick at all. General Manager Brad Holmes met with the media Thursday to say it might be a possibility.

"We have to do the right thing for the organization and if it makes sense and it lines up and it's the right thing to do, then we have to do the right thing," he said. "Say that happens where the fans have been waiting there all night for this pick and you know, we get an offer that we really can't turn down, hopefully our fans will forgive us - now we won't expect immediate forgiveness right then and there."

Holmes quipped he understands if there are hard feelings should that scenario play out.

"I know the perfect storm is get to the pick, it stays there, they've been waiting all night, you make the pick and everybody's happy," he said. "But if it is the best thing for the organization, we've got to do what's right. And you know, I'll just do a PSA - public apology later and we'll roll."

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Through his first three years Homes' accuracy has been among the best in the league. But the picks used to rebuild the franchise (pick 2 in 2023, pick 7 in 2021 and last year, 12 and 18) have been much earlier.

Thanks to last season's breakthrough, the Lions are picking much later than usual.

Draft experts are divided on predicting Holmes' next move on Thursday for the first round. Although cornerback seems like a safe bet, most mock drafts predict the run on defensive backs to start among picks in the late teens, leaving little for Detroit by pick 29.

While corner seems to be a need, other pundits have the Lions earmarked for defensive and offensive line picks, or even wide receiver.

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Holmes says the longer wait still brings with it a great opportunity.

"I don't want to say it's any less pressure, because you've got to get every single pick right," he said. "I mean, at least that's the standard we hold ourselves to. Whether it's men at (pick) seven, six or two, it's all those things. We just take the same approach, but it's not I don't see it as any more less pressure. We just kind of stick to same process."