popslot The Detroit Lions will choose players based on team needs first rather than the best player on the board.
Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes said he will not overlook the team’s pressing needs beyond selecting the best player in next week’s draft, NFL Network reports. popslot
“I think sometimes you get in trouble by chasing the demands and you have to rely on the rookies,” Holmes said of his seventh draft pick and starting at No. 28. “You do your best, but nobody has a crystal ball, so it’s hard to live in that world.”
‘You have to have a certain amount of patience. When you start chasing a need, that need may make sense now. We choose these things for future investment. We live in a society where everything is ‘now! now! now! now!’
The Lions’ pressing need right now is at edge after finishing 10th in sacks last season, with Aidan Hutchinson leading the team with 7.5 sacks, but he played in just five games before suffering a fractured fibula and tibia and has not signed with any free agents.
The Lions will have to wait until No. 28 for their first pick, but Holmes could decide to trade up to get the player he wants, but he knows that’s easier said than done.
“There are some teams that don’t want to trade back that far,” Holmes said. “It takes two (picks), so it’s hard to say, ‘Should we do this?’ And even if we did, there’s no telling if other teams would be willing to go back.” ( popslot )
