The Detroit Lions had some surprises up their sleeves during the first-round of the 2023 NFL draft, selecting a running back and linebacker with their early picks.
When the Lions tapped Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th pick after trading back, folks were a bit shocked. The same was true when Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell was selected with pick 18.
After the dust has settled on the draft overnight, some early thoughts have been provided on how the team did with both picks. Most of the analysts aren’t sure that the team managed to get the kind of value they could have relative to where the players were picked.
ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. provided some fast analysis of round one, and had the Lions on his list of teams that had made “head-scratching” moves during the first-round of the draft. As he said, he expected to like Detroit’s class more than he did, especially relative to who the Lions could have selected at pick 12.
“I thought I would like this Lions class when they traded down at No. 6. At that time, they owned pick Nos. 12, 18, 34, 48 and 55. But I just don’t get these two choices.
Let’s start with Gibbs, a multidimensional player who racked up receptions for the Crimson Tide. Look who else was on the board at 12, though. One of the cornerbacks — Christian Gonzalez or Emmanuel Forbes or Deonte Banks — or edge rusher Nolan Smith made more sense to me. Yes, Detroit has a bunch more picks on Day 2, but it could have found a running back there instead of at No. 12,” Kiper wrote.
When it came to Campbell just a bit further down the board, Kiper also wrote that he felt the Lions reached, being they could have landed different players who rated out a bit higher. That’s true even if he liked the fit of Campbell with the Lions overall.
“As for Campbell, it’s a reach of 40 spots in my rankings. He’s my third-ranked inside linebacker. I thought he’d go in the middle of Round 2 instead. When we talk about positional value, both of these positions are not usually prioritized in the first round, so this is the very definition of head-scratching. The funny thing is I had pegged Campbell to Detroit at No. 48 in my two-round mock a couple of weeks ago. There were much better players available when Detroit took him,” he wrote in the piece.
The disconnect between the analysts and the Lions seems to be relative to where both players were picked. Heading into the draft, Gibbs and Campbell had more second-round grades than first-round grades from analysts, but it’s clear the NFL community valued them more than the analysts did behind closed doors.
As Kiper points out, Brad Holmes and the Lions have plenty of ammunition to do more on day two, but as of now, their first day was a bit confusing for him.
NFL Network Gives Lions Average Grade for Picks
While the draft isn’t finished yet which makes grades for classes almost impossible, already a letter grade for the first-round has surfaced courtesy of NFL.com.
Recently, the Lions have received solid grades for their early draft work under Holmes, but that has changed more than a bit in 2023. Writer Chad Reuter gave out a grade early on for the first-round, and it was a pretty average mark for the Lions.
Detroit didn’t completely fail in Reuter’s first analysis, but he did give the Lions a C- for their first-round work. As he said, the reason for the lower grade revolves mostly around where the players were picked and not necessarily their talent.
“The Lions traded down from No. 6 to No. 12, grabbing an early second-round pick from the Cardinals in the deal, and surprised by picking Gibbs. He is a talented dual-threat performer with good open-field speed and agility. I viewed him as a late first- or early second-round value. Campbell can be a productive leader for the Lions but, again, he was picked earlier than I expected (I had him as a second-round value). It will be interesting to see how Campbell fares compared with the off-ball linebackers that are picked on Day 2,” Reuter wrote.
In time, the Lions can manage to write the perceived wrong of their class leading to a low early grade. With a few more values in the second-round, the draft could start to look a lot better to the experts like Reuter.
Brad Holmes Praises Fit of Lions’ Top Picks
Even though some of the experts aren’t sure the Lions made the best possible decisions early on in this year’s draft, Holmes would clearly disagree with that notion in a big way.
After the selections were revealed, Holmes spoke to the media early in the morning of Friday, April 28. As he explained, the fit with the team in addition to the talent the players showed was more important than where any of they may have graded out.
“We find players that fit us.”
“We’ll just take the best players for us. I’ve always said that’s what we’re going to do, and we find players that fit us and what we’re about. What we’re about as a culture, from a character standpoint, from an intangibles standpoint, from an intelligence standpoint. The talent is one thing, but these players fit us,” Holmes explained.
After being picked, Gibbs has already alerted folks that he plans on using his speed to give the Detroit offense a leg-up. Campbell, for his part, gave off the vibe of a grinder at linebacker who will
While some outside experts are not sure the Lions scored, Holmes and the team seem to be thrilled. In the end, who will be right? Only time will truthfully tell.
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NFL Experts Question Lions’ 1st Round Strategy; Brad Holmes Hits Back