The value of 'lone wolf' opinion to Detroit Lions' draft evaluation process

Allen Park — Even though the public doesn't have access to draft prospects in the same ways NFL teams do through their scouting process, there are times we can confidently declare a player a fit for the Detroit Lions culture under general manager Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell.

Offensive tackle Penei Sewell? We might not have known it at the time, given Campbell and Holmes were only a few months into their tenures, but Sewell is the blueprint of a fit. More recently, no-nonsense, hard-hitting linebacker Jack Campbell is a prime example. It's why the team didn't hesitate to buck conventional thinking about positional value to select him with the No. 18 pick in last year's draft.

The challenge for the Lions, and presumably many of the league's teams, is to not become blinded by the prospects they love. Holmes is particularly self-aware of this all-too-human flaw and often has talked about the importance of avoiding anchors. Becoming fixated on one or more prospects would only hinder the thoroughness of the team's pre-draft evaluation process.

Holmes' concept of anchored thoughts isn't limited to the players. Equally, if not more detrimental, is becoming fixated on filling a positional need, or sticking to perceptions of positional value, eschewing the selection of the best talent in favor of plugging a hole or matching a trend.

"We don’t really get anchored on positions," Holmes said. "We don’t really get anchored on windows. We don’t get anchored on — it’s just, there’s only one draft every year. There’s a lot of work that goes into it, so that’s our recipe. We just kind of look for guys that we’re convicted on that are right fits for us and we don’t get into the premium positions. Look, you can pick another position, and that doesn’t mean the guy’s the right fit. I know you guys were asking after the last draft, ‘Well how come you guys didn’t pick another position?’ Well, it’s like, no, it’s not another position. (It's) who? Which player? ... You don’t just pick a player because he plays that position. No, he has to be the right football player. That’s what we stuck to, and it’s worked so far for us."

It's obviously tough to argue the results. The roster was in rough shape when Holmes came on board in 2021 and he's built a deep and talented Super Bowl contender in three years, primarily through the draft.

But with his ability to fight against anchors, Holmes also has waged war on what he views as another scourge of success: Groupthink.

Collaboration is a key component to Detroit's roster-building process. The front office and coaching staff work together closely to identify those players that they want, and the general manager relies on those collective opinions to make his decisions. What he doesn't need is yes men. Few things are more valuable to Holmes than a willingness to run counter to an otherwise consensus view.

"People naturally just want to be a part of the tribe," Holmes said. "They want to get along. People naturally want to agree and be likeable. It takes work to go against the grain. It takes a lot of work. That’s why I have always had a lot of respect for the lone wolf. When we’re in there and everybody is saying, ‘Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,’ and it’s some obvious prospect. It’s that one person in that room in that room that’s like, 'I don’t.' I’m like, ‘I want to listen to him or I want to listen to her.'

In those draft meetings, Holmes saves his evaluation for last. He wants to hear what others think without the possibility of being swayed by his thoughts. And he acknowledges that sometimes he's the lone wolf. Just last year, he noted he and Campbell liked a prospect at a position more than the rest of the group. The Lions ultimately ended up taking that player and it "worked out."

Maybe that was running back Jahmyr Gibbs over Bijan Robinson, who the Lions could have taken No. 6 overall before trading out of that spot and snagging the Alabama standout 12th overall. Or possibly record-setting tight end Sam LaPorta, who went one pick ahead of Michael Mayer in the second round. If nothing else, those choices both ran counter to most analyst opinions and certainly met the criteria of working out. Not surprisingly, Holmes wouldn't name the player.

Still, the message is clear: Dissent in welcomed and encouraged, because it challenges Holmes to dig deeper, to be even more thorough in the evaluation process.

"I have so much respect for the process," Holmes said. "It’s an art form. The best thing about scouting is you get 20 people, 10 people, however many, looking at the same film in a dark room and you have 10 different opinions. That’s what’s awesome about it.

"So when I am the lone wolf, and everybody is the opposite, I am like, ‘Man, I need to look back and see if I missed something,'" Holmes continued. "If hear the lone wolf that matched up with what I thought, I am like, ‘Well, at least that person saw it, but everybody else still was the same.’ It just depends. But if I saw something that the rest of the group said, and the lone wolf said something different, (I think), 'Oh, damn. I am going to go back and look and see because that person is in the room for a reason and I have got a lot of respect for that person’s evaluations."

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

@Justin_Rogers