The Detroit Lions walked into the 2022 NFL Draft with eight total picks, and walked out with eight players selected.
It doesn't mean that Detroit general manager Brad Holmes wasn't wheeling and dealing, however. He made two draft-day deals, including trading up to get Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams in the first round at No. 12 overall.
His second trade of the weekend came on Day 3, when he swapped pick No. 181 for picks No. 188 and No. 237. With those acquired selections, Detroit took Oklahoma State linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez and Jackson State EDGE James Houston, respectively.
Holmes believes the Lions added some "foundational pieces" through this year's draft cycle.
"There’s a lot of narratives about all the drafts. They’ll say, ‘Oh, this is a strong draft. This is not a strong draft,’ and all that. If you think it’s strong or not as strong, sometimes it’s like, ‘Hey, look, if it’s not as strong, just trade back, trade back.’ Well, you keep trading back, and it’s not as strong as what everybody’s saying," Holmes told reporters this weekend. "So, if you just stay patient and you have your board stacked right, there were some good football players that we were able to acquire that we think can be foundational pieces.”
Now that the draft has concluded, it's on to the undrafted free-agency portion of the offseason.
In 2021, the Lions inked 13 undrafted free agents to contracts, including the likes of cornerbacks Jerry Jacobs and AJ Parker. Both of them made major contributions to Detroit's secondary as rookies.
Below is the running list of undrafted free agents added by the Lions:
1.) WR Kalil Pimpleton, Central Michigan
2.) LT Obinna Eze, TCU
3.) DT Demetrius Taylor, Appalachian State
4.) RB Greg Bell, San Diego State
5.) WR Corey Sutton, Appalachian State
6.) TE Nolan Given, Southeastern Louisiana
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7.) WR Josh Johnson, Tulsa
8.) TE Derrick Deese Jr., San Jose State
9.) CB Cedric Boswell, Miami Ohio
10.) CB Jermaine Waller, Virginia Tech
11.) OL Zein Obeid, Ferris State
12.) OL Kevin Jarvis, Michigan State
Kirthmon F. Dozier, USA TODAY NETWORK
Picks made by Lions in 2022 NFL Draft
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