Lions tried to re-establish their “gritty” identity in the draft

The Lions took a step backward in 2025, and as they build their roster for 2026, they’re getting back to grit.

That’s the word from Lions General Manager Brad Holmes, who said finding tough, competitive, physical players was the priority in the draft.

“You’re just looking for very gritty football players,” Holmes said. “You have to have a level of grit to you and that was a huge emphasis for both free agency and the draft process.”

Asked another question about what he looked for in this year’s draft, Holmes returned to the theme of grit, which has been a point of emphasis for himself and Lions head coach Dan Campbell.

“Just finding gritty football players,” Holmes said. “I’m not saying we forgot about our identity, but just making sure that was at the top of mind. That’s why every single player we took, when we’re writing notes we write, ‘This guy’s a football player.’ . . . I’ve said that about every one of our guys. Me and Dan are seeing it the same way, they’re football players that fit us.”