Now that the 2025 NFL Draft has wrapped up, analysts and insiders everywhere are eager to weigh in on each team’s selections. But just because experts criticize a draft class doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad one. Take the Detroit Lions, for instance—when they selected running back Jahmyr Gibbs 12th overall in 2023, the move was widely panned. Yet, that pick turned out to be a smart one.
This year, the Lions are once again under fire for their draft choices. Time will tell if Detroit can silence the critics once more.
### Lions Betting Big on Bold Moves
One of the more scrutinized decisions came in Round 3, when the Lions traded up from No. 102 to No. 70—sending that pick and two 2026 third-rounders to the Jacksonville Jaguars—to select Arkansas wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa.
In a May 1 feature on draft winners and losers, The Athletic’s Austin Mock questioned Detroit’s strategy, even while acknowledging the team’s recent track record of proving doubters wrong. “It’s fair to question whether I should doubt the Lions after their recent success,” Mock wrote, “but four of their seven picks were viewed as reaches, including all three in the top 70.”
Mock also argued the Lions lost significant trade value in the draft, especially in their move for TeSlaa, noting they gave up more than most teams without gaining a first-rounder or elite talent like Travis Hunter.
### Brad Holmes Plays It Safe—Then Takes a Risk
NFL.com’s Gennaro Filice graded the Lions’ draft a B-, remarking that GM Brad Holmes spent most of the draft building up the trenches with solid, no-nonsense picks. But mid-Draft, Holmes shifted gears and made a splash by moving up 32 spots to grab TeSlaa, an athletic, size-speed prospect who rose late in the draft process.
Filice noted TeSlaa’s unconventional journey from Division II Hillsdale College to Arkansas, adding that while Holmes has earned the benefit of the doubt, the aggressive move raised eyebrows among fans. “Is Brad Holmes feeling himself too much?” he asked. Though the rest of the class was seen as more conservative, TeSlaa’s selection added a bold twist to an otherwise safe draft.
