The one thing that has been awesome about covering Brad Holmes during his time with the Detroit Lions is that he's often pretty up-front about things and he's definitely not afraid to tell you how he feels about the draft and what he thinks about what draft experts feel he should do in the draft.
For example, he said at the NFL Combine that the Lions are not a needs-based drafting team. That's been so true when you look back at everything they've done. The thing he said that pertains to today's article was back in January in his post-season presser.
"I don’t care what the arm length is of a specific player if he doesn’t play like how we need him to play, then it doesn’t fit.”
The Lions don't care about what the draft experts have to say and that includes arm length and size altogether. None of that stuff matters. All that matters is can he play?
That's why when you look at a 5-foot-11 290 290-pound guard that most teams are going to overlook because of his size, you can see where the Lions could be the team that goes out and scores him.
We're talking about North Carolina's Willie Lampkin. Right now he's expected to go in the sixth or seventh round of April's draft and teams are really going to be missing out because they care too much about things that just don't matter.
Lampkin allowed zero sacks during his time at North Carolina. He allowed just 16 pressures during that time too. The reason he is a relentless effort guy who just plays hard. That's a Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell thing all the way. He has grit and fits the culture.
The other thing is that there is a ton of positional versatility with Lampkin. He can play guard, fullback, tight end, and defensive line. The Lions don't necessarily have to just stick him at guard. They can try him in different areas and find his best spot. He would just be perfect for Detroit.
