Jared RamseyDetroit Free Press
Brad Holmes and the Detroit Lions were honored again for their success with the 2023 NFL draft class.
A month after Holmes was named PFWA's Executive of the Year, the Lions were awarded the Best Draft Award by Inside The League, a publication that has covered scouting and the NFL draft for the past 20 years. The award is determined through a vote of scouts from around the league, who commended the Lions' immediate impact rookie class with the award.
The award was presented during the NFL combine in Indianapolis to Holmes and Lions scouts by Inside The League founder Neil Stratton.
[ Lions fans: Celebrate the team's renaissance 2023 season with a new book from the Free Press, "From Grit to Glory." ]
The Lions delivered one of the most surprising drafts of 2023 with four picks in the first two rounds. The unconventional approach started with a trade-down from the No. 6 pick to No. 12, selecting quick Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
The Lions then selected Iowa inside linebacker Jack Campbell at No. 18.
Early in the second round, the Lions drafted Iowa tight end Sam LaPorta at No. 34, then scooped up Alabama slot corner/safety Brian Branch at No. 45 after trading to secure the presumed first-round prospect falling down the draft board.
More: Why Lions' Brad Holmes is choosy about drafting CBs: 'Good ones are hard to find'
Later, they added Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker in the third round to have a clear future at backup quarterback and Western Kentucky nose tackle Brodric Martin at the end of the third round.
The Lions finished it off by taking William & Mary guard Colby Sorsdal in the fifth round and North Carolina receiver Antoine Green in the seventh.
The first four picks of the 2023 draft were immediate hits for the Lions and helped them win the division and reach the NFC championship game for the first time in three decades.
Gibbs racked up 1,261 scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns while splitting the backfield with David Montgomery. LaPorta delivered a record-breaking season for a rookie tight end, finishing with 86 catches for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns in the regular season, landing both offensive rookies in the Pro Bowl.
Campbell appeared in every game this season as a part of the linebacker rotation, finishing with 95 tackles and two sacks, and Branch took over as starting slot corner and had 74 tackles, three interceptions and one forced fumble in 15 regular season games.
The Lions do not have the same type of ammunition at the top of the 2024 draft after their success on the field in 2023, but do have four picks in the top 100, barring any future trades before the draft takes place in downtown Detroit in late April.
