Lions GM Brad Holmes doesn't feel 'any more or less pressure' with late first-round pick

Everything is different for the Detroit Lions this time around. As they approach the 2024 NFL Draft, the Lions are in an unfamiliar place -- picking at the bottom of Round 1 instead of the top.

But for general manager Brad Holmes, his and the team's draft approach won't change, even if the talent pool will.

"You're kinda looking at a different level of player, and it is what it is," Holmes said Thursday, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. "We just take the same approach, but I don't see (picking lower) as any more or less pressure."

The Lions have earned a reputation of being an aggressive -- or at least active -- team on draft weekend with Holmes running the show. They've also shown a willingness to go against the groupthink grain with some of their picks.

In the 2022 NFL Draft, after taking Aidan Hutchinson second overall, they traded up for wide receiver Jameson Williams at No. 12. Last year, they moved back six spots to No. 12, making Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell their first-round selections, to the consternation of draft-value absolutists across the NFL universe.

So far, the Lions' strategy has paid off. They enter this draft with a far more complete roster but also one with a few clear needs, including cornerback -- and the top few players at that position are unlikely to be available where they're picking. Could we see the Lions take the aggressive route again in spite of sitting 29th in Round 1?

"First of all, it's got to be the right guy," Holmes said. "You guys (have) seen us, how we've operated in the past. If it's the player that we want, we're going to go and get him. But there (are) a lot of boxes that need to be checked.

"I think we kind of said a little bit at the end of the season, everybody can't