With that, Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes’ favorite time of year is over.

The Lions made seven picks in the 2025 NFL Draft from Thursday to Saturday, adding high-upside pieces at defensive tackle, wide receiver and edge rusher while giving the guard position an influx of SEC talent.

It’s hard not to look at the Lions’ roster and get excited for the months ahead. From top to bottom, they boast more depth than ever before. Training camp is going to be an all-out fight, and it seems likely the Lions will have to leave good football players on the cutting-room floor.

Of course, you never want to put too many expectations on players who’ve never participated in an NFL practice. There aren’t many starting jobs up for grabs, which will limit opportunity for the incoming rookies.

But after a good night’s sleep on Saturday night, here are some things I’m thinking about regarding the Lions, their 2025 draft class and what might come next.

Holmes sticks to message

Since taking over as Lions general manager, few — if any — have been as successful in the draft as Holmes.

Naturally, it’s led to some contentious media sessions when Holmes is pressed about the team’s lack of proven depth at edge rusher — one of the most important positions on the entire roster — and why the team hasn’t invested as much high-end draft capital in that spot lately, despite the fact Detroit’s season came to an end in a game where they couldn’t touch the opposing quarterback.

On Friday night, after the Lions concluded Day 2 by moving up 32 spots to draft Arkansas wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa, you could cut the tension with a spoon.

“If we don’t, we don’t,” Holmes said about the possibility of not adding an edge rusher, which he eventually did in the sixth round by taking Boise State’s Ahmed Hassanein. “We’re not going to chase a position. The guy has to be a good player that we love. … We’re not going to take a player that we don’t value as high just because he plays a position. I’ve been telling you guys that forever.

“I don’t know why — but I mean, you guys keep asking the question because we had injuries last year, right? I just want to make that clear, right?”

Well, not exactly. The main reason it’s a frequent topic of conversation is because Detroit’s Super Bowl-contending roster appears to have the least depth at that specific position. It’s also the topic fans want to know the most about.

A full, healthy season from Aidan Hutchinson will solve a lot problems, but at ED2, the team will be relying on the health of Marcus Davenport, who has played just six games in two seasons. Behind Davenport, it’s Al-Quadin Muhammad (30 years old and signed off the street midseason in 2024), Josh Paschal (provided minimal pass-rush juice through three seasons), the rookie Hassanein and some situational outside rushes from Levi Onwuzurike and Derrick Barnes.

Holmes has more than earned the right to stick with his “best player available” philosophy. But rightly or wrongly, because of the way last season ended, the lack of improvement at edge rusher will remain a source of uneasiness until there’s proof it shouldn’t be.

While I’m not advocating for Holmes to reach on an edge rusher he doesn’t like — given his track record, it’s impossible not to have some semblance of blind faith in his draft process — we should at least be honest about the reason for the conversation, specifically, and the circumstances around it.

But hey, maybe they strike a deal to bring back Za’Darius Smith, who remains a free agent, and this all becomes moot.

Brewing battle at guard

Training camp is going to be all-out war, and that’s especially true at the guard position. Four players will have a legitimate chance to grab two starting spots: Tate Ratledge (second-round pick), Miles Frazier (fifth-round pick), Christian Mahogany (sixth-round pick in 2024) and Graham Glasgow (incumbent veteran starter).

Holmes and Lions coach Dan Campbell have not-so-subtly signified in recent weeks they’re ready to let younger talent challenge Glasgow for his job, which is something they likely wouldn’t say about center Frank Ragnow or left tackle Taylor Decker. It’s safe to assume they mean it.

“I don’t know. I don’t know,” Campbell said when asked whether Glasgow would move back to right guard following Kevin Zeitler’s departure. “Do you go back to right and is it Mahogany at left? Is it somebody we drafted? You’re gonna do your best to let these guys compete and see where they’re at.”

Mahogany was excellent in a limited sample size (two starts, one coming in the playoff loss) last year. But even putting those games aside, his progression through the year tells you how they feel about him. He missed all of rookie training camp (usually a death sentence for a first-year player) with mono, which also caused him significant weight loss. The fact he got healthy and up to speed fast enough to be their next-man-up on the interior speaks volumes.

I’m hesitant to lock him into one of the starting gigs, but he definitely has the inside track, which would leave one starting job between Glasgow, Frazier and Ratledge. That’s a fantastic spot to be in. It’s not crazy to think the best iteration of Detroit’s vaunted offensive line is yet to come, which would go a long way in helping this team sustain its hopes of being a perennial contender.

How fast can Tyleik Williams develop with opportunity ahead of him?

The Lions’ first-round selection of defensive tackle Tyleik Williams was met with some groans from the fanbase. Though Holmes drafted what many deemed a position of need, Williams’ resume as a pass rusher wasn’t as polished as, say, Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon (Detroit Loyola), who went to the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier in the night.

However, even Ohio State’s defensive line coach, Larry Johnson, admitted his scheme wasn’t conducive to Williams using his pass-rush traits. He (and Holmes) believes there’s a lot of untapped potential in that area. Holmes frequently compared Williams’ body type and traits to rookie Alim McNeill, the team’s best interior rusher. But Williams will begin his NFL career with a leaner frame and a wider range of athleticism, and I think there’s a decent chance he develops even quicker than McNeill did.

The absence of McNeill, who will miss at least the start of the season while recovering from a torn ACL, gives Williams a path to be the opening-day starter few 2024/2025 draft picks have had, outside of cornerback Terrion Arnold and the guards we just mentioned.

Under new defensive-line coach Kacy Rodgers, regarded as one of the best in the league, I’m super intrigued by how quickly Williams can develop over the next few months.

Can any draftees hit the ground running as rookies?

After three straight years of getting major contributions from rookies, the Lions reached a point last year where there simply wasn’t much opportunity for the incoming class. Outside of Williams, that’ll remain true in 2025.

But assuming Holmes still has some degree of his magic touch, I’m looking forward to seeing which rookies immediately catch on at the next level. Before the 2023 spring offseason program ended, it was clear tight end Sam LaPorta and defensive back Brian Branch were going to contribute as rookies. Can anybody — perhaps TeSlaa or Hassanein — enter the summer break with the wind at their back?

TeSlaa had only moderate production in college, but he’s an athletic freak who didn’t have a single drop over 62 targets in two seasons at Arkansas. If you close your eyes for just a second, you can almost hear the voice of quarterback Jared Goff: “Yeah, he’s a quarterback-friendly target…” The Lions currently have good depth at receiver, so they’ll be just fine if TeSlaa can’t figure it out right away, but he certainly has the traits to get a head start.

I am similarly intrigued by Hassanein. He was a Day 3 pick for a reason, but he has a ferocious mentality, and there’s zero doubt in my mind he’ll put in whatever work is necessary to maximize his potential. Combine that with robust college production, a diverse skillset, good athleticism, the chance to work under Rodgers and alongside veteran players like Hutchinson, Davenport and DJ Reader, and he’s got a real shot to make it in this league. It might not happen right away, but I won’t rule out the possibility the Lions see some early returns.

As far as their two seventh-round picks, safety Dan Jackson and wide receiver Dominic Lovett (both from Georgia), I’m looking forward to seeing how they might contribute on special teams.

Both of them have an excellent shot to make an impact as rookies in those roles.