No offseason event in professional sports generates more interest and intrigue than the NFL Draft. For the Detroit Lions, the team’s strategy in 2021 is as much a mystery as ever.
Looking over the team’s roster, the franchise could go in just about any direction. And with a first-year general manager and first-time head coach calling the shots, there’s really no personal track record to study for trends.
Instead, we’re left to look at the franchises Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell spent the past several years of their careers to see if there are any overlapping philosophies to be unearthed.
With that in mind, let’s take a position-by-position look at how the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams approached the draft during Holmes and Campbell’s time with those organizations.
Quarterback
Obviously, the Rams and Saints were in different places with the quarterback position in recent years.
A perennial Super Bowl contender, the Saints were led by future Hall of Famer Drew Brees through the duration of Campbell’s five years with the franchise. During that time, the only draft capital used on a quarterback came last year, when the team grabbed Tommy Stevens in the seventh round.
The Rams, on the other hand, struggled to find a solution during Holmes’ first few years as the franchise’s director of college scouting. After two seasons with middling results, which included using a mid-round pick on Sean Mannion, the Rams went all in ahead of the 2016 draft, trading a massive package of picks to the Titans to move up to No. 1 and take Jared Goff.
That also marked the last time the Rams drafted a quarterback.
Running back
Less out of circumstance than at quarterback, the two franchises also had a contrasting approaches to drafting running backs.
The Rams have regularly invested draft capital into the position since 2014, spending five picks, including four top-75 selections. The team has bucked modern roster-building strategy, which has put a decreasing emphasis on the position, using the No. 10 overall pick in 2015 on Todd Gurley.
After an outstanding start to his career, which included two All-Pro selections, Gurley’s production sharply declined in 2019 and he was let go following that season. In the past two years, the Rams used a pair of Day 2 picks on Darrell Henderson and Cam Akers to fill the void.
In New Orleans, Campbell joined a team that had years earlier used a first-rounder on a running back, taking Mark Ingram No. 28 overall in 2011. Long preferring a committee approach, the team initially turned to veteran Tim Hightower after Pierre Thomas’ departure, but took an advantage of an opportunity in 2017, trading up to take Alvin Kamara in the third round in 2017.
Kamara has developed into a superstar, with free-agent addition Latavius Murray replacing Ingram as the backfield complement in 2019. Outside of Kamara, the Saints haven’t used a pick higher than the sixth round on a running back since 2011.
Wide receiver
Holmes was promoted to college scouting director shortly after the Rams invested in free agent Kenny Britt and drafted Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey in the first and third rounds of the 2013 draft.
It took a few years to recognize none of those moves were paying off, and the team rebuilt its corps in earnest starting in 2017, signing free agent Robert Woods and selecting Cooper Kupp in the third round and Josh Reynolds in the fourth of that year’s draft. Three years later, the team added another Day 2 pick, taking Van Jefferson in the second round last April.
With the Saints, the team always made sure Brees had adequate weapons in the passing game. Shortly before Campbell arrived, the team used their 2014 first-round pick on Brandin Cooks, and during Campbell’s tenure, the Sants used Day 2 selections on Michael Thomas and Tre’Quan Smith.
Perhaps just a symptom of the way their draft board set up annually, the Saints haven’t drafted a receiver after the third round since 2013.
Tight end
No one has loved spending draft resources on tight ends more than the Lions the past decade, with the team taking two inside the top 10. But the new brass also have been part of teams that have shown a commitment to the position.
Giving their young quarterback a couple of safety blankets to start his career, the Rams used a fourth-round selection on Tyler Higbee in 2016, then followed that up by adding Gerald Everett in the second round the next year. They went back to the well in the middle rounds last year — ahead of Everett’s final season under contract — grabbing Purdue’s Brycen Hopkins in the fourth round.
The Saints, meanwhile, leaned more on free agency after trading Jimmy Graham ahead of the 2015 season. That included bringing in veterans Coby Fleener, Ben Watson and Jared Cook, prior to drafting Adam Trautman in the third round last year.
Offensive line
Across the past five years, the Rams have modestly invested in their offensive trench, using a trio of mid-round choices, ranging between No. 89 and 111, on interior options. The team selected tackles in the first two rounds in 2014 and 2015, including one of the biggest busts in recent memory, taking Greg Robinson No. 2 overall in 2014. That selection coincided with Holmes’ first full year as the director of college scouting.
Right tackle Rob Havenstein (pick No. 57 in 2015) and guard David Edwards (pick No. 169 in 2019) were the only starters from last season who were drafted by the team.
Compare that with the Saints, who built their line entirely through premium draft assets. During Campbell’s five years with the franchise, the team added right tackle Ryan Ramczyk and guard Cesar Ruiz (Michigan) in the first round and center Erik McCoy in the second.
The team’s two other starters, Andrus Peat and Terron Armstead, also were early-round draft picks, prior to Campbell’s hiring.
Defensive line
While the Rams whiffed on Robinson in Holmes’ first draft in an expanded role, they hit a grand slam later in the opening round, taking Aaron Donald with the No. 13 selection. The production and athleticism were off the charts for the Pitt standout, but he was considered undersized for the position. Avoiding the traps of traditional thinking allowed the Rams to land a generation talent.
Beyond Donald, the Rams haven’t committed premium draft resources to their defensive front, neglecting the position in the first three rounds each of the past six years. In the fourth round, they’ve plucked Samson Ebukam, John Franklin-Myers and Greg Gaines, who have brought back rotational contributions.
Just like with their offensive line, the Saints have been more aggressive addressing their defensive line via the draft, spending a pair of first-round choices on the unit the past five years. Actually, three if you consider they gave up a future first to move up for defensive end Marcus Davenport in 2018.
Additionally, the team landed two, small-school contributors in the middle rounds with Manitoba’s David Onyemata in 2016 and Trey Hendrickson out of Florida Atlantic in 2017. That pair combined to play nearly 1,200 defensive snaps in 2020.
Last year, the Saints grabbed Zack Baun in the third round and primarily used him along the line during his limited playing time.
Linebacker
Neither franchise has spent much capital on drafting linebackers in recent years. For the Saints, the only off-ball options they’ve added in the past five years were Alex Anzalone in the third round in 2017 and special teamer Kaden Elliss in the seventh round in 2019. Anzalone is now with the Lions, signing as a free agent this offseason.
Similarly, the Rams haven’t used more than a fifth round pick on the position since 2014. The team leaned heavily on the success of undrafted rookie Cory Littleton before he departed in free agency ahead of last season. In 2020, the Rams had one of the least impactful linebacker groups in the NFL, according to PFF.
Secondary
When it comes to the defensive backfield, the Rams have placed a premium on safety. The franchise has taken one in the first three rounds three of the past four years, with Josh Johnson the most notable success from that trio.
As far as cornerback, Los Angeles has taken only one since 2014, selecting former Michigan standout David Long in the third round of the 2019 draft.
Instead, the team has used premium assets to trade for established veterans, such as Marcus Peters and Jalen Ramsey. They’ve also had great success developing undrafted castoffs into key contributors, including Troy Hill and Darious Williams.
In New Orleans, the team hasn’t had to use many premium picks on its secondary in recent years after pouring significant resources into the back end in 2016 and 2017. In those years they selected cornerback Marshon Lattimore and safeties Marcus Williams and Von Bell in the first two rounds.
Bell since has been replaced by Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, a fourth-round value in 2019.
Trades
Both the Saints and Rams have shown a willingness to aggressively go up the draft board to get a player they want in the first round.
For Los Angeles, it was Goff. To make that move up from No. 15 to No. 1 in 2016, the cost was steep. The Rams sent the Titans two firsts, two seconds and two thirds.
And while it’s difficult to believe, that’s the last time the Rams have had a first-round pick. Most of those selections have gone to acquiring veteran players — wide receiver Brandin Cooks (2018), Ramsey (2020 and 2021) and quarterback Matthew Stafford (2022 and 2023).
In 2019, the Rams actually traded out of the first round, essentially netting a second- and third-round from the Falcons for the No. 31 pick. Trading back to add assets was a common theme during Holmes’ time with the franchise, including three instances in the second round in recent years.
The Saints proved more likely to go the opposite direction in the early rounds, almost annually utilizing future picks to secure a specific target. They traded up to get Bell and Onyemata in 2016, Kamara in 2017, Davenport in 2018, McCoy in 2019 and Baun last year.
Conclusion
Since Holmes and Campbell were hired, we’ve been told roster building will be a collaborative effort. While Holmes will be the one pulling the trigger on the selections, the vision is each pick will reflect the consensus opinion, not just of the two at the top of the football operations, but the organization as a whole.
How the duo will marry their past experiences, both coming from recently successful organizations, will be interesting to watch. We have to remember, what the tandem is undertaking in Detroit isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison, since they largely will be building from the ground up here after recently attempting to find the missing pieces for Super Bowl contenders.
When it comes to the draft, there are dozens of factors at play, and it’s not possible to go into them all, but on the surface, the Rams and Saints had clear differences in their approaches, particularly when it came to building out the tranches. The latter spent significantly more draft equity into building up their offensive and defensive lines.
Holmes, meanwhile, came from a franchise that placed a greater emphasis on drafting running backs, which might not come into play this year, based how Detroit’s roster is constructed, but merits monitoring in the future.
Both the Rams and Saints valued safety, which is an area of need for the Lions heading into the draft. It shouldn’t be a surprise to see the team spend a Day 2 pick on the position.
On the other hand, neither of the former employers placed emphasis on linebackers, at least not in the draft. It will be interesting to see how that plays out given Detroit’s clear need and speculation the team could look to address the situation as early as the first round.
If there’s one thing that seems likely, based on previous experiences, the Lions won’t stand still with the selections they have. Both the Rams and Saints were annually open for business, using the picks to move up, down and acquire veterans.
Former Lions GM Bob Quinn made 10 selections without a trade his first draft in 2016. It would be surprising if Holmes follows suit.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers