Allen Park — As Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes talked about the team’s 2022 rookie class at his end-of-season press conference Tuesday, it became increasingly amusing to recall the August and September hype surrounding sixth-round pick Malcolm Rodriguez.
Holmes talked about Aidan Hutchinson and James Houston’s record-setting rookie seasons, about Kerby Joseph and his knack for intercepting Aaron Rodgers, about the flashes shown by Jameson Williams. And after Rodriguez’s stellar rookie season, Holmes touched on him, too — but more so in the context of him being a cherry on top.
Consider that a job well done.
“I’m not surprised about the success,” Holmes said. “Now, you don’t know if Kerby Joseph’s gonna pick off Aaron Rodgers three times in a season. You don’t know if when James Houston gets going, that he’s gonna have eight sacks in just that small sample size.
“I can’t say we have that crystal ball, but we do know about who they were as football players.”
A list of accolades and “firsts” collected by Lions rookies in 2022 is longer than a CVS receipt. Here’s a few: Between Houston, Hutchinson Rodriguez and Josh Paschal, no rookie class in NFL history has had more sacks than Detroit’s (20.5) in 2022. In just two games against the Packers, Joseph tied the record set by Brian Urlacher for most career interceptions off Rodgers. As a whole, Detroit’s rookie class led the league in tackles-for-loss (26), fumble recoveries (four), and tied for first in interceptions (seven).
On Tuesday, Holmes gave some insight as to why he wasn’t surprised by the production, even if it was generally unexpected.
For as much as Hutchinson has reminded people that he actually has never intercepted a pass prior to this season, Holmes knew it was a possibility because of the single pass-rush drop he saw Hutchinson do at Michigan’s pro day one year ago. To see him come up with more interceptions than any rookie defensive lineman in NFL history — yeah, it was pretty sweet.
“All the work and everything that we believed in and everything that we thought [Hutchinson] could do, and then the way he got the sacks, and then even seeing him intercept Aaron Rodgers in a big — I mean, (it was cool) seeing that, and kind of talking about how we did the heavy study on his instincts and his awareness and all that stuff,” Holmes said.
Are you hiring?
Three teams already have reached out to the Lions about interviewing offensive coordinator Ben Johnson for head-coaching vacancies. Should Detroit lose its offensive wunderkind, Holmes said he will let head coach Dan Campbell handle the hiring of a new coordinator.
Campbell has proven to be a shrewd decision-maker when it comes to his staff, having let go of former offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn after last season after taking away his play-calling duties during the season, and defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant this season.
“I have full trust (in the decisions) … that Dan has made from a staff standpoint in-season, in the past,” Holmes said. “If it comes to that, I know Dan will make the right decision and make the necessary adjustments.”
On the mend
The youth movement on Detroit’s roster posed questions about the status of the team’s higher-cost players who ended the season on injured reserve: Linebacker Charles Harris and offensive guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai.
Harris, 27, had a career season with the Lions in 2021 and signed a two-year, $13 million contract with the Lions last offseason. He battled a groin injury and saw production slip (one sack in six games) before the Lions ultimately shut him down for the year. Vaitai, who signed a five-year, $45 million deal with the Lions in 2020, missed his entire age-29 season after undergoing back surgery in September.
Holmes didn’t have much to offer on either player, saying, “They’re all rehabbing. We’re all encouraged about where they’re at in the process, so they’ve gotta keep rolling.”
Harris’ cap figure is set at approximately $8 million for next season, which the Lions can essentially cut in half by releasing him. If the Lions release Vaitai with two years left in his deal, they can save $6.5 million off Vaitai’s cap number $12.4 million.
nbianchi@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @nolanbianchi