Lions GM Brad Holmes Intrigued by QBs in 2021 NFL Draft Despite Jared Goff Trade

The Detroit Lions traded for quarterback Jared Goff this offseason, but that doesn't mean the team won't do its due diligence on the position at this year's NFL draft. 

General manager Brad Holmes spoke with reporters Tuesday about this year's crop of quarterback prospects:

"The quarterback position in general, what's cool about this year is that they're in all different flavors. You have a guy that can actually do it all, do it from the pocket, do it with his legs. You have another guy that probably a little bit more does it with his legs, a little bit more of being creative. There's another guy probably does it more from the pocket.

"So all the different flavors makes it very, very intriguing in terms of when you're looking across the whole scope of the class of these quarterbacks."

The Lions agreed to trade Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in late January for Goff, two first-round picks and a third-rounder. But the trade can't become official until the new league year March 17, meaning Holmes and the team can't talk about their new quarterback.

In turn, that means the team can't offer more information about whether they're committed to Goff as a long-term starter or see him more as a bridge quarterback. Regardless, they are doing their homework on the quarterbacks who may be off the board early in this year's draft, from Clemson's Trevor Lawrence and BYU's Zach Wilson to Ohio State's Justin Fields and North Dakota State's Trey Lance. 

"When you're picking in the top 10, I don't think you can ignore—and I think it's smart drafting business anyways, when you're picking in the top 10—that you make sure you know that quarterback class very thoroughly," Holmes said.

The Lions do have other needs, however, including an overhaul of the defense for new head coach Dan Campbell.

"There are some pieces that we definitely need to add," Holmes said. "We can start with the defensive side of the ball. We definitely need some more depth. We will need starters at certain places, so those are things that we are going through."

The Lions are in a rebuilding mode after going 5-11 last season, their third straight losing campaign. The team last made the postseason in 2016 and hasn't won a playoff game since 1991. In other words, there is work to be done in Detroit. How the Lions handle the quarterback position going forward will be the first question the team has to answer at this spring's draft.