INDIANAPOLIS – Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes had been looking to add young players to the roster at cornerback through the draft since he first arrived in Detroit in 2021 but it just never lined up until 2023 when he took Brian Branch in the second round and then used back-to-back picks on the position with Terrion Arnold (first round) and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (second round) in last year's draft.
Sometimes we forget the NFL free agency period begins in mid-March before the NFL Draft at the end of April and what teams do in free agency can impact how they attack the draft.
That's certainly the case for the Lions when it comes to the cornerback position. Veteran Carlton Davis III is currently an unrestricted free agent when free agency begins and what the Lions do with him could play a role in how Holmes and the Lions view their depth at cornerback.
Holmes admitted this week Detroit is in a little different position from a roster standpoint than they have been in previous offseasons, having already re-signed key young core players with more coming due this offseason and the next.
"There are a lot of decisions that we have to make because we're at the point, we're at the juncture with our roster right now that we have identified a lot of young core pieces that we want to keep around and unfortunately that's the tough part is that you got to make decisions on other players contractually that you might not be able to keep that you want to keep," Holmes said. "So, it's not more so due to you don't want to have the players anymore but you just can't have everybody."
How the Lions view Rakestraw and his ability to make a big leap in his second season after an injured-riddled rookie campaign will also affect the outlook at cornerback. And do they think Arnold is ready for a No. 1 role if Davis isn't re-signed?
"He just has to keep continuing to work on his fundamentals from a technique standpoint," Holmes said of Arnold. "He's wired right. He has the right attitude. Again, he took some lumps early, had some aggressive penalties early in the year, but like I said at the end of the season, the waters kind of calmed halfway through.
"He's a very coachable player. He cares. He's passionate. He's prideful. He's going to do the necessary things. He wants to be a great player, so I have no doubt he's going to continue to develop. Got a lot of excitement for Terrion."
Veteran Amik Robertson played really well for Detroit last year both inside and outside and he's under contract in 2025 too, but if the Lions decide to continue to add young talent at cornerback somewhere in this draft, it's a position a lot of analysts feel has a bunch of versatility.
"Close to where the Lions are picking (No. 28) we might see a bit of a run," ESPN's Field Yates told detroitlions.com on Thursday. "There are a couple guys like Max Hairston that can play in the slot if you needed him to. Ben Morrison had some legit snaps going up against Marvin Harrison Jr. a year ago. Has good size too.
"There's some inside/outside versatility for some of these guys. You even have guys like Jahdae Barron who is maybe a corner, maybe a safety, maybe for a season is a C.J. Gardner-Johnson type player. Could do a little bit of both. There's some versatility, for sure."
Hairston, from Kentucky, is a player who said Thursday he tailors his game after Detroit's Robertson and he's a player that finds the football, something the Lions value in their secondary players.
Azareye'h Thomas from Florida State was good on a not-so-good Seminoles defense and has elite size for the position.
Morrison (Notre Dame) and Shavon Revel Jr. (East Carolina) had some injury issues but are versatile pieces who could fit a multiple-defense scheme like new Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard wants to run.
What the Lions do in free agency a month before the draft could certainly have an impact on how the Lions view their depth at cornerback.
