The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine starts this week and by the end of the event the 32 teams in the NFL will have all the medical data and on-field testing numbers for the 319 draft-eligible participants here in Indianapolis. It's a big step in the pre-draft process with pro days and player visits to team facilities next on the docket.
Here's a look at five things to watch as the Lions' front office, coaching and medical staffs prepare for the annual evaluation for most of this year's NFL Draft prospects:
1. Holmes and Campbell availability
Lions general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell are expected to speak to the media in Indianapolis.
Holmes made it clear after the season one of his main areas of focus will be on bolstering Detroit's 32nd ranked defense. How much of that will take place via free agency? The draft? What do Holmes and Campbell view as the strengths of this draft, especially on the defensive side of the ball?
They'll also likely address the staff and coaching changes we've seen since the season's conclusion. These are usually informative sessions on a wide range of topics.
View photos of the defensive back prospects who were invited to the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.
Oregon State defensive back Alex Austin (5) plays during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Boise State Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Corvallis, Ore. Oregon State won 34-17. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)
Maryland defensive back Deonte Banks (3) reacts during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Rutgers, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Alabama defensive back Jordan Battle (9) during the first half of an NCAA college football game against LSU in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman)
Teammates congratulate Maryland defensive back Jakorian Bennett after he intercepted a pass against North Carolina State during the second half of the Duke's Mayo Bowl NCAA college football game in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, Dec. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
UCLA wide receiver Kam Brown, left, runs a pass as Southern California defensive back Mekhi Blackmon grabs his facemask during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Coastal Carolina cornerback Lance Boykin (7) during the second half of an NCAA football game against Buffalo on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021 in Amherst, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Alabama defensive back Brian Branch (14) runs a play against Arkansas during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)
Kansas State cornerback Julius Brents (23) intercepts a pass intended for West Virginia wide receiver Reese Smith (15) during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Morgantown, W.Va., Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Kathleen Batten)
Louisiana Tech defensive back Myles Brooks during an NCAA football game on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022 in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)
Ohio State cornerback Cameron Brown (26) in action during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Maryland, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022, in College Park, Md. Ohio State won 43-30. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Penn State safety Ji'Ayir Brown (16) runs up the field after an interception against Utah during the second half in the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Illinois defensive back Sydney Brown celebrates breaking up a pass intended for Wyoming tight end Treyton Welch in the end zone during an NCAA college football game, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Cincinnati cornerback Arquon Bush (9) reaches for a pass intended for East Carolina wide receiver Jsi Hatfield that was incomplete during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Nov. 11, 2022, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
Louisville defensive back Kei'Trel Clark (13) follows a play during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Central Florida on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Virginia Tech's Chamarri Conner #1 in action against West Virginia during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021, in Morgantown,W. Va. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)
Florida safety Trey Dean III (0) runs to the ball during an NCAA football game against Utah on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022 in Gainesville, Fla. Florida defeated Utah 29-26. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)
Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes (13) runs back a 76-yard touchdown interception against East Tennessee State during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
LSU cornerback Mekhi Garner (2) runs during an NCAA football game against New Mexico on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Oregon defensive back Christian Gonzalez reacts during the first half of an NCAA college football game against California in Berkeley, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Alabama defensive back DeMarcco Hellams (2) reacts during the first half of an NCAA college football game against LSU in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman)
Ohio State safety Ronnie Hickman (14) in action during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Maryland, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Pittsburgh defensive back Brandon Hill (9) returns a fumble against Duke for a touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022, in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh won 28-26. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
TCU cornerback Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson (1) during the first half of the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football semifinal playoff game against Michigan, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Minnesota defensive back Jordan Howden (23) in the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021, in Boulder, Colo. Minnesota won 30-0. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Iowa State defensive back Anthony Johnson Jr. gets set for a play during an NCAA college football game against Baylor, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Virginia cornerback Anthony Johnson (3) lines up during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Syracuse on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022, in Syracuse, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Texas A&M defensive back Antonio Johnson (27) lines up against Sam Houston State during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Miami wide receiver Brashard Smith (12) tries to turn the corner but is cut down by Texas A&M defensive back Jaylon Jones (17) during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)
Ball State's Nic Jones plays during an NCAA Football game on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, in Mount Pleasant, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)
Boise State cornerback Tyreque Jones (21) looks over the Tennessee-Martin in the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, in Boise, Idaho. Boise State won 30-7. (AP Photo/Steve Conner)
Notre Dame safety Brandon Joseph (16) celebrates after his team made a safety against BYUduring the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Stanford cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly (17) runs on the field in the third quarter of an NCAA college football game against Colgate in Stanford, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)
American defensive back Darrell Luter Jr. of South Alabama (18) during the second half of the Senior Bowl NCAA college football game Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, in Mobile, Ala.. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Illinois defensive back Jartavius Martin (21) intercepts a pass intended for Chattanooga wide receiver Tyron Arnett in the end zone during the first half of an NCAA college football game Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Iowa defensive back Kaevon Merriweather reacts after a weather delay announcement during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Nevada, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Northwestern defensive back Cameron Mitchell (2) in action against Duke during the second half of an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, in Evanston, Ill. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)
Iowa defensive back Riley Moss gets set for a play during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Nevada, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Houston defensive back Gervarrius Owens (2) runs with an interception against Texas Tech during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Justin Rex)
Utah cornerback Clark Phillips III (1) during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Arizona State, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (9) reacts against Ohio State during an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)
Alabama defensive back Eli Ricks (7) reacts after defending against Mississippi State wide receiver Justin Robinson (18) on an incomplete pass during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
Georgia defensive back Kelee Ringo (5) intercepts a pass intended for Kentucky wide receiver Barion Brown (2) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Clubb)
Florida State defensive back Jammie Robinson (10) during the second half of an NCAA football game against Notre Dame on Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021 in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)
South Carolina defensive back Darius Rush pumps up the crowd during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Auburn Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021, in Columbia, S.C. South Carolina won 21-17. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford)
California safety Daniel Scott, right, intercepts a pass intended for Washington State wide receiver Lincoln Victor during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Pullman, Wash. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)
Boise State safety JL Skinner (0) celebrates after a pass break up against Tennessee-Martin in the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, in Boise, Idaho. Boise State won 30-7. (AP Photo/Steve Conner)
South Carolina defensive back Cam Smith (9) celebrates an interception during the second half of the team's NCAA college football game against Charlotte on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Artie Walker Jr.)
Georgia defensive back Christopher Smith (29) runs the ball after an interception in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Oregon, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Minnesota defensive back Terell Smith falls back in coverage against Maryland during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Oct. 30, 2020, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Miami cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (2) plays against Clemson during an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Oklahoma State safety Jason Taylor II (25) celebrates after stopping TCU during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, in Stillwater, Okla. (AP Photo/Brody Schmidt)
Florida safety Rashad Torrence II (22) follows a play during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Eastern Washington, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Purdue cornerback Cory Trice (23) during an NCAA football game on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022, in West Lafayette, Ind. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)
Michigan defensive back DJ Turner plays during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Colorado State, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Kentucky defensive back Carrington Valentine (14) reacts after stopping Miami Ohio in the red zone during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Lexington, Ky. (AP Photo/John Amis)
LSU safety Jay Ward (5) lines up during the second half of an NCAA football game against Florida State on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2022, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Syracuse defensive back Garrett Williams (8) lines up during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Virginia on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022 in Syracuse, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Illinois defensive back Devon Witherspoon (31) during an NCAA football game against the Indiana on Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, in West Bloomington, Ind. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)
Oregon State defensive back Rejzohn Wright (2) plays during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Boise State Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Corvallis, Ore. Oregon State won 34-17. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)
2. Defensive help
The Lions have to add talent and depth to every level of their defense. The good news is Holmes has five picks in the top 81 and cap space to work with. He has room to address the need both in free agency and the draft.
This week the focus will be on the on-field drills and most importantly the 15-minute interviews teams get with the prospects here in Indy. Detroit has the No. 6 overall pick and the No. 18 pick, plus two picks in the second round (No. 48 & No. 55) and one in the third (No. 81). There's a good chance Holmes is thinking best defensive player available at No. 6 and then best player on the board at No. 18.
This is a very strong defensive class at cornerback and edge rusher. There are some blue-chip interior defensive linemen at the top, while the linebacker and safety positions have pretty good depth.
3. Cornerback shuffle
Expect Holmes, Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to take a long, hard look at this year's cornerback prospects. That's an area where the Lions need to add talent and depth the most, and what a perfect year to go looking for cornerback help. It's a stacked class both with top talent and depth. Dane Brugler of The Athletic had three cornerbacks ranked in his Top 15 prospects and 13 cornerbacks listed in his Top 100.
Devon Witherspoon (Illinois), Christian Gonzalez (Oregon) and Joey Porter Jr. (Penn State) are all potential fits for the Lions in the first round. Who separates themselves from the pack this week? Does a sleeper emerge from the group of cornerbacks to warrant Day 1 consideration?
4. QB class
Last year when the Lions held the No. 2 overall pick, the pass rushers ruled the top of the class. Detroit got a great one in Aidan Hutchinson. Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter and Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. might be the two best players in this draft, but it's the quarterback class that's expected to dictate how the top of the draft plays out ahead of Detroit's pick at No. 6.
Holmes and the Lions are likely wishing all the top quarterbacks here this week have a ton of success so there's a run on them early and the top defensive players drop down closer to No. 6. Who knows, their pick at No. 6 could become a pretty hot commodity for a quarterback-needy team depending how this week goes.
Holmes and Co. will do their homework on the QB class. They could be in the market for a backup to Jared Goff, 28, depending on what they do in free agency first. Holmes could opt to develop a youngster, but I don't believe he'll look to do that until Day 2 or Day 3 of the draft. There are bigger fish to fry for this team to take the next step in 2023.
Still, a lot of eyes will be on Bryce Young (Alabama), C.J. Stroud (Ohio State), Will Levis (Kentucky), Hendon Hooker (Tennessee), Anthony Richardson (Florida) and the other quarterbacks in this class to see what the pecking order looks like coming out of Indianapolis and heading into the pro day circuit.
5. NFC North News
I always like wandering over if I have time and listening to what the general managers and head coaches from Minnesota, Green Bay and Chicago have to say during their media sessions.
There could certainly be some interesting tidbits from those sessions this year with Chicago owning the No. 1 overall pick and the Aaron Rodgers buzz currently going down in Green Bay. It's always good to stay on top of what's happening in the division, so we'll be sure to keep everyone up to date.
