The 2025 NFL Draft is in the books.

General manager Brad Holmes and the Detroit Lions — like 31 other NFL teams around the league — feel this past weekend gave them a youthful injection of talent that makes them a better football team.

Here are my five biggest takeaways from draft weekend:

1. GOOD COMPETITION AT GUARD

The Lions came out of draft weekend with two new rookies to compete for starting spots at guard after selecting Georgia's Tate Ratledge in the second round and LSU's Miles Frazier in the fifth round.

Detroit was already expected to have good competition for their two starting guard spots with veterans Graham Glasgow, Christian Mahogany, Kayode Awosika, Netane Muti and others set to return.

How that competition plays out will be something to watch during training camp. Detroit needed some injection of youth along their offensive line. Ratledge seems like a perfect fit for the room and I wouldn't be surprised if he earns his way into a playing role. Can Ratledge or Frazier push the veterans and work themselves into significant playing time? We shall see.

2. HOLMES REALLY LIKED TESLAA

Did Holmes give up a lot to move up 32 spots in the third round to select Arkansas receiver Isaac TeSlaa? Sure. Swapping third-round picks and giving up two third-round picks and receiving two sixth-round picks is a lot.

Holmes went down to Mobile, Alabama, to watch Senior Bowl practice and TeSlaa was somebody who stood out to him.

"Just saw how he was in the run game in the team periods," Holmes said of TeSlaa. "Just his blocking and his size and he was just being a pest, and he was pissing off the DBs and defenders."

Holmes liked how TeSlaa is a long strider with good hands and was impressed seeing him in person. It made him watch more tape on TeSlaa and he continued to like the prospect. Then Detroit had him in for a good pre-draft visit.

So Holmes liked the player seeing him in person, liked the tape and liked the person and player after meeting with him. Holmes has hit in the draft way more than he's missed, and if he's this convinced about a player, then I have to believe he's got a great idea of how TeSlaa fits on offense and special teams.

3. HASSANEIN AN INTERESTING PROSPECT

All players taken in the later stages of the draft in the sixth and seventh rounds usually have some holes in their game, or they wouldn't last as late as a they did.

Detroit took Boise State edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein in the sixth round with the No. 196 overall pick. Some of the pre-draft reports were critical of Hassanein's instincts, his rush speed and his ability to bend.

That's all well and good, but in the end, there's no denying Hassanein's production for a player who only started playing football in 2019. He racked up 32 tackles for loss, including 22 sacks, over the last two seasons, and was the only defensive lineman in FBS football to record at least 15.0 tackles for loss in each of the last two seasons.

Detroit is getting a productive player who is still pretty raw. I can't wait to see where Hassanein's game can go once he gets to the Meijer Performance Center and defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers works with him, fine tunes his technique and he gets into an NFL weight program. Hassanein might have the most upside of any of Detroit's seven selections over the weekend.

4. STILL NOT DONE LOOKING FOR EDGE HELP

The drafting of Hassanein certainly doesn't mean Holmes and the Lions are done looking for ways to improve their depth along the edge.

It's hard to believe the Lions will be decimated by injury at the position again like they were in 2024. They get back one of the top five players at the position in Aidan Hutchinson and are hoping veteran Marcus Davenport can get past the injuries that have caused him to miss 30 games combined the last two seasons.

But I certainly wouldn't be surprised if Holmes isn't done adding to that room via free agency, a released veteran or a trade.

"It's an ongoing, nonstop, relentless climb for just building a roster in general," Holmes said. "It's not a position that's off limits, we're always trying to look to get better. Sometimes you just — there's not better out there past maybe the current starters you have, maybe there's not better available versus the current depth you have.

"But yeah, we're always trying to look for better and I definitely would not be doing my job if I did not continually look at every single avenue, which we'll continue to do, for sure."

5. EYE ON SPECIAL TEAMS

Head coach Dan Campbell has always valued special teams as an integral part of the game that can make a big difference between winning and losing. He dedicates a lot of practice time to teams and Detroit uses some offensive and defensive starters on teams at times.

Holmes was deliberate in mentioning special teams when talking about the selections of TeSlaa, Georgia safety Dan Jackson and Georgia wide receiver Dominic Lovett.

That's part of the evaluation for Holmes, where that might not always be the case with other teams or general managers. Detroit ranked No. 2 in punt return average allowed last season, No. 3 in punt return average and No. 2 in kickoff return average.

Let's not forget the changes to the kickoff rule starting next season that makes a touchback on the kickoff come out to the 35-yard line. We're going to see a lot more kickoff returns next season.

Could TeSlaa or Lovett show something in the return game? Can Jackson make an impact on coverage and return teams? For Jackson and Lovett, that might be their ticket to the 53-man roster.