Detroit Lions complete interview of 3 internal candidate for general manager position

The Detroit Lions announced on Friday afternoon that they have completed the process of interviewing three in-house candidates for the general manager vacancy. Vice president of player personnel Kyle O’Brien, director of player personnel Lance Newmark, and director of pro scouting Rob Lohman all completed interviews in the past week and are apparently being considered for the general manager job.

This is a customary move for an organization to make. Given COVID restrictions and the fact that teams are not able to interview any out-of-house candidates in current NFL positions until the end of the regular season, this is a natural place for the Lions’ GM search to begin.

O’Brien has been with the team since 2016, but has served in NFL personnel departments since 2002. Working with the Patriots, Chiefs, Jaguars and Lions, O’Brien has the most varied experience of the bunch and currently holds the highest position of the three internal candidates.

Newmark has nearly been a Lions lifer. 23 of his 25 years in the NFL have been spent in Detroit, starting back in 1998 working in various scouting departments. He’s held his current role of director of player personnel since 2017, working on both the college and pro sides of scouting. Prior to that, he focused on the college scouting side of things, including years as a national and area scout for the Lions.

Lohman, too, has been a long-time Lions employee, currently in his 14th year with the club. He’s only held his current title—director of pro scouting—for two years. Prior to that, he’s served several roles with the Lions, including college scouting coordinator, regional scout, and assistant director of pro scouting. Prior to his time with the Lions, he spent six years with the expansion Houston Texans team starting in 2002.