Notes: The Detroit Lions angered the NFL (again) for making draft pick too quickly

If you’re a Detroit Lions fan, you likely remember the moment general manager Brad Holmes drafted Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell with the seventh overall pick last year. Via the Lions’ war room video, Holmes went around hugging everyone in sight and slammed his desk so hard that he sent a pen flying several feet in the air.

Holmes also broke a bit of an unwritten rule at the time of drafting Sewell. After the Miami Dolphins took Jaylen Waddle with the sixth pick, Holmes couldn’t hold in his excitement. He called in the pick almost immediately, forgoing the extra time the Lions had on the clock to make the decision. Apparently, the league wasn’t too happy about it, hoping to draw out a little more drama.

“I found out afterward I was kind of in violation because I did it a little bit too early,” Holmes told 97.1 The Ticket last year. “But I just couldn’t really hold really back that excitement that we had to get him.”

I’m sure the NFL was forgiving at the time. It was Holmes’ first ever pick as general manager, and he was understandably thrilled at getting a potential top-five talent.

Flash forward a year, and Holmes apparently didn’t learn his lesson. As was revealed from the green room video, the Lions called Aidan Hutchinson—their second overall pick—to let him know he was the pick before NFL commissioner Roger Goodell even announced the first overall pick. According to Pro Football Talk’s Peter King, the Lions angered the NFL again.

“After the Jaguars picked Travon Walker number one, the Lions told the league the pick was in, and it was Hutchinson—within a minute of the Walker pick,” King wrote. “‘We turned the card in so fast the league got mad at us,’ said one Lion official.”

Of course, this shouldn’t be a big deal. Many people who watch the NFL Draft are annoyed by how drawn out it is, especially when these early picks were likely decided weeks in advance. Either way, it’s a funny story involving Holmes.

• PFF believes the Lions' defensive line may be one of the most improved units in the NFL this offseason.

• Holmes joined 97.1 The Ticket on Tuesday morning to recap the draft. Nothing too revealing there, but he did say this:

• MLive’s Josh VanDyke caught up with Central Michigan receiver Kalil Pimpleton after he signed an undrafted rookie contract with the Lions over the weekend.

“To wake up and be able to say I’m a Detroit Lion is an amazing feeling.”

• Offseason workouts continue for the Lions. You can catch photo galleries from Monday and Tuesday here.

• One of my favorite post-draft articles every year: the well-respected Greg Cosell breaks down the first three picks from the Lions’ draft class for DetroitLions.com.

• Here’s a random interview of Aidan Hutchinson and nothing else: