Detroit Lions approval poll: General manager Brad Holmes (Pre-2023 NFL draft)

NFL Draft week is the most important week of the year for general managers. There is no better opportunity to put their stamp on the present and the future of their roster than now. Not only will many teams have their shot at the best, young talent entering the NFL, but for the next three or four years, they’ll have those players on a discount—freeing them up to use their salary cap resources elsewhere.

But before Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes gets an opportunity to do that, let’s take inventory of his first two years and three months on the roster.

Without a doubt, the Lions roster is much different—and objectively better—than it was when Holmes took over in 2021. Through mainly the draft, Holmes has created a young foundation of players who could be Detroit sports icons for the next decade. We’re talking Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Aidan Hutchinson—and if all things go right, players like Jameson Williams, Kerby Joseph and James Houston. He’s also built out solid depth with Josh Paschall, Malcolm Rodriguez, and Alim McNeill.

He’s succeeded in free agency, as well. He got significant early contributions out of players like Jamaal Williams, Charles Harris, Kalif Raymond, and Alex Anzalone. And this offseason, he landed some big names in David Montgomery, Cameron Sutton, Emmanuel Moseley, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

Of course, Holmes has been far from perfect. While it’s too early to say anything definitively about either of his draft classes, the early results show that he may have whiffed on second-round pick Levi Onwuzurike and third-round pick Ifeatu Melifonwu. And after last week’s suspension of Williams, some are starting wonder if Detroit’s aggressive move to trade up 20 spots to grab the Alabama wide receiver will turn out to be a costly decision.

Still, the roster improvements are hard to ignore, and all the while, Holmes has managed to reload his capital. Detroit remains in a very healthy salary cap situation, and they enter the 2023 NFL Draft with the third-most capital in the NFL.

With all of that in mind, it’s time to check in one more time before the draft to see how you think Holmes is doing as general manager. Before we get to the vote, here’s how Holmes’ approval rating has looked since taking over the job.

March 2021 (pre-free agency): 97 percent approval
May 2021 (post-draft): 98 percent
September 2021 (post-cuts): 90 percent
October 2021: 87 percent
November 2021: 79 percent
December 2021: 97 percent
January 2022: 97 percent
March 2022 (pre-free agency): 96 percent
May 2022 (post-draft): 99 percent
September 2022: 95 percent
October 2022: 82 percent
November 2022: 97 percent
January 2023: 99 percent

Vote and scroll down to the comment section to explain your vote!