April 20, 2023
Opening Statement: “Good to see everybody. Obviously, a lot of hard work has been done leading up throughout this process. (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell)’s been great, he’s been awesome as always throughout this process. I always admire how he can end a long season and just dive right into our process. But as always, just a pure joy to work with him side-by-side. That’s my brother, man, so really appreciate what he does. Our area scouts, they are truly the engine that make this thing go. I’ve got a lot of respect for the work they do, the time that they put in. They know more about these players in their area more than anybody else in this building. They’re not just collecting information, they watch them more on tape than anybody in our building. I highly value their opinions and their evaluations, so they’re huge in our process. Wouldn’t be able to do it without them. We have an OTT crew with (Lions Assistant General Manager) Ray Agnew and (Lions Senior Director of Player Personnel) Lance Newmark, (Lions Senior Personnel Executive) John Dorsey, (Lions Director of Scouting Advancement) Mike Martin, (Lions Senior Advisor, Player Personnel Operations/Strategic Initiatives) Don Corzine. They’ve been doing it for a long time. We’ve got a lot of experience, really respect how they work as a great group, very cohesive group. They tee it up really nice for me, and so really appreciate their efforts. All the hours that we watch film, I’d probably be spooked if I saw an actual log of all the hours. Our video department, they do a great job in terms of it’s efficient, it’s smooth, they make sure everything’s available to us. So, really, really appreciate everything that they do. Our coaching staff, they play a huge role in our process. They’re great teachers, and once we get them, they have to teach them and so they play a huge role in our process. So, really appreciate the time that they put in because it’s not just scouting. Those guys are still getting ready for the season, so really appreciate everything that they do. Our scouting assistants with (Lions Scouting Assistant) Alexis (Duhaney), (Lions Scouting Assistant) Joe (Harvey) and (Lions Scouting Assistant) Blake (Ask), it’s a lot of operational things, a lot of in-house special projects that we do that they really take great ownership of. So, really, really appreciate it. Our player wellness staff with (Lions Co-Director of Player Engagement) Jess (Gray) and (Lions Mental Skills Specialist/Clinician Dr.) Michelle (Garvin) and (Lions Co-Director of Player Engagement) Sean (Pugh), appreciate their roles in it. Just a lot of people to thank. (Lions Assistant, Player Personnel and Football Administration) Liz Laux, I’m sure she’s in here somewhere, she kind of makes the whole thing run pretty smoothly and as efficient as possible. She does a great job. So, a lot of appreciation, there’s many others. But as I say all the time, I’m up here, but obviously there are so many people that are helping out in the process, and I just want to appreciate their efforts. With that being said, I’ll take any questions that I won’t answer. Just kidding. Seriously, I hope you guys know that I have a lot of admiration and respect for what you guys do. You guys are a good group. You guys are fair. A lot of you guys know I got into this business doing PR, even before getting into the NFL with basketball media and being a PR major in college. So, I got an up-close view of what your job is. The public is counting on y’all, your opinions, your information. I know how hard it is, so I have a lot of respect for you guys. I think you guys do a nice job.”
On what went into the last few weeks to identify a cluster of prospects for the No. 6 overall pick: “Yeah, I still say that we’re still kind of allowing that to crystalize a little bit. I will say that we’re closer now than at that time, but there’s still work to be done. Every Draft is different, and like I told you guys last year when picking at two, we pretty much knew what that cluster was at that time. It’s gotten closer, but it’s just a lot more film, a lot more research has been done. We’ve had a lot more meetings since that time, so just all the research and just kind of sticking to our process and just rendering the results from that and just being confident in our process. That’s how I can always sleep good at night knowing we’ll come up with the right group.”
On if he can find comfort knowing they have flexibility and multiple options in this Draft: “Normally I would, I’d say this Draft is a little different. But I will say, yes and no. No because this Draft is a little different than the ones in the past, but I would say yes because I do feel like we’re in a position where we can really do anything we want. I just don’t feel like we’re pressed. And when I say that, I’m not saying we have a perfect roster. Nothing like that. Actually, I’m in the mindset of – look, if you think you’re set and you think you’re done and you can go anywhere – I mean if you take your foot off the gas, you can have problems lurking down the road. So, we’re just being thorough. We’ll be prepared. But I do like the fact that we can pretty much go any direction we want, and we can feel pretty good about it, just get the right football player for us.”
On why this Draft is different and more unpredictable than years past: “Yeah, just a little bit more unpredictable and it’s just having those two picks, they’re kind of in unique spots just depending on what’s going to happen in front of you, what’s going to happen behind you. And then like I was saying before about where we are right now, I say we have a lot of flexibility. We can go in a lot of different directions, and we feel good about that. But it’s just a little different.”
On if running backs are still worth a high Draft pick given how the position has changed over the years: “Yeah, I just kind of look at it as they’re all football players. They’re all football players and if they can help you, they can help you. I understand the narrative about that, but if you think that player is that good, then if he’s out there producing for you, I don’t think anybody’s going to look back and say – I don’t think anybody’s said in 2016 or ’17 or ’18, ‘Wow, Todd (Gurley), he really picked him at 10.’ No, he was just a really good running back and he was one of the top prospects in the Draft. We didn’t really bat an eye about it.”
On at what point risk tolerance grows with certain players that they may have culture concerns with: “Yeah, you always want to make sure that culture’s upheld. Me and (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell) say all the time that these players have to fit here. It’s not like we have to chase this player. But with the red flags or whatever, I’ve always said it’s always case-by-case. I know you guys are probably tired of me saying that, but it’s true. I’ve been part of Drafts in the past where the headline didn’t look as good, and I wish it was that easy. I really wish it was that easy just to look at the headline and say, ‘Oh, no, you’ve got to do it.’ No, you’ve got to dive deep. You’ve got to dive deep because at the end of the day, you’ve got human beings evaluating other human beings and it’s just a lot more work. It goes so deep. So, everything’s case-by-case and some of those players in the past that I’ve been a part of that the headline didn’t look as good and then you dive deep and then you say, ‘Oh, they were really key contributors and trusted guys in the locker room.’ So, it’s just a lot of work that’s done and we just do the work.”
On how he has improved from year one to year two in his role and trusting his gut with players in later rounds: “Yeah, so first part of the question, obviously year one I was still learning. You always think that you’re ready for the job and you’re excited, but there are things that come up that you’re not going to experience until you’re in that fire. So, there are some things, some details here and there, that I experienced for the first time that I was like, ‘Woah, OK, I’ll be ready for the next time.’ I just feel like I was a lot more prepared for what was coming. Even before the Draft was coming, during the Draft you’ve got the move in, move out. You see it done at all those times, I was at the Rams and watching (Rams General Manager) Les (Snead), and when you’re kind of in it, then you’re kind of like, ‘OK, that’s how it goes.’ I think the experience helps from year one to year two. I just think your gut, regardless of the round, your gut is always going to be – you can look at all the data and the research and we scrub it, and we dive deep, but at the end of the day if it doesn’t feel right – it’s a little difficult whichever round. It could be in the seventh round, and you have to make that phone call to a kid and tell him he’s going to be a Detroit Lion, you want to feel confident about it. You don’t want to have any nervousness about it. So, that’s just where the gut piece comes in at. I’ve always trusted it and I still trust it.”
On what trait he needs to see in a player to justify drafting them if they are developable: “Oh, yeah, I think you hit it. All those buckets are not to be overlooked, but yeah, the physical traits – they’re higher at some positions, they’re more important at some positions, at other positions it’s a little bit you can get by with the physical traits might not be as good, but what I call kind of the central nervous system wiring is a little bit higher. There’s a balance, but it is the NFL. You do have to have a balance of athleticism, a baseline of athleticism. Some positions you’ve got to have a baseline of length. There are some positions where you have to have a baseline there of speed, explosiveness. That’s not overlooked at all. My staff, they do a great job of bringing that up to me a lot because I can tend to go toward, ‘Man, as long as he’s playing football.’ But you’ve got to be aware, it is the NFL. You’ve got to make sure that these guys are able to match up physically.”
On how the headlines about Georgia DL Jalen Carter have affected his evaluations: “Yeah, he came in and he did a nice job. Yeah, again, it’s always case-by-case. He came in, we enjoyed our time with him, did a nice job. I’ll say even after he left his visit, I felt better about him.”
On last year’s Draft class and the impact they were able to have last season: “Yeah, it goes back to that gut that you have as a football player when you’re selecting him but it also goes back to our coaching staff. Like I say all the time, they can accelerate some development there. So, we’re really fortunate there. Those guys put the time in, they’re dedicated, those guys are very coachable, they put the work in. Like I said earlier, I probably said it after the Draft, we were really excited about all the guys we have but those guys are rookies, so they’re going to need some time to learn. Then all those contributors on defense, you kind of look at how the season went. Obviously, you don’t like what the final ranking was on defense, but if you look at it when we started going on that run where we won the last eight out of 10, you can’t play bad defense to do that. Some tough games up on the road, and those guys just learned to play. Those guys just learned the game. That’s just the normal maturation process of rookies. I appreciate all of those guys, and I’m even more excited about the jump that they’re going to make from year one to year two.”
On if the success of last year’s Draft class gives him more confidence in his personnel staff: “Yeah, I mean it does because you actually see the proof in the pudding. You can always feel good about it until it actually – you actually see it happen. Obviously, we weigh all of the worst-case scenarios, best-case scenarios. But yeah, you feel good about if you can get a (Lions LB) Malcolm Rodriguez or (Lions LB) James Houston in the sixth round that can contribute like the way they did. But it doesn’t change our process in any way, but you’re just happy with what those guys are able to produce. Hopefully we can make some hay like that again.”
On if there is a similar drop-off with later-round talent this year compared to last year: “I probably would say it’s not as similar this year. Again, it’s just a different Draft this year. It just is. Position strengths and volumes at certain positions are just different from years past, so you’ve just got to weigh all of that. Again, it doesn’t really change our approach at all. You’ve just got to accept the reality of that and then you just adjust from there.”
On the opportunity present for the franchise with momentum and deep Draft capital: “Yeah, you definitely want to take advantage of having this kind of capital. You’re not going to put too much pressure on yourself, but it is a unique opportunity. Those opportunities don’t come every year, so you want to take advantage as much as you can. But again, we’re just focused on our process in this Draft. Regardless of what we did in free agency, regardless of what we did at the end of the season, again we’ve just got to stay aggressive still, keep our foot on the gas and make sure we’re acquiring the best players. But it does feel good that we have this opportunity with the capital that we have.”
On the decision to trade former Lions CB Jeff Okudah to the Atlanta Falcons: “Yeah, I just think it was the right time. It was just the right time and I think it was good for Jeff. I had a good talk with him after it was done, and he totally understood it as well. It was great. I really respect what Jeff did. We kind of put him in some adverse moments in training camp last year, and like I told you guys I really respected how he battled and didn’t bat an eye and won the starting job. We had the conversation of, ‘OK, if this didn’t happen now, is there a chance that it could happen a little bit later?’ I just think it was good for Jeff. I’ve got a lot of respect for (Falcons General Manager) Terry (Fontenot) out there in Atlanta. It was a really smooth, efficient process. It kind of just came up. Again, like I was telling you guys about the (Vikings TE T.J.) Hockenson trade, I wasn’t making a ton of calls and I wasn’t actively shopping or anything like that. You get the call and sometimes it just lines up and it makes sense for all parties, and it just did.”
On if the team’s approach to the backup quarterback position in the offseason opens the door to select one in the Draft: “We ended up re-signing (Lions QB) Nate Sudfeld, and I know that doesn’t raise the excitement because it’s a name that’s already been here, but we did re-sign Nate. Like I said at the Owners Meetings, going through free agency, Nate was one of the few guys that we kind of were looking at to fill that backup role. So, it just didn’t work out with some of those other guys, but we were happy to get Nate back. Again, it just goes back to the flexibility that we have in this Draft in terms of – we’re not pressed. Obviously, we like what Nate did, that’s why we signed him back, but we’re not pressed, we’re not pinched. If it works out, it lines up, it does. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. We’ll be fine. We’ve got two quarterbacks on the roster now and we’ll definitely have a third at some point.”
On if drafting a quarterback is in play this year: “Yeah, I mean, of course. It’s a position on the football field that you’ve got to have. And I’m not trying to be a smartass about that but yeah, we’d like to add another one. Now, whether it’s through the Draft, whether it’s after the Draft, just like I talked to you guys about probably in Arizona, some of these quarterbacks, they’re waiting until after the Draft to see what teams do, guys that have had a lot more experience. That’s always a possibility, but we won’t be pinched, we won’t be forced to do anything that doesn’t line up and doesn’t match. But by training camp, when we get in there, we’ll make sure that we’ll have another quarterback at some point.”
On how much of the quarterback uncertainty is based on where the top prospects go at the top of the Draft: “Yeah, I mean we’re doing the best that we can. You don’t have the absolute crystal ball, you’ve just got to do all the research. We brought some quarterbacks in and do our due justice on them. Just like I’ve been saying all the time, when you’re picking in the top 10, you just want to make sure that you’re pretty thorough on the quarterback market, and I believe that we have done that. We have a good idea – there’s always going to be a surprise on Draft night, that’s what makes it fun – but we’ll definitely be prepared. Got an idea, but just don’t know where a curveball might be thrown.”
On if he sees a difference in his perception of the top 50 prospects of the Draft versus the perception of the national media and pundits: “You mean if I’m laughing at mocks or anything like that? No, look, it’s a hard job. I respect them just because I know a lot of work and thought is put into it, and a lot of people are talking to different people, externally or even inside buildings. I know that there’s some of that information that is real, so that’s why you probably should look at it. But then there’s also a lot of information that I don’t expect the people that are putting out the mock drafts to know, and it’s not their fault. They’re not in medical meetings. I look at them, I respect them, but it’s not always going to be right. And then you’ve just got to make the best pick that you can and be confident with it. Post-Draft and immediate Draft grades, when the pick didn’t line up with those mocks, you’ve got to be willing and comfortable to take the thrashing because they didn’t line up with the mock. It’s all good.”
On Lions Principal Owner and Chair Sheila Hamp’s perception of the team and the heightened expectations over the past few months: “I know she’s excited, she’s really excited. I think she’s really proud of where we are at as organization, just kind of how the process has gone along since the season ended with that big win up at Green Bay. I know that meant the world to her. Getting the game ball, that was awesome. How free agency went and kind of this process leading up to the Draft, she’s excited. I was talking with her the other day, and I think she’s confident about the place that we’re at right now and heading into this draft. It’s always happy to see her excited. Always happy to see her excited, that’s what we do it for. One day, you just want to put that trophy in her hand. That’s what me and (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell) are striving to do.”
On if he runs prospects by Lions Principal Owner and Chair Sheila Hamp that may have red flags or may have character concerns: “Yeah, that’s part of my job, to make sure that she’s informed. If we go that route of acquiring a player that may stir some headlines, yeah, you definitely want to make sure that she’s aware. That’s kind of always how we’ve run our process and our approach, and she’s an excellent listener. She sees things all big-picture, and she has a lot of wise counsel. Obviously, you wouldn’t do anything to compromise our culture or the integrity or put her in a bad spot or the organization in a bad spot. Definitely make sure all things are communicated with her, especially when it comes to that kind of stuff.”
On scenarios where Lions Principal Owner and Chair Sheila Hamp may not approve of bringing a player into the organization: “I’ve never brought up a situation to her that I felt like it was a go, and she was like, no. We’ve never experienced that before. It’s times that I was like, ‘No,’ and I told her the reasons why I was no, and she was on board with it. But I haven’t had a situation where it was reversed. I think the reason is we’re so collaborative in everything that we do. She has so much trust in what me and (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell)’s process is, and how we’re building a team, and that’s just very comforting. It’s very (appreciated). We just haven’t experienced that yet.”
On how selecting players with medical red flags in his first two drafts has affected his philosophy: “We try to do the best we can. Look, you know, in the past, I think I might have addressed you guys after training camp about just knowing about a player’s medical. Well, yeah, I know about all players’ medical before we acquire a player. But there’s just some unfortunate things that may happen after you acquire them, and you’ve got to just live with that. I don’t want to sit here and say, ‘Well, he knew that (Lions DL) Josh Paschal was going to have to get,’ you know what I mean? We didn’t know like, ‘Oh, man, I can’t wait to get Josh Paschal because I know he’s going to be gone.’ No, no. We just make the best decision for the player, same with (Lions DL) Levi (Onwuzurike). You just make the best decision and if something happens afterward, you just deal with it, just got to work to make the decision work. That’s what we do, and both of those guys are in good places right now. It doesn’t really change anything. You just have to be as thorough as you can. We have a good medical team. Obviously, we’ve had some transition there in that department, as you guys know, and they kind of came at a tough time around the Combine and medicals, and all that stuff. But (Lions Director of Player Health and Performance) Brett (Fischer), and (Lions Head Athletic Trainer) Mike (Sundeen), and (Lions Team Physician) Dr. (Sean T.) Lynch, they’ve done a great job. We just had some meetings, and they went very smooth and seamlessly. Lot of great information, still working through some of it, a little bit still, but it doesn’t change your approach. You just want to be as thorough as possible and be prepared for anything.”
On if it is almost weird to potentially not be able to easily identify the roster’s biggest needs heading into the Draft: “I think every team, including us, every team is going to have something. Regardless of how good you feel about the front line – when you look at the two-deep, all right, well can we get a little bit better there? And then you feel really good about your two-deep, then it’s like, OK, what about your three-deep. You know what I mean? Like, it’s always going to be something that you’re going to have to address. Yeah, obviously, we did a lot of things on defense and in free agency, and there’s a lot of good defensive players in this draft. So, we feel pretty comfortable. Again, I just can’t pinpoint one position where we’re just like, ‘Oh, my gosh, if we don’t do that.’ You know what I mean? I just think it’s a lot of different directions we can go. Again, we’re not perfect. We’ve still got a lot of work to do. We understand that. We know that. We embrace it. I always tell people all the time, I embrace darkness. I embrace reality, and we’re like kind of used to taking the hard way and through the narrow gate. So, you’re always going to have to deal with stuff. But we just deal with it and try to build it as best as we can. You don’t always have to just look at – I talked about the depth chart thing, about drafting with the depth chart. We don’t do that in our place. Now, free agency, you can take that approach. Those guys are developed. Those guys have been playing in the League. You can look at a depth chart. You can plug it in, but when you get to drafting players, it’s a big investment. It’s a long-term approach. A little bit like when we took (Lions WR) Jameson Williams, obviously he was coming off his injury, but I didn’t really care if he played last year. If he did, he did. I’m glad he did, but I was looking for this year. You’ve just got to take the best player, the best player that fits us, and that’s what we’ll do.”
On Lions WR Jameson Williams not being in the photos posted on DetroitLions.com of voluntary workouts and if there are any concerns on his part: “He was just here yesterday.”
On if there is veto power between him and Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell if there is a player they have a disagreement on drafting: “Kind of like the question asked earlier with (Lions Principal Owner and Chair) Sheila if she shoots down a player that I like or anything like that. Me and Dan, we see things eye-to-eye, and we’re cut from the same cloth. We see players the same. There’s rarely an experience that has come up where I liked a player and he did not, and if that did happen, it always turns into a learning experience, so it ends up being a win-win either way. We’ve got to have buy-in, man. We’ve got to have buy-in. I’m not going to draft a player that he doesn’t like. I’ve been in regimes that I’ve seen that happen, where a player is drafted that the coach wasn’t on board with, and it doesn’t really meet up to the visions of success that you had for that player because the coach has to have buy-in. Our assistant coaches, they live with these players. They have to teach them. They have to develop them. You want that buy-in. That really doesn’t happen really with us just because we just see players eye to eye. We have the same vision. We’re aligned. And again, the really rare cases that it happens, because it has happened, it was always a good learning experience. We sharpen each other’s iron and we go from there.”
On if there comes a point in time when a player is so talented that he will be selected in hopes that the player embraces the instilled culture of the organization: “That’s a good question. It’s case by case, still. You can have a good locker room. You can have a good culture. It just depends on what those issues are with that player. Is it just a maturity thing that he just needs to learn? Or is it this or that? But again, I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but I don’t know what else to say, it truly is case by case. We like our locker room. We feel like we do have a good, strong locker room. So, if you have a player that has some concerns, yeah, there’s some guys that you can bring in and it’s going to be fine. Some guys you might be like, ‘Yeah, I don’t know if it’s going to work.’ It’s just case by case always.”
On his Draft day routine: “Year one was almost like a prank being played on me a little bit. Well, not a prank because no one told me. But you know how you’re invited to a party, and it’s like casual dress, but someone tells you like, you better put on a tuxedo. You know what I mean? You show up with a tuxedo, and you’re the only one and everybody has on like Tommy Bahama shirts and stuff like that. Year one, I think just because I was so like, ‘Let me make sure everything is done right,’ I showed up so early at the building on Draft day, man. I showed up at freaking like, 8:30, 9:00 a.m., and I’m calling all these other GM’s, just kind of doing some last-minute checkups. They’re all taking walks with their wives. They’re shooting hoops. It’s like 12 o’clock. I’m like, ‘Dude, what are you all doing?’ I definitely learned my lesson. I kind of switched it up to my normal kind of routine. Last year, I did kind of what I do usually in the morning in terms of just working out, and meditating, and spending time with my family and all that stuff. I just kind of spread that out a little bit more to give myself a little bit more time. Definitely learned a lesson from year one, for sure.”
On where the “Villain” hoodies can be purchased: “It was funny. I was just talking to somebody. It’s up in our draft room. In the past, we kind of kept that lock key. And then, once the whole thing at the Combine came up with the hoodie, and they’re trying to make preparations on draft day – in the past we would have kind of just blocked that out, and I said, just let the villain go. The whole world knows about it. The whole world doesn’t know what it truly means. In terms of the merch, in terms of the availability of it, I can’t really speak to that. I do like the fire that it started. It’s been pretty cool. I didn’t think it was going to happen. That wasn’t my intention, but it’s been pretty cool to see the reaction that everybody has kind of bought into the villain theme. Yeah, we’ll just keep it going, and we’ll just kind of handle the merch part of it as we see fit.” |
