'Let's not mess around:' How Brad Holmes worked his trade magic on Day 3 of NFL draft

Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes went to bed Friday night content with not having a fourth-round pick. When he woke up Saturday morning, he couldn't stomach the thought.

Holmes made three trade-ups on Day 3 of the NFL draft Thursday, including two in the fourth round.

He sent a 2025 third-round pick to the New York Jets for the right to draft Canadian offensive tackle Giovanni Manu at No. 126 overall. He packaged two 2024 picks and a 2025 fourth-round choice to move up and take Utah running back Sione Vaki a few picks later at No. 132. And he traded up again in Round 6 for LSU defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo, giving up sixth- and seventh-round choices.

Manu and Vaki, in particular, were highly-coveted players in the Lions' draft room.

"Literally, going to bed I was like 'We’re not going to trade into the fourth,'" Holmes said. "I was like, 'We’re just going to sit back and wait.' But when I woke up that’s when I was like, 'Man, it’s those two guys that if they don’t make it, those are going to be some gut punches.'"

When he arrived at the practice facility Saturday, Holmes said he told Lions coach Dan Campbell about his change of heart.

"And Dan was like, 'Those are the same two guys that I was thinking about,'" Holmes said. "And I was like, 'Let’s go get them. Let’s not mess around.' And again, you always get the answers to the test after you pick them, and if we would have waited around, then they weren’t going to make it."

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Holmes made four trades in all in this year's draft and came away with two potential starters for his secondary, two developmental players on offense, and two linemen – one offense, one defense – who should compete for back-end roster spots.

Along with Saturday's trade, the Lions moved up five spots in Round 1 Thursday to take Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold. The deal left them without a third-round pick Friday, and the Lions had previously traded away their fourth-round choice.

While Saturday's moves left the Lions without a third-rounder in 2025, Holmes said he's comfortable with his team's allotment of future draft picks.

The Lions had an extra fourth-round choice from last year's D'Andre Swift trade to the Philadelphia Eagles - that was the choice they returned to Philadelphia on Saturday - and they replaced the sixth-rounder they traded to the Cleveland Browns for Donovan Peoples-Jones by acquiring a sixth-rounder in this spring's Carlton Davis deal.

"When we did all the calculations I was like, 'Wait, you can do it cause we have the extra four,'" Holmes said. "If you can do all this and all you really feel like you’re losing is a future third-rounder, like, that’s it, just go ahead and do it. And so we felt really good about that and that’s why we went ahead and did it. You always get a better feeling that you can go and get your guys, and that’s what we did."

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Arnold should compete for the starting cornerback job opposite Davis this fall, while second-round pick Ennis Rakestraw Jr. could force his way into the Lions' playing group. Holmes said the Lions had Arnold and Rakestraw ranked as the two best cornerbacks on their draft board.

Manu and Vaki are closer to lottery tickets given their unusual paths.

Manu grew up in Tonga and moved to Canada at the age of 10, where he traded rugby for football. He played collegiately at the University of British Columbia against low-level competition, but had an impressive pro day workout and Holmes said he has the physical and mental toughness the Lions like.

"He’s got a lot of upside," Holmes said. "It’s not a whole lot about right now with him. A lot like we talked about, about Brodric Martin last year, this is more of a down-the-road, future deal, but the upside is enormous and just really, really excited to work with him."

Vaki stands to contribute more this fall on special teams, but only saw spot duty as a fill-in running back on offense after playing mostly safety in his two seasons at Utah.

Wingo can play big defensive end and as an interior rusher in sub packages, and Holmes said he was stunned the Lions' final draft choice, Boston College guard Christian Mahogany, was still on the board late in the sixth round.

Overall, Holmes said he believes the Lions are a better team now than they were a week ago because of what they did in the draft.

"It’s a good feeling to be in a spot where we feel good about the depth we have, we feel good about the future we have but those guys got to compete and win spots," he said. "But I know that we’re a better football team now to take that step like what you were talking about, but it’s going to be really up to them. Now we’re going to do our part and make sure that they’re surrounded with the resources to be set up for success with their development, but those guys got to compete."

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes worked trade magic on Day 3 of NFL draft