In the moment, the Detroit Lions’ 2023 first-round draft haul was one of the most widely criticized series of moves in recent memory.
Fast forward three years later: running back Jahmyr Gibbs and linebacker Jack Campbell are likely on the cusp of being two of the highest-paid, if not the highest-paid, players at their respective positions. Tight end Sam LaPorta and safety Brian Branch, too — although those picks were lauded by some at the time.
Lions general manager Brad Holmes, who went out on a limb to make these selections, has said it takes at least three years to grade a draft class. So while he was crushed by data-driven decision-makers turned NFL analysts at the time, it’s finally time for his day in the sun. It should be noted we’re grading the selections by Holmes and the Lions, not just the players and their careers in a vacuum.
Now, it wasn’t a perfect draft. But just how much do his hits outweigh the misses? Let’s dive in and grade Holmes’ 2023 draft class.
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama (Round 1, 12th overall)
The Lions had the No. 6 pick (via the Los Angeles Rams) heading into draft night and traded back to No. 12 after the Seattle Seahawks selected cornerback Devon Witherspoon at No. 5. This move gave them the No. 34 pick, which they used to select another high-level performer from this list.
Then, with everybody presuming Detroit would take a player at a position that was a big “need” — Iowa edge Lukas Van Ness and Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez were two heavily-mocked picks for the Lions in Round 1 — Detroit shocked everybody by taking Gibbs, a player at a low-value position that was already considered a Lions strength. Detroit signed David Montgomery in that year’s free-agency period and had D’Andre Swift on the roster.
After three seasons, Gibbs has amassed 5,029 scrimmage yards, 49 touchdowns, three Pro Bowls, a top-eight finish for Offensive Player of the Year (2024), and is the odds-on favorite for Offensive Player of the Year entering 2026. The only person standing in his way of rewriting the franchise record book is Barry Sanders. Even then, Gibbs has had no problem doing so.
And if somebody tries to tell you that running backs don’t matter, that any ol’ running back could do what Gibbs has done behind a quality offensive line, kindly point them to Detroit’s win over the New York Giants last year, or any number of Lions victories in which Gibbs outraced everybody for a long score to bust the game open. He’s as big a difference-maker as you’ll find in this league.
Grade: A+
Jack Campbell, LB, Iowa (Round 1, 18th overall)
For his next trick, Holmes went to another non-premium position: linebacker. Once again, the analysts were at his throat. But Holmes didn’t care, and the Lions are better off because of it.
The returns on Campbell weren’t immediately realized. He’s a developmental success story, even if he did have a terrific pedigree upon arriving in Allen Park. His first year had some truly rough spots, especially in coverage.
But after two seasons of slow and steady improvement, Campbell became a First Team All-Pro in 2025 and is now in line to become one of the highest-paid linebackers in league history this offseason. Last season, Campbell made 176 tackles with five sacks, two fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles, four pass breakups and nine tackles for loss — and that doesn’t even mention the mentality and leadership that he brings to the Lions’ defense.
Grade: A+
Sam LaPorta, TE, Iowa (Round 1, 34th overall)
After making a pair of controversial picks in Round 1, Holmes put up another heat check by taking LaPorta despite Michael Mayer, heavily projected to be a first-round pick, still being on the board. Mayer went one pick later to the Las Vegas Raiders.
While LaPorta and Mayer went to very different situations — the Raiders have yet to have a winning season with Mayer — their pro success has not been particularly close. The 889 receiving yards LaPorta put up as a rookie eclipse the 788 receiving yards Mayer has had in three seasons.
An increasing number of weapons in Detroit’s offense, plus a back injury suffered by LaPorta last season, has limited his production in the two seasons since. But he still has the most receiving yards by a tight end in his class (2,104) by a significant margin (Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills, is next closest at 1,692). Among all pass catchers from the 2023 class, he’s tied for second in receiving touchdowns (20) behind only Jordan Addison (Minnesota Vikings) and is seventh in receiving yards.
Grade: A+
Brian Branch, DB, Alabama (Round 2, 45th overall)
For all the damage Holmes did to his reputation nationally after Round 1, he got back in everybody’s good graces with his performance on Day 2. He was especially praised for trading up three spots in Round 2 to snag a falling Branch, who was widely projected as a first-round player, at No. 45.
Branch was an instant-impact player. He returned an interception for a touchdown in his NFL debut, a monumental victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2023 season opener. He mostly played the nickel in his rookie season and struggled when Detroit put too much on his plate, but he was prepared to pick up the baton in a bigger role the following year and made his first Pro Bowl in 2024.
During a long absence for Kerby Joseph in 2025, the Lions needed Branch to pick up the slack. He was really good, but not elite, before suffering a torn Achilles in Week 14. Whereas you could make a decent argument for LaPorta being the best pass-catcher at his position — the only thing really holding him back from making a stake to this claim is volume — Branch has seen other safety/nickel hybrids pass him by. He’s still an excellent player who’s talented enough to be among the best players at his position in any given year, and selecting him at No. 45 is a move you make every single time.
Grade: A+
Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee (Round 3, 68 overall)
For the most part, Lions fans were ecstatic to see their team add a mobile, high-upside quarterback with a third-round pick. Hooker was coming off an ACL injury that derailed a potential Heisman campaign, which aided his fall to Day 2. It seemed like a pretty decent value.
A little over two years later, the Lions cut bait with Hooker after another rocky preseason in 2025. All told, we’re not necessarily knocking them for taking a swing on an experienced player with high character and an exciting skillset, especially at the quarterback position, who fell later than expected because of injury. Plenty of quarterbacks, especially in Round 3 and beyond, don’t work out.
But we can and will ding them for drafting a quarterback from Tennessee’s offense, which is known to hinder pro development. Perhaps the Lions thought his intangibles would help him along, but they never did. It was clear as day Hooker never felt comfortable making decisions with the ball in his hand. His shortcomings were, essentially, exactly what we thought they’d be.
Grade: D-
Brodric Martin, DT, Western Kentucky (Round 3, 96th overall)
Detroit traded a fourth-round pick and two fifth-rounders to the Arizona Cardinals to move up for Martin, a developmental nose tackle who had an exciting frame. Martin played just 28 snaps as a rookie and 25 snaps in his second season, which he started on injured reserve. For context, Jack Campbell played 82 snaps in multiple games last season.
Of players drafted on Days 1 and 2 in the 2023 draft, only three of them have fewer career appearances than Martin (six), and one of them is Hooker. He was about as un-impactful a draft pick as you’ll ever find. When you consider that Detroit rid itself of several picks in the process, this was just a poor series of decisions all around.
Grade: F
Colby Sorsdal, OL, William & Mary (Round 5, 152 overall)
Sorsdal didn’t make an appearance in 2025 after suffering a season-ending injury during the preseason, and he didn’t take an offensive snap in 2024, either. He did, however, make three starts (253 snaps) in 16 appearances during his 2023 rookie season.
Sorsdal wasn’t a lock to make the team last season, and he’ll have a tough hill to climb to make the roster this year, too. But for a fifth-round pick, we’re still willing to give this pick somewhat of a passing grade.
Grade: D+
Antoine Green, WR, North Carolina (Round 7, 219 overall)
For reasons outside of his control, Green only played one season in Detroit. He made nine appearances and caught one pass for 2 yards. Expectations weren’t high in Year 1, and the Lions had enough quality receivers not to need his services.
But as he was competing for Detroit’s third receiver spot during the 2024 preseason, Green suffered a freak head and neck injury that effectively ended his career. We’re giving this pick an “Incomplete” grade because of the sudden nature of the injury and the fact that Green was picking up some momentum when it happened. Had Green’s career been ended by a preexisting injury that showed up during the pre-draft process and was aggravated in the pros, that would be a different story.
Grade: Inc.
Total draft grade: A+
This draft featured the best and worst of Brad Holmes. He bucked consensus to “reach” on players at low-value positions in Round 1; both turned out to be stars. He bucked the consensus on Michael Mayer, ending up with Sam LaPorta in Round 2; it turned out to be the right choice. And he made a move when he saw Branch falling, executing one of the steals of the draft.
From the third round on, it was a dud. He gave up picks to take a developmental nose tackle (Martin) who never sniffed meaningful snaps and used a third-round pick on Hooker, who never made headway as an NFL player in Detroit and whose shortcomings were somewhat predictable.
That being said, there’s not much room for nuance when you draft four Pro Bowl- and All-Pro-caliber players with your first four picks. That’s an A+ draft.
nbianchi@detroitnews.com
@nolanbianchi
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Grading the Detroit Lions’ 2023 draft as players hit 3-year benchmark
Reporting by Nolan Bianchi, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
