The Detroit Lions, who had their best season in at least 30 years, appear to be in a good place moving forward. In addition to their team’s unusual level of competitiveness, Detroit appears to be a long-term success thanks to one of the youngest rosters in sports, a strong salary cap, and a full complement of draft picks.

And who is the one who may be most to blame for the Lions’ current situation? Brad Holmes, the general manager, is deserving of a great deal of praise. Anyone paying attention can’t help but notice his impact on the roster.

Take a look at the awards that the Lions players have received this season. The following five Lions players were injured at the weekend’s Pro Bowl: Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, Sam LaPorta, and Aidan Hutchinson. In the previous three years, all five had been selected in the draft by Holmes. Take a look at Detroit’s All-Pro team, which includes Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Frank Ragnow, Sewell, St. Brown, and LaPorta. That entails a free agency signing and three draft selections.

Holmes repeated the feat in the draft this year. Though the Lions general manager went against the grain in terms of positional value, he still acquired high-impact players in Gibbs, LaPorta, Brian Branch, and Jack Campbell. Branch almost missed out on a nomination for Defensive Rookie of the Year, and two of those guys are contestants for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Holmes has consequently already won the title of NFL Executive of the Year in a peer survey. In addition, he’s a really endearing man considering how much this team obviously matters to him. This year, he gained notoriety for losing his mind in the elevators at Ford Field and on the sidelines.

But Holmes is far from flawless. Detroit knew going into 2023 that they had a serious problem at outside cornerback. The Lions signed Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley, who were recovering from an ACL tear, in an attempt to address the issue. With Moseley, Holmes’ penchant to take a risk on injured athletes didn’t pay off, as he missed the first month of the season before rupturing his other ACL right away. Sutton, on the other hand, had difficulties virtually the entire season, casting doubt on his three-year, $33 million contract thus far.

It’s difficult to find many additional weaknesses in Holmes’ resume, though. Two All-Pros and five guys who are starters today came from his first draft class. Their finest defensive player (Aidan Hutchinson), a developing explosive weapon (Jameson Williams), a reliable starter (Kerby Joseph), and a few high-ceiling role players (Josh Paschal, James Houston, and Malcolm Rodriguez) were the results of his second. And he might have his strongest class yet in 2023.

Let’s examine Holmes’ approval rating over the course of his three years in office before you cast your vote on whether or not you think his management was successful.