NFC Notes: Jaire Alexander, Brad Holmes, Lions, Packers, Vikings

Lions

Lions GM Brad Holmes refuted the idea that the team is targeting an edge rusher in next week’s draft and said they’re focused on the best player available.

“What I won’t do is what I’ve been saying that I won’t do that I know you guys get frustrated with me not doing, is looking at our depth chart, like black-and-white names but no football being played, but looking at a depth chart and seeing a position and then saying, ‘Man, you’ve got to get that position,’” Holmes said, via NY Times. “But a player has to play that position. That’s why I’ve always been saying, look, we want to get good players. You can draft a pass rusher every round. You could. It’s easy. That’s just like if a coach told me, ‘Man, we want a guy that’s 6-4, 250 pounds.’ To get a guy that’s 6-4, 250 pounds, that’s easy. You want a guy that’s 6-4, 250 pounds, yeah, I don’t know if he’s a good football player, but here’s 6-4, 250 pounds. Where the same as, yeah, you can draft a defensive end. If the player playing defensive end is not what we feel is going to be the right guy to really contribute to the football team, then what are you guys going to write about that player? You guys (will say), ‘Man, that’s not working.’ So, we’re not going to reach on players just to fill a position. That’s what we don’t do.”

Holmes, like many other general managers, is open to the idea of trading down and potentially out of the first round altogether.

“Yeah, it’s always — it’s really case-by-case, year-to-year. …It just depends who might be in striking range. …So, it could be moving back, it could just be staying patient, it could be, ‘Oh, didn’t think this guy would (be there)’ — then you go up. You prepare for everything, so you go through all those scenarios and then you just kind of have to be ready for anything.”

Holmes was asked about taking developmental or project players over ready-made prospects.

“It’s a fair question,” Holmes said. “It’s got to be the right project. It’s got to be the right developmental upside guy that might not be ready to go because there’s a ton of them in every draft. (Lions OL Giovanni) Manu is just one of those guys that was like, man, was really appealing and we had a lot of love for in the process and kind of just — we were in position to take him. But look, Derrick Barnes was developmental when we took him and was kind of still learning how to play the linebacker position and all that kind of stuff. So it all goes back to the right intangibles and who we feel is a good football player. But I totally understand.”

Packers

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said it’s highly unlikely that the team will release CB Jaire Alexander even if his time with the team appears to be coming to a close.

“We invested a lot in Jaire and want to make sure, if he’s not gonna be on our football team helping us win games, that we get something back for that investment,” Gutekunst said, via NY Times. “So we’ll see where it goes.”

If Green Bay trades Alexander, the team would have an immediate need on the outside at cornerback. However, Packers HC Matt LaFleur can play outside even though he’s primarily been at nickel.

“Whenever we can get versatile players on our team, I think that’s a huge advantage for us because it gives you a lot of flexibility,” LaFleur said. “Injuries are part of our game and how you pivot and adjust, I think, is a big deal. I just know that a lot of people just view him as a nickel. Well, we think he can play on the outside and play on the perimeter. I just love the guy’s mentality. I love how he plays the game. He plays it the right way. He’s tough, he’s competitive and he brings an edge.”

Vikings

Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said the team being proactive in free agency and filling a lot of needs will allow them to sit back and let the draft board work in their favor.

“You talk about being able to bring back Aaron Jones, [Sr.], and trading for Jordan Mason to provide a really complementary backfield, [plus] re-singing Murph’ (Byron Murphy, Jr.) … we were just able to do a lot of different things that I think really sets us up for the draft,” he said, via the team’s website. “We want to be in a place where we’re proactive, not reactive.”

Adofo-Mensah spoke about finding “cost-efficient” options in the draft and the difference between them and finding veterans in free agency to sign.

“It’s a unique thing where you’re paying, but you’re paying for known. Versus the unknown, you’re paying less,” he said. “But where that’s hard is when … what is that unknown is the difference between you being the team you thought you could be versus not? It’s a fascinating argument. When I’m not doing this one day and I’ll go be an economics professor, maybe I’ll work on some equations and we’ll talk about it in that space,” Adofo-Mensah added with a smile. “But that is the conversation that ultimately we have. You don’t look at these moves in a vacuum. You look at your team in a holistic sense.”