Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes has never been a fan of instant draft grades and his explanation is pretty reasonable.

The instant grades usually have nothing to do with a player’s potential for the team that drafted him and everything to do with pre-draft rankings, which occur in a vacuum and are weighted by the almighty notion of “positional value,” which Holmes detests. According to him, the goal is to simply draft the best football players that he has conviction in, regardless of position — a pretty logical approach. Plus, instant draft grades are given without any idea of how a player will develop or how his intangibles will get him to where he needs to go.

Holmes believes you can’t grade a draft class until three years after it occurs. So, it’s time to break out the red pen and hand out grades for the 2022 class.

Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan (Round 1, 2nd overall)

Entering the draft, there was much speculation about who the Lions would be taking after Hutchinson went to the Jaguars at No. 1 overall. But late in the build-up to Round 1, there was a shocking development: Jacksonville would be passing on Hutchinson, the Heisman Trophy runner-up who’d just broken Michigan’s single-season sack record, and going with the toolsy, high-upside pick of Georgia’s Travon Walker.

In another, pre-Dan Campbell world, perhaps this sequence of events would have blown up in Detroit’s face. But in this iteration of Lions football, it was another break in their favor that’s gone better than anybody could have imagined.

Hutchinson showed a lot of promise in his 9.5-sack rookie season, finishing as Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up despite not getting much help from the rest of his unit. He made the Pro Bowl in Year 2, totaling 11.5 sacks and finishing second in pressures (101) as the Lions reached the NFC Championship.

Through the first four games of 2024, Hutchinson established himself as one of the best defenders on the planet. He tallied 7 ½ sacks and averaged nine pressures through Week 6 before suffering a gruesome leg injury that ended his season. It’s expected he’ll return to form, but in any case, it’s hard to argue against this pick being anything other than a slam dunk.

Grade: A+

Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama (Round 1, 12th overall)

After selecting Hutchinson, Lions general manager Brad Holmes got aggressive to land Williams, the speedster out of Alabama whose college career was ended by a torn ACL. Holmes traded pick Nos. 32, 34 and 66 to divisional rival Minnesota for pick Nos. 12 and 46 to go up and grab Williams, the fourth receiver off the board.

Williams basically “redshirted” while rehabbing in his rookie season as the offense took off in the first year under offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. He was suspended four games for gambling to begin the next year and struggled to find his place in an offense that was thriving without him.

But this past year, the Lions heavily relied on Williams, and he delivered (despite missing another two games because of a suspension) with a 1,001-yard season and eight total touchdowns.

Part of the grade for Williams is projection, but we do have to ding him slightly for his off-the-field struggles. He proved last season there are few players in the NFL who are more dangerous with the ball in his hands, and I believe he’ll only continue getting better. Detroit has a big decision to make on whether or not to hand him an extension, but if not, they’re likely looking at the opportunity to get some quality draft capital in a trade either this year or the next. That’s a win.

Grade: B+

Josh Paschal, DE, Kentucky (Round 2, 46th overall)

Holmes doubled up on edge rushers in the first two rounds when he added Paschal with Detroit’s third pick. Injuries have impacted Paschal from the jump; he started his rookie training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list with a “lower-extremity” issue and later missed two games with a knee injury.

After starting the 2023 season with a bang, he was immediately placed on injured reserve, again because of a knee issue. He was a solid run defender down the stretch but didn’t showcase much ability as a pass rusher, finishing the regular season with 13 pressures and one sack in 12 games. With the Lions desperately needing pass-rush help during an injury-depleted 2024 season, Paschal again missed time last season with an issue relating to the cancer diagnoses he overcame in college. He finished the season with 31 pressures and two sacks over 370 pass-rush snaps.

Paschal has had some bad luck during his NFL career, but he’s also been unable to stand out when healthy. Unless he shows significant improvement in Year 4, there’s not a strong case for giving him a second contract.

Grade: C

Kerby Joseph, S, Illinois (Round 3, 97th overall)

Joseph began his NFL career as a reserve but was quickly thrust into a starting role after Tracy Walker suffered a season-ending injury early in the 2022 season. All he’s done since then is lead the league in interceptions (17).

Joseph pairs his elite ball-hawking ability with a knack for laying heavy hits on ballcarriers, which makes him a feared defender over the middle in all phases. In his rookie season, Joseph endeared himself to Lions fans by becoming the bane of Aaron Rodgers’ existence. He intercepted Rodgers three times over the Lions’ two wins against Green Bay in 2022, including the game-sealing pick in Week 18 finale on Sunday Night Football — Rodgers’ last pass with the Pack — to boot the Packers from the playoffs.

He intercepted four more passes in Year 2 and exploded in Year 3 with a league-best nine interceptions, seven of which came in Detroit’s first 10 games. He’s one of seven players from his draft class to make First-Team All-Pro and one of just three players to do so after being drafted in the third round or later. He also finished sixth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Entering a contract year, Holmes has insisted that getting an extension with Joseph done is a top priority. For a third-round pick, you can’t ask for much more.

Grade: A+

James Mitchell, TE, Virginia Tech (Round 5, 177th overall)

Mitchell was also coming off a torn ACL to begin his pro career, although his story didn’t have the same happy ending as Williams’. He played 14 games as a rookie and proved to be quite effective in his limited role, catching all 11 passes thrown his way for 113 yards and one touchdown.

There was a thought that the catch-first tight end could be in for a second-year breakout, but the emergence of rookie Sam LaPorta (and to a lesser extent, the reliability of Brock Wright) put his development on the back burner, as he ended the season with just two catches for 28 yards. He almost provided a signature moment, as the Lions threw to him on a 2-point conversion against the Dallas Cowboys (after a completion to Taylor Decker was wiped off the board), but he couldn’t haul it in.

Entering Year 3, Mitchell was an afterthought in a deep tight end room. He didn’t make the 53-man roster out of training camp and appeared in just one game. He signed a futures contract with the Carolina Panthers this offseason, where he’ll have the chance to make a bigger impact.

Grade: C-

Malcolm Rodriguez, LB, Oklahoma State (Round 6, 188th overall)

Rodriguez fell to the sixth round because of size concerns but quickly made his mark, becoming a fan favorite during his rookie training camp after being heavily featured during HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” where he emerged as one of the team’s best linebackers. He made 87 tackles and had one sack as a rookie, immediately providing a surplus of value as a sixth-round pick.

Rodriguez took a backseat in 2023 after the team drafted Jack Campbell in the first round and Derrick Barnes’ development began to take shape (although he did intercept 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy in the NFC Championship).

Rodriguez quickly rebounded by carving out a role in the Lions’ defense in 2024. He  was one of the team’s best run defenders (43 tackles) and averaged 35.3 defensive snaps per game (with two sacks) before a torn ACL suffered in a Thanksgiving Day win over the Bears ended his season.

Despite the strength of Detroit’s top three linebackers, Rodriguez will likely continue providing value in Year 4 when healthy.

Grade: A

James Houston, LB, Jackson State (Round 6, 217th overall)

As the Lions’ 2022 draft class took flight during their rookie seasons, Houston wasn’t heard from until Thanksgiving, when the team desperately needed some bodies at edge rusher. It wasn’t long into his debut when Lions fans began wondering where his presence had been all season. Houston sacked Bills quarterback Josh Allen twice, beginning a run of eight sacks in seven games while displaying some freakish athletic traits.

Entering 2023, the hype for Houston was palpable. However, it quickly became evident during training camp that outsiders’ view of Houston did not align with how the coaching staff felt about him. He fell to the bottom of the depth chart as the Lions tried making him into a well-rounded SAM linebacker capable of playing all phases, but it never came to fruition. He had limited snaps in his first two games before suffering a fibula that more or less ended his season.

Late in 2024 training camp, the Lions gave up on the linebacker experiment in hopes his juice as a pass-rusher would return. Alas, it never did. Over 84 pass-rushing snaps, Houston had just one sack and was released in late November.

Ultimately, the way Houston’s Lions career came to an end was a massive disappointment. But he was exactly what the Lions needed during a pivotal point in their rebuild, and that magic has to count for something. Plus, his nine career sacks still rank 11th among the 2022 draft class.

Grade: B

Chase Lucas, DB, Arizona State (Round 7, 237th overall)

Holmes capped the 2022 draft class by adding to the secondary. Lucas made the initial 53-man roster out of camp but didn’t have much competition in a cornerback room featuring Bobby Price and Mike Hughes as its other depth options. He made six appearances as a rookie, with all but six of his snaps coming on special teams.

Despite not making the 53-man roster out of camp in his second season, Lucas carved out a more consistent special-teams role in 2023 (12 games played) but spent most of the season bouncing back and forth between the practice squad and active roster. Even as the Lions tried everything to fix their struggles at cornerback, Lucas was never given an opportunity on defense. Lucas signed with the 49ers last offseason but didn’t make an appearance.

Grade: C-

Total draft grade: A

In the first three rounds of this draft, the Lions plucked two Defensive Player of the Year candidates (Hutchinson, Joseph) and another player (Williams) who looks like he’s on his way to becoming a star. One can live with the lack of productivity from Paschal because the other three players taken on Days 1 and 2 have made such a large impact over the last two seasons, and project to make a large impact for the foreseeable future.

On Day 3, Holmes scooped a reliable depth option at linebacker (Rodriguez) and a pass rusher who played a massive role in keeping their 2022 turnaround on the rails (Houston). While it didn’t work out for Houston long-term, and neither Lucas nor Mitchell contributed much over the course of their tenures, the high-end talent Holmes acquired at the top is an outcome that most general managers would take in a heartbeat.