The Detroit Lions’ 2024 Draft class has garnered national acclaim. General manager Brad Holmes’ selection of six players received praise from pundits across the league, especially for opting to bolster their cornerback position with two promising talents. However, some scrutiny arose over their moves on the Draft’s third day.
In particular, the decision to trade up for Giovanni Manu and Sione Vaki in the fourth round raised eyebrows. Manu, who played college football in Canada, and Vaki, expected to transition to running back after primarily playing safety in college, left some puzzled.
Among the critics is Peter Bukowski, host of ‘Locked on Packers’ on the Locked On Podcast Network, who shared his thoughts on the ‘Locked On Lions’ podcast. While he commended the selections of Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw, he couldn’t resist poking fun at the trade-up for Manu and Vaki.
Bukowski remarked, “They traded future draft capital for a Canadian. I don’t know why they did that, I thought that was a very weird move. They drafted Sione Vaki, the safety from Utah. If I’m not mistaken, they announced him as a running back,” he said. “I hope they let him play running back, that would be hilarious.”
The Lions’ Draft strategy diverges from convention, prioritizing the best available player over traditional positional needs. This approach has led to unexpected selections, such as Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell in last year’s Draft.
While this year’s early moves were less surprising, their late-round choices drew criticism from the Packers’ podcast host.
“This was more in line with what I thought a team would do in the Lions’ position versus what the Lions would actually do,” Bukowski remarked. “Like, what they did last year was bizarre. I didn’t think this was bizarre, the Manu pick was bizarre. Brad Holmes had to sprinkle a little of that in there. But overall, they addressed a key need at corner and they’re better at that spot, in particular, than they were before the Draft.”
