ESPN: Execs 'Loved' Lions' '2001 Throwback' Draft amid Backlash DET Reached for Picks

The Detroit Lions saw some shade thrown their way after the 2023 NFL draft, as they selected Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs at No. 12 overall and Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell at No. 18.

The general consensus, at least among draft pundits, was that perhaps the Lions didn't extract maximum value from those picks, given that both running back and off-ball linebacker aren't positions generally addressed with first-rounders in the modern NFL.

But executives had a different take, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, who reported there were "several NFL execs who loved Detroit's draft, which felt like a '2001 throwback.'"

"They said the hell with value and just took good football players," an NFC executive added. "That guy [Gibbs] is a player. When they tee it up on Sunday, I don't think anyone will care where he was taken. And those players very much fit Dan Campbell's toughness approach."

We'll have to wait to see if this year's class proves fruitful. But the Lions are clearly building an identity under Campbell, and the 2023 draft reflected as much.