DETROIT -- Two weeks after putting the final touches on the Detroit Lions ' 2025 NFL draft , Brad Holmes returned to his old stomping grounds.

Draped in full black academic regalia, the 46-year-old Lions executive vice president and general manager was addressing the graduates at his alma mater, North Carolina A &T, as the HBCU's commencement speaker. He didn't want to miss the opportunity to inspire change.

Speaking from behind a glass lectern at the First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina, Holmes delivered a powerful message to the 1,600-plus graduates.

"Choose your hard," Holmes emphasized on the stage. "However, you slice it, whichever path you choose, it's going to be hard. And I tell our scouts that 'til this day: It's hard to be detailed and go the extra mile, d

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