Lions’ Brad Holmes delivers commencement speech at North Carolina A&T
Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes delivered the commencement speech at his alma mater, North Carolina A&T, on Saturday, May 10, 2025.
The Detroit Lions signed three tryout players from rookie minicamp.
The Lions signed tight end Luke Deal, wide receiver Malik Taylor and defensive tackle Raequan Williams, and waived undrafted rookie tight end Caden Prieskorn.
Deal went undrafted out of Auburn this spring, while Taylor and Williams are veterans with local ties and NFL experience.
Taylor, a Flint native who played at Ferris State, spent the past three seasons with the New York Jets and last appeared in a game in 2023. He had seven receptions with the Green Bay Packers in 2020-21 and two with the Jets in ’23.
Williams, who played at Michigan State, appeared in seven games with one start for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020-21.
Deal, a two-time captain, played primarily as a blocking tight end at Auburn.
The Lions had two open spots on their 90-man roster after receiving an international player exemption for sixth-round pick Ahmed Hassanein. They opened a third spot by waiving Prieskorn, an Orchard Lake St. Mary’s grad who signed with the team last week.
Dave Birkett is the author of the book, “Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline.” Order your copy here. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This story was updated to add a gallery.
