NFL
Lions trade into fourth round to select behemoth Canadian offensive tackle Giovanni Manu
Allen Park — You had to know Lions general manager Brad Holmes wasn’t going to sit around for more than 100 picks without making a selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Not scheduled to be on to the clock until late in the fifth round after taking Missouri cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. in the second round Friday night, the team traded up into the back half of the fourth on Saturday to select Canadian offensive tackle Giovanni Manu at No. 126 overall.
To acquire the pick from the New York Jets, the Lions surrendered a third-round choice in 2025.
Born in Tonga, Manu moved to Canada at the age of 11 and played collegiately for the University of British Columbia, where he earned second-team All-Canadian honors each of the past two seasons. Measuring in at 6-foot-8, 350 pounds, he demonstrated impressive athleticism at his pro day, running a sub-5.0 second 40-yard dash and leaping 33½ inches in the vertical jump.
There are similarities between the paths taken by Manu and Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell, who grew up in American Samoa, a 45-minute plane ride away from Tonga. Sewell moved to North America around the same age, before developing into a future NFL star.
After Sewell was selected by the Lions with the No. 7 overall pick in 2021, his draft-day experience was documented in a vlog. That video provided inspiration for Manu to achieve his goal of going to the NFL.
“I look up to Penei a lot,” Manu said. “I do study a lot of his film. I think he’s the best tackle in the league right now. He moves so fluidly for how big he is, but not just that, he’s an inspiration to the Polynesian community. I remember when I was in college, I watched his draft day process. It was basically just a vlog of his whole day being drafted. I remember he ended the blog by saying any Polynesian kids out there — and he named all the islands — (saying) if you kids want to make it to the NFL, you can truly make it if you put your mind to it.”
The Lions used one of their allotted 30 pre-draft visits to host Manu last month. He said he connected with Holmes and coach Dan Campbell on the trip and left feeling he would be happy to call Detroit as his NFL home.
Manu has experience playing both guard and tackle, starting his last 33 games on the blindside for British Columbia. He’ll presumably be developed to back up both Taylor Decker and Sewell, but he made it clear to the Lions during his visit he’ll readily play wherever he can get on the field and contribute the quickest.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
@Justin_Rogers
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