'Upside is enormous': Lions move up, land 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." 

Area scout Ademi Smith provided the Lions an initial scouting report on Manu, but the impressive pro day workout caught the eye of senior personnel executive John Dorsey, jump-starting a cross-referencing process with assistant general manager Ray Agnew. By the time Holmes took a closer look at the tape, the team knew it wanted to get Manu in for a pre-draft visit, only to find his schedule nearly fully booked. The two sides finally found an opening on a Sunday late in the process.

During that visit with the Lions, Manu said he connected with Holmes and coach Dan Campbell and left the the practice facility feeling he would be happy to call Detroit as his NFL home. Holmes, meanwhile, went to bed Friday night and woke up convinced he needed to find a way to land the mammoth tackle prospect, even if he's going to be a developmental project.

"We were so blown away by his makeup, his character, the way he's wired," Holmes said. "He's got a lot of upside. It's not a whole lot about right now with him. It's a lot like how we talked about (defensive tackle) Brodric Martin last year. It's more of a down-the-road, future deal, but the upside is enormous. Just really excited to work with him."

Manu has experience playing both guard and tackle, starting his last 33 games on the blind side for British Columbia. He'll be groomed to back up both Taylor Decker and Sewell, but 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