Looking Back on Recent Lions’ Day 3 Selections
By Jack Ozark
Teams are built on day three of the draft. It’s an ideology that many football fans and gurus believe in. Every season fans get hyped up about who their team will select in the first round because they are supposed to give an immediate impact. But for every first rounder that works out, a handful of day three players do too. So let’s look at some recent Detroit Lions picks from day three, seeing who worked out, and sadly, who didn’t.
First, some guidelines. I could go back to every draft ever, deep diving on the guy that made it out of the 90th round (or however long drafts used to be) but instead I gave myself a parameter. I chose this current decade (2010-2016) mainly for two reasons:
- This is post 0-16 season, and I’ve eliminated Lions’ thoughts from before that dark time.
- Players drafted within these years have a high chance of still being active players today.
So let’s all get happy about some of these steals, only to shed a tear moments later on the players that never panned out.
2010
The Good – Willie Young – Rd 7
Willie made an impact almost immediately as a rotational defensive end. More importantly, he helped lessen the impact of Cliff Avril leaving. He was never a Pro-Bowler but for a seventh round pick, he was amazing.
The Bad – Tim Toone – Rd 7
Mr. Irrelevant and his blonde dreads never did a thing for the Lions. Some believed he might actually be a slot receiver/kick returner, but he didn’t pan out and ended up only being known due to where he was selected.
2011
The Good – N/A
Detroit didn’t have many selections in this draft, and with the ones they did have, they swung and missed.I strongly advise you never Wikipedia this draft because it’s just a complete mess for the Lions.
The Bad – Doug Hogue – Rd 5
Hogue came in as a linebacker that they considered moving to another position but never did. He was a project player joining a team that needed as many pieces as possible. He never did anything of note and was given up on rather quickly.
2012
The Good – Tahir Whitehead – Rd 5
Tahir is still with the team today and last season was the team’s top linebacker. Yes, he may struggle at times, but he has shown he is a starter in this league. He grinded his way from a special teamer into the starting lineup and hopefully is still growing as a player.
The Bad – Chris Greenwood -Rd 5
The legend of Chris Greenwood out of Albion was huge. He had the size. He had some skill. And he was supposed to be the small school project that matured into the lockdown cornerback that would solidify the secondary for years to come. Spoiler alert – he played three games and collected six tackles for the Lions.
2013
The Good – Sam Martin – Rd 5
Sam Martin beat out Theo Riddick in this slot because Martin might actually be the best punter in the NFL. I honestly think I have seen him have one bad punt in his career. Some games have been won just because Martin rocketing the ball deep at the most important times.
The Bad – Corey Fuller – Rd 6
Yes, some players may have suited up less for the Lions than Fuller from this draft, but that’s why Fuller is on this list. For the past few years, the Lions have thought Fuller could be the deep threat to complement the other receivers on this team. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Thankfully, this past season the team finally seemed to move on from Fuller and his basket catching technique.
2014
The Good – Nevin Lawson – Rd 4
Lawson has been the recipient of a lot of flack these past few years. However, he has been a solid option as a number two cornerback, providing sound tackling throughout his career. This season his replacement may get drafted, but still, Lawson is a solid NFL cornerback
The Bad – Larry Webster – Rd 4
The Larry Webster project was awful. I have no memory of him ever seeing the field, let alone ever being in a uniform. He didn’t have a real position, as some saw him as a defensive end and others as an outside linebacker. So right away, that destroyed any chance of growth as they threw him all over the field. Webster was so bad (because he did nothing) he beat out Nate Freese here. And if I know anything, it’s that nobody in Detroit likes Nate Freese.
2015
The Good – Quandre Diggs – Rd 6
Diggs wasn’t supposed to be the impactful cornerback in this draft. That spot was for Alex Carter. However, Carter was on IR relatively quick, giving Diggs the chance to get in the slot. Diggs had a great rookie season, mainly showing he was a great tackler and followed that with a decent sophomore year until he went down with an injury. This offseason, the Lions have been and should continue to address their secondary, so it will be interesting so see how Diggs handles that adversity.
The Bad – Gabe Wright – Rd 4
Gabe Wright was supposed to at least be a logjam at the line. He was supposed to make the loss of Ndamukong Suh hurt a little less. He did neither. After a rookie year of showing virtually no promise, the team cut ties with Wright before last season.
2016
The Good – Miles Killebrew – Rd 4
Killebrew came in as a type of safety/linebacker hybrid that NFL teams are now hunting for. In his rookie season, he managed to crack the rotation relatively early and continued to see the field more and more each week. This year, the team could place him in more often as the other two safeties may be moving on after this contract year for them both.
The Bad – Jimmy Landes – Rd 6
Landes didn’t play at all due to being placed on IR during the preseason, but that doesn’t matter. Many were skeptical why the Lions would even draft a long snapper when man, myth, and legend Don Muhlbach still has unfinished business. Landes struggled before his injury anyways, and if he isn’t consistent this year, he may find himself joining the Gabe Wright club.
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