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Detroit Lions: The best draft picks of the past decade

By Payne Schanski

NEW YORK - APRIL 29: The stage is shown at the 2006 NFL Draft on April 29, 2006 at Radio City Music Hall in New York, New York. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - APRIL 29: The stage is shown at the 2006 NFL Draft on April 29, 2006 at Radio City Music Hall in New York, New York. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images) /
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DETROIT, MI – OCTOBER 28: Titus Young #16 reacts to a late fourth quarter call during the game against the Seattle Seahwaks at Ford Field on October 28, 2012 in Detroit, Michigan. The Lions defeated the Seahwaks 28-24. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – OCTOBER 28: Titus Young #16 reacts to a late fourth quarter call during the game against the Seattle Seahwaks at Ford Field on October 28, 2012 in Detroit, Michigan. The Lions defeated the Seahwaks 28-24. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /

2011- None.

I hate the 2011 draft class. This talented but troubled group pretty much ruined any momentum from the 10-6 playoff season in ’11 with an embarrassing string of arrests that offseason.

Nick Fairley was arrested twice, Mikel Leshoure was arrested twice and even late pick Johnny Culbreath got in the mix with a summer arrest. To top it off, Leshoure and Young decided to have “Sr.” added to their nameplates for some reason.

Fairley underachieved from day one. Some scouts were concerned about his work ethic, but people figured Ndamukong Suh and Kyle Vanden Bosch would whip Fairley into shape. That did not happen, figuratively or literally. I started calling him “Fatley” before too long. It wasn’t particularly clever, but I’ll own it. He pissed me off.

Titus Young

I haven’t even mentioned Titus Young yet. Titus Young Senior, to be clear. He deserves a section of his own. Probably the most talented player from this group, Titus could have been the perfect complement to Calvin Johnson. Instead, he purposely lined up in the wrong spot during a crucial drive against the Packers.

Reason: he was jealous that Stafford was throwing so many passes to Calvin Johnson. He sabotaged the team because one of the most dominant receivers the game has ever seen was getting too many touches. That was his final legacy in Detroit.

The Lions cut him, and the following off-season, Titus somehow got arrested three times in the same week. That fact pretty much sums up my memories of the 2011 draft class.

2011 Honorable Mention: Doug Hogue. In his year and a half in Detroit, Hogue only had four total tackles. Titus Young almost got himself arrested that many times in one week.

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