ANSWER: 4
If the 2000s were the decade for drafting wide receivers, the ’10s have definitely been an era for offensive linemen in Detroit. By selecting Frank Ragnow in the first round last month, that makes four 1st round O-linemen in the last eight years (Taylor Decker, Laken Tomlinson, and Riley Reiff are the other three).
While the hit-or-miss nature of Matt Millen‘s receiver picks was high profile and heavily scrutinized, it’s a little easier for offensive linemen to fly under the radar.
Charles Rogers was electric in his very first game as a Lion, but got injured and ran into personal troubles almost immediately after. Roy Williams was a lot better as a Lion than most people remember. Mike Williams was a pretty clear bust. And who in their right mind would have passed on Calvin Johnson in 2007?
Millen’s reputation is that he stupidly wasted high picks on unnecessary receivers over and over again. Sure, that’s definitely true to an extent. But he also got one of the Top 3 pass catchers in the history of the league in the process. Have to give credit where it’s due.
So what about the recent influx of first round OLs? These picks aren’t under as much public scrutiny for many reasons. For one, it’s much harder for a casual fan to judge the effectiveness of a single offensive lineman. For another, it’s a much lower profile position than receiver. There really aren’t any diva right guards or highlight reel snaps from center.
Plus, the Lions haven’t been drafting in the Top 5 recently, so there’s a lot less pressure to get a game-changer with the first pick. With that said, it would be hard to argue that all this investment in the offensive line has paid off so far. The Lions have drafted well overall recently, but this is a unit that hasn’t yet lived up to expectations.
Riley Reiff and Laken Tomlinson are no longer with the team. Taylor Decker is looking to bounce back from missing the first half of 2017 with an injury. Frank Ragnow is expected to be a starter from day one.
Until this unit does a better job of protecting Stafford and generating a run game, all these offensive line first round picks will look just as silly as the receivers in the 2000s in my mind.
5. Which NFC team are the Lions undefeated against in this decade?
(a) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(b) Washington Redskins
(c) St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams
(d) Oakland Raiders