The Detroit Lions have struggled to contend in the Super Bowl era. We’re going to re-visit some of the biggest draft hits and misses since 2010 to see why.
One NFC Title game in 1992 is the closest the Detroit Lions been to a Super Bowl. If I had to pinpoint a big problem, I’d say that the draft results demonstrate why the Lions have wallowed in futility for most of the past half-century. How about the current roster? We can look at the team’s recent draft history. Kick In The Crotch Weekly recounts the biggest NFL Draft finds and missteps since 2010.
This past loss to the Seattle Seahawks was a game many Lions fans have seen before. The names have changed. We all watched, frustrated, as Russell Wilson and Co. had their way. Detroit’s defensive backs couldn’t find the ball when it had to go right by them.
The defensive line barely grazed Wilson. The special teams were not, giving the ball away on a return. The offense gave up the ball when they had chances to catch up. Another week of the Lions resurrecting the “Same Old Lions” moniker.
You know the drill. Another kick to places you wanted to use for other purposes.
KITCW chose to only focus on this decade because, with few exceptions, these are the years that should comprise the current roster. Obviously, a few players like quarterback Matthew Stafford arrived just prior to 2010 but most of the roster is not 10-year veterans. The following list is not exhaustive, either.
The Lions have a lot of, ‘Well, he did play some’ kind of picks.
“He’s not horrible…”, you might say of others.
Maybe even a couple of, “That guy would start in another city.”
Overall, it is also difficult to judge many of the players Bob Quinn, the current general manager, has drafted; these players have only been around for at most their third season this year. Here is a link to the NFL’s list of Detroit Lions draft picks, all-time.
Bring tissues.
For the purpose of defining a couple of basic parameters, I’m going to call anything before a 4th round pick an early round selection. Back in the Day, rounds 1-3 were all on Day One of the NFL draft. These should all be key depth or starter candidates, especially on poor teams like the Lions have been for a good portion of everyone’s lives.
Rounds 4-7 are late round picks. These players are less likely to contribute, but good GM’s find future starters and guys who can play in their system there all of the time. For many years, you wouldn’t know that such a thing was possible if you looked at the Lions drafts.
Should I even mention that there used to be rounds 8-12? Hmmm…