Detroit Lions draft picks: The good, the bad, and the ugly since 2010
Detroit Lions: The Bad
These picks are bad because largely, even though some of them played, they never lived up to their high draft status. Remember that this list doesn’t go past 2010. We don’t have that kind of time…
Jalen “Teez” Tabor– Still in his second year, (2nd, 2017) Tabor has been beaten badly on a number of occasions. The lack of foot speed (4.70 forty-yard dash) he demonstrated coming out of Florida is still on display for us on Sundays. If he had been a 4th Round pick, I might even question his selection.
Tabor looks far from being a starter that can cover a WR2, opposite Darius Slay (who was also a 2nd Round pick). Tabor will have time to get better but mostly due to his draft status.
Brad Kaaya– The franchise spent a 6th Round pick on Kaaya, a Miami quarterback, only to let him go without allowing him to develop hardly at all. Then, we complain that we don’t have a backup.
For the record, a 6th isn’t high for a quarterback but he was taken as a developmental prospect. Bye, Felicia; I guess…
Jimmy Landes– No franchise spends picks on long snappers, except for the Detroit Lions; when they do, even though it was just a sixth, they also waive them to keep their 70-year-old snapper instead. Okay, Don Muhlbach is only 37 now, but it feels that way…
Related Story. Detroit Lions - The best draft picks of the past decade. light
Alex Carter– Here’s another early selection (3rd, 2015) that looked like a good pick to man the other cornerback spot but Carter could never stay on the field. He was relegated to backup safety and eventually let go. A very familiar narrative in Lions lore.
Kyle Van Noy– Find an athlete who can play outside linebacker, draft him high (2nd, 2014) and watch him sit due to injuries; that’s Van Noy. Van Noy played very little but flashed ability. He started 16 total games in three years. Yikes.
Mikel Leshoure– Really he represents the whole 2011 draft for us. LeShoure did lead the Lions in rushing one year, 2012. The former Illini runner was taken in 2011, during the 2nd round. He only played two years. His Lions draft class might be the worst EVER. Even Nick Fairley, who went in Round 1, didn’t contribute much. HORR. IH. BULL.
Amari Spievey– Round 3, as I indicated should produce starters and guys who can play for multiple years. Spievey did start 26 of his 35 games but we had no one- and he couldn’t stick. The 2010 class was also pretty bad, but Ndamukong Suh was a Pro-Bowl player and the one guy that should’ve been drafted high that year.