Grading the last five Detroit Lions first-round draft picks
There will be two first-rounders to grade this time next week, but here are grades for the last five Detroit Lions’ first-round picks.
This time next week, the Detroit Lions will have made two picks in the 2022 NFL Draft and the immediate grades will be coming out. Assuming they make their two first-round picks, of course. General manager Brad Holmes is entering his second draft at the helm, with plenty of options on the table.
Lions’ draft history has had plenty of misses, as the scars of the Matt Millen sort of linger. But there have been successes too, and some pillars of the current rebuild were brought in by the previous regime (yes, it’s sacrilege in Detroit to give any credit to “QuinnTricia”, but there’s a bit of credit to be given).
Years of time allow for more accurate analysis of draft picks, as players build bodies of work one way or another, good or bad. The returns on Holmes’ first rookie class in 2021 were good, down to a few undrafted free agents who contributed to a team hit by injuries last season.
Going back over the last five Detroit Lions’ first-round picks, in order from most recent to the furthest away, let’s give out some grades.