The Detroit Lions have the second overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but what other times in their history have they had that pick?
Assuming they keep it, and that’s surely the way it looks like it’ll be, the Detroit Lions will add one of best players in the 2022 NFL Draft with the No. 2 overall pick Thursday night.
The last time the Lions had the No. 2 overall pick, they selected a defensive tackle out of Nebraska named Ndamukong Suh in 2010. The time before that, in 2007, you could say it worked out pretty well. The time before that, 2003, not so much.
How many times have the Detroit Lions had the No. 2 overall pick?
Going from longest ago to the most recent, here are the times the Lions have had the second overall pick in the draft.
1947: HB Glenn Davis
Fresh off winning the 1946 Heisman Trophy as “Mr. Outside” in Army’s notable running back tandem with Doc Blanchard (“Mr. Inside”), the Lions made the Davis the second overall pick in the 1947 draft (technically held in December of 1946).
Davis never played for the Lions, who traded his rights to the Los Angeles Rams. His service obligation delayed the start of his pro career to 1950.
1949: QB John Rauch
Rauch, who played both sides of the ball, also never played for the Lions–he was sent to the New York Rebels for the rights to Doak Walker. He only played three NFL seasons, but he went on to have a long career as a coach.
2003: WR Charles Rogers
Rogers’ NFL career was cut short by injuries and off the field issues. He goes down as an all-time draft bust, for the Lions and overall. He died in 2019 at the age of 38.
2007: WR Calvin Johnson
Johnson’s relationship with the Lions’ organization seems to be on the mend. He is the franchise’s all-time leader in receptions (731), receiving yards (11,619) and touchdowns (83), setting those marks in just nine seasons. He holds the NFL single-season for receiving yards (1,964 in 2012), and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.
2010: DT Ndamukong Suh
In five seasons as a Lion, Suh was a four-time Pro Bowler and a three-time First Team All-Pro. He always seemed likely to leave Detroit as soon as he could, and did just that for a big free agent deal from the Miami Dolphins in 2015.