Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter became the 89th winner of the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night. The position he'll primarily play in the NFL is subject to analysis and speculation, but there's no doubt he will be a top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Jeff Risdon of Draft Wire/Lions Wire took a look at the history of Heisman Trophy winners in the NFL Draft. Here are some of the most interesting notes.
-25 Heisman Trophy winners have been taken No. 1 overall in the NFL draft, including Caleb Williams in 2024 (Hunter could become No. 26 come April)
-17 of the last 19 Heisman Trophy winners have been first-round picks, and 62 of the 88 winners before Hunter were first-round picks
-Going back to the 1970 AFL/NFL merger, six Heisman winners weren't drafted until the 10th round or later
-3 Heisman Trophy winners went undrafted, but one (Charlie Ward) was a first-round pick in the NBA Draft
Risdon also revealed the Detroit Lions have drafted more Heisman Trophy winners than any NFL team, 10, including two of the first three and four of the first 12 winners.
Who are the Heisman Trophy winners the Detroit Lions have drafted?
Here are the Heisman Trophy winners the Lions have drafted, with the draft year followed by the year each won the Heisman.
1937: Larry Kelley, E, Yale (1936)
1938: Clint Frank, HB, Yale (1937)
1943: Frankie Sinkwich, HB, Georgia (1942)
1947: Glenn Davis, HB, Army (1946)
1950: Leon Hart, E/FB, Notre Dame (1949)
1956: Howard Cassady, HB/SE, Ohio State (1955)
1970: Steve Owens, RB, Oklahoma (1969)
1980: Billy Sims, RB, Oklahoma (1978)
1989: Barry Sanders, RB, Oklahoma State (1988)
1990: Andre Ware, QB, Houston (1989)
Notes:
-Kelley never played in the NFL, or in pro sports, as he rejected offers in pro football in baseball
-Davis, "Mr. Outside" to Doc Blanchard's "Mr. Inside" at Army (Blanchard won the Heisman in 1945), never played for the Lions and only played two NFL seasons
-The Lions are in the rare air of having drafted back-to-back Heisman Trophy winners, doing so twice