8. LB Stephen Boyd: Fifth Round (Pick No. 141), 1995
Boyd began his career as a backup to someone else on this list, and he only played eight games in his second season. But in Year 3 he took over as the Lions' middle linebacker, and he hit the ground running with double-digit tackles, an interception and a fumble return for a touchdown in the 1997 season opener.
Boyd had at least 112 tackles in the next four seasons, earning Pro Bowl nods in the last two (1999 and 2000). In 1998, a shoulder injury prevented him from going to the Pro Bowl as an alternate.
Boyd then missed all but four games in 2001, and he retired after that season due to chronic back pain. So there's a level of "what might have been" here, but Boyd is easy to mark as a draft steal in Lions' history.
7. DE Robert Porcher: First Round (Pick No. 26), 1992
Being a first-round pick does not disqualify someone from being a draft steal. Porcher came out of a small school (South Carolina State), and he is the Lions' all-time leader in sacks (95.5). A glance at the 1992 draft class shows him as the leader in career sacks there too.
Porcher spent all 12 seasons of his career (1992-2003) with the Lions. He had five double-digit sack seasons, including four straight from 1996-1999 (a high of15 in 1999). From 1996-2001, he had 68 sacks (second-most in the NFL over that span). He had just 10 sacks over his last two seasons, otherwise he would’ve cleared 100 career sacks and he might be in the top-50 in league history.