Biggest draft steals in Detroit Lions history

6. OLB Mike Cofer: Third Round (Pick No. 67), 1983

The first round of the famed 1983 draft is a massive "what might have been" for the Lions. Future Hall of Fame quarterbacks Jim Kelly and Dan Marino were still available at pick No. 13, but they took fullback James Jones instead.

A little bit of redemption came in the third round of that draft, with Cofer. From 1984-1990, he had at least seven sacks in six of seven seasons. He had a high of 12 sacks in 1988, when he earned his lone career Pro Bowl nod. He is second in Lions' franchise history with 62.5 sacks, and fans who go back to that time in team history would surely call him one of the most underrated pass rushers on his era.

Cofer passed away on March 21, 2019 at the age of 58.

5. C Kevin Glover: Second Round (Pick No. 34), 1985

The Lions took Lomas Brown sixth overall in 1985 draft, and locked down their left tackle spot for a long time. Then in the second round, they eventually locked down the center spot on their offensive line for a while too.

Glover started splitting time between guard and center, and he started all 16 games at left guard in 1988. But he moved over to center the next year, in concert with Barry Sanders being drafted, and went on to start all 16 games there in eight of the next nine seasons. He earned Pro Bowl nods in each of the final three years of that span (1995-1997).

Even for his time, Glover was an undersized center (278 pounds). But he the ideal combination of durable and excellent, and truly one of the best centers in the league during his era. He has a strong case to be call the most underrated Lions' player ever.