Detroit Lions All-Decade Undrafted Team
The Detroit Lions have the day off before their first preseason game of the year, so let's have a little fun. The one thing that everyone loves about training camp is the underdog. Everyone loves to see an undrafted guy come in and make his way onto the 53 man roster. In the last 10 […]
The Detroit Lions have the day off before their first preseason game of the year, so let's have a little fun. The one thing that everyone loves about training camp is the underdog. Everyone loves to see an undrafted guy come in and make his way onto the 53 man roster.
In the last 10 years, the Lions have had a lot of those guys. I decided to go back to the 2013 season and find the best guys at each position and form a starting lineup full of nothing but the best undrafted Lions players.
There are some rules. The Lions have to be the first team the player has played for. They can be on practice squads with other teams, but the Lions roster has to be the first one they make. There will be a couple exceptions, but only because we had to fill out the team. Let's jump into this roster.
Offense
| Position | Player |
|---|---|
Quarterback | David Blough |
Running Back | Joique Bell |
Wide Receiver | Jace Billingsley |
Wide Receiver | Tom Kennedy |
Tight End | Joe Fauria |
Left Tackle | Cornelius Lucas |
Left Guard | LaAdrian Waddle |
Center | Evan Brown |
Right Guard | Tommy Kraemer |
Right Tackle | Dan Skipper |
Alright lets talk about it. David Blough is your starting quarterback. Mostly because he's the only Lions quarterback to come in undrafted and make the roster. He did start five games for the Lions during his three years in town. They lost all five, but he was ok. He now plays for the Cardinals.
Joique Bell was super easy. he ran for 2,235 yards and 22 touchdowns in five years with the Lions. He went from a Ford Field security guard to a big part of the team. What a career move.
Jace Billingsley and Tom Kennedy might be the same exact player. This town just loves a small receiver.
Then there's Joe Fauria. The dancing tight end had a big rookie year with seven touchdowns. He never reached that height again after "tripped over his dog and hurt himself" and the Lions let him go. He had shots with the Cardinals and Patriots, but never made the 53 man roster.
The Evan Brown pick is where I cheated. He played with the Seahawks before he came to the Lions and began starting games. There were no other options.
| Position | Player |
|---|---|
Defensive End | George Johnson |
Defensive Tackle | Kerry Hyder |
Defensive Tackle | Kevin Strong |
Defensive End | Eric Lee |
Outside Linebacker | Brandon Copeland |
Middle Linebacker | Anthony Pittman |
Outside Linebacker | Steve Longa |
Cornerback | Jerry Jacobs |
Cornerback | Mike Ford |
Safety | C.J. Moore |
Safety | Charles Washington |
Look at that. There's some guys on there that are still on the team. Jerry Jacobs is the headliner here. He has been great for the Lions and is on the verge of being a full on starter for the team. Anthony Pittman has been a good special teamer.
Kerry Hyder was so much fun for the Lions in 2016. He racked up eight sacks that year. He's still playing today for the 49ers. George Johnson was similar story and another example of where I had to make an exception due to lack of players. He had a six sack season for the Lions in 2014.
It's a shame what happened to C.J. Moore. He was such a great special teams player for the Lions. He could even come into the lineup in a pinch. After a year long suspension for violating the NFL's gambling policy, I don't know what the rest of his career looks like.
Special Teams
| Position | Player |
|---|---|
Punter | Jack Fox |
Kicker | Riley Patterson |
Long Snapper | Don Muhlbach |
This looks like a unit that was just together recently. That's because mostly is. You can't have an undrafted team with out the G.O.A.T. long snapper Don Muhlbach or the punt god Jack Fox.
Featured image by Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK