Lions showered with praise due to recent success in one critical area
Cashing in on first-round draft picks is the first step to building a contender in the NFL. The Detroit Lions have capitalized on the vast majority of the team’s first-round selection of late, earning high praise from a widely respected national media outlet. Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson lists the Lions as one of the […]
Cashing in on first-round draft picks is the first step to building a contender in the NFL. The Detroit Lions have capitalized on the vast majority of the team’s first-round selection of late, earning high praise from a widely respected national media outlet.
Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson lists the Lions as one of the NFL’s top 5 teams when it comes to first-round success since 2014. The other teams listed with Detroit are the Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers.
To get a better understanding of just how well the Lions have drafted since 2014, let’s take a look at the team’s first-round history.
2014: TE Eric Ebron
2015: OG Laken Tomlinson
2016: OT Taylor Decker
2017: LB Jarrad Davis
2018: C Frank Ragnow
2019: TE T.J. Hockenson
2020: CB Jeff Okudah
2021: OT Penei Sewell
2022: DE Aidan Hutchinson
2022: WR Jameson Williams
Decker, Ragnow and Sewell have revamped the Lions offensive line. Ebron and Hockenson were fantastic in their tenures with Detroit, while Williams emerged late in 2022 as a dynamic pass-catcher.
Davis played a key role in the middle of the Lions defense for his first three seasons, but his production tapered off a bit after. Okudah was recently traded to the Atlanta Falcons for a fifth-round pick and joins Tomlinson as the two biggest letdowns.
The Lions have two opportunities to further strengthen a tremendous draft history. With picks at No. 6 and No. 18 overall, Detroit is poised to make some major noise in the 2023 NFL Draft.
