Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was named one of the biggest NFL draft steals of the last decade on Wednesday morning. This really got me thinking about the Lions history in the draft and if maybe they've had other instances where they stole some players. 

After a lot of looking around, these are the three biggest draft steals in Lions history. At least in my Lions history. Don't expect me to pick Jumping Joe McGillicutty from the 10th round of the 1936 NFL Draft. I wasn't alive for it. Also that player does not exist and there wasn't a 10th round in the 1936 draft. 

I do have one note. I won't be including St. Brown on this list since we already noted him as a big steal on Wednesday morning. Here's the guys that will be included. 

Chris Spielman

It's shocking that Chris Spielman wasn't a first round draft pick in 1988. Spielman was coming off a really good college career at Ohio State. Spielman wound up being a second round pick and the sixth linebacker taken in the draft. 

Spielman would go on to be better than all of them. Including the first overall pick Aundray Bruce. Spielman had three All-Pro seasons and four Pro Bowl appearances. He was one of the games best defensive players of the 90's. A true star for the Detroit Lions. 

The steal still works today. Spielman currently works for the Detroit Lions as Special assistant to the GM and CEO. His presence is still being felt as he's part of the Lions current rebuild that's experiencing a lot of success.  

Darius Slay

I'm cheating a little on this one. Slay was ranked 23rd on ESPN's ranking of the biggest draft steals of the decade. That's the piece that inspired this piece today. It's spot on, that's why it's making the list. 

Slay wasn't really high on the radar going into the 2013 NFL draft. It was Alabama's Dee Miliner that many Lions fans were hoping for. All told, Slay was the fifth corner taken in the draft. There were some good guys that went ahead of him. Xavier Rhodes and Desmond Trufant both went on to be Pro Bowlers during their career. 

None of them touched the heights that Slay has. There was a time when Slay was arguably the best cornerback in the entire NFL. His 2017 season was amazing. He was an All-Pro and Pro Bowler that year and led the league in interceptions. Since then, he's added another four Pro Bowls to his achievements and is still playing at a high level today. Although it's for the Eagles because Matt Patricia, who is now part of the coaching staff in Philadelphia, decided that he needed to be traded. One of the dumbest moves in Lions history. 

Calvin Johnson

Ok, hear me out. I know there's got to be a lot of people saying "Mike, he was the second pick in the draft." I get that. But he nearly wasn't. 

Going into the 2007 NFL Draft, the Raiders were strongly considering Johnson. There were people in the building that were pounding the table trying to make sure the Raiders selected him. Pretty much the entire Raiders organization wanted him. Even Johnson thought he was going there. 

Raiders owner Al Davis, who was famous for wanting the Raiders to take speedy receivers a lot, deviated from that this time and made the call that he wanted JaMarcus Russell. Even after Lions GM Matt Millen advised that Davis not take him. Can you imagine if Davis had listened? What are you doing Matt? 

Ultimately the Raiders went with Russell and the Lions wound up getting one of the greatest receivers in NFL history. That's a steal in my book. 

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