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Today, on the day the NFL draft begins, we look back at some of the glaring errors the Lions’ expert drafters have made over the years. We’ve condensed it to a handful of names to prevent this from becoming a 5,000 word tome. Enjoy, and try not to become ill while reading.
Bryant Westbrook - 5th overall (1997)
Bryant Westbrook
Good old #32 never met a deep ball that he didn’t want to commit pass interference on. Westbrook was one of the more frustrating Lions’ defensive backs in a recent history littered with them. He was drafted out of Texas with the thought that he’d anchor the secondary, shut down one half of the field, propel the team to the playoffs and beyond. But he underachieved in his five years as a Lion, earning more yellow laundry than a dry-cleaner on the set of Sesame Street.
And the cherry on top? The very next pick in that ’97 draft was big Walter Jones to Seattle. All Jones did was become one of the most durable, dominant offensive line of his time and earn induction to the Hall of Fame in 2014. It’s not quite Sam Bowie before Michael Jordan, but it’s in the same ballpark.
Chris Claiborne - 9th overall & Aaron Gibson - 27th overall (1999)
“Hey, did ya hear??!? The Lions just snagged a franchise-changing linebacker and a giant offensive lineman...we’re going to the Super Bowl!!!” Yeah...not so much. Claiborne was far from the hard-hitting force the Lions thought they were getting out of USC. He wasn’t terrible, just not nearly as impactful a defender as his draft position would call for. He’d last just four years in Detroit. Superstar quarterback Daunte Culpepper could have been had in this slot, but the Leos already employed Charlie Batch and Stoney Case. Apparently that meant the position was in good hands??
Aaron Gibson was more or less a disaster. And a 400+ pound one at that. Gibson was a menacing behemoth coming from Wisconsin, but most assumed that his weight problems would ultimately sack his NFL career. And those doubters proved to be right. He’d last only parts of two seasons in Detroit, and wound up only playing in 38 games for his career. Don’t forget that the Lions also paid a pretty steep price to move up and grab the big fella, sacrificing 2nd, 3rd, and 5th round picks in the process. 1999 was most definitely not a draft to remember for the Detroit Lions.
Stockar McDougle - 20th overall (2000)
Stockar McDougle
What percentage of the Lions making McDougle their first-round choice that year was due to his rugged-sounding, very unique first name? I’m gonna say about 90%. Maybe the other 10 percent was their opinion of him as a player, as a 6’6, 335-pound space-eater that would anchor the O-line for years to come. But I still think the great majority of the thought that went into this pick was on first name alone.
If he was Barry McDougle? Look for him somewhere in Round 3. Spencer McDougle? Undrafted.
But Stockar, that guy just sounds like a first-rounder. The Lions took the bait, and while not their worst selection in history, it was never much of a game-changer, either.
(Note: this “cool first name” reasoning was also responsible for the underwhelming Boss Bailey 2nd-round pick a few years later. Change one letter in his first name, and “Ross” Bailey never sees an NFL field.)
Joey Harrington - 3rd overall (2002)
In fairness to the Lions, the 2002 crop of incoming college quarterbacks might have been the worst in league history. There were 15 passers sprinkled throughout the seven rounds, each one more depressing than the next. Take a look at this freak show:
Joey Harrington
David Carr, Harrington, Patrick Ramsey, Josh McCown, David Garrard, Rohan Davey, Randy Fasani, Kurt Kittner, Brandon Doman, Craig Nall, J.T. O’Sullivan, Steve Bellisari, Seth Burford, Jeff Kelly, Wes Pate.
So if the Lions were in search of a new leader under center in the ’02 draft, they literally had 0.0% chance of finding it.
Charles Rogers - 2nd overall (2003)
It looked like a slam dunk pick at the time. Rogers was an absolute stud out of Michigan State, and in his first game as a professional he hauled in two touchdowns (half his career total) in a rout of Arizona. A handful of games later, Rogers broke his collarbone, and for all intents and purposes, that was the end of his NFL life. My friend Benjie (an admitted Lions psychotic) still contends that had Rogers not been hit with this injury so early in his journey, things would have been different and his career arc would have changed dramatically.
But logic would suggest otherwise. Rogers failed a number of drug tests while in East Lansing, red flags that nowadays would probably prevent a guy from being picked second overall. It requires more than just talent to be a top-tier player in the NFL. Discipline is important, too. Charles was big, he was fast, and he could catch, but as far as work ethic and attitude, he needed to be a lot more like the real Mr. Rogers. Then you might have really had something.
Mike Williams - 10th overall (2005)
Matt Millen had just selected back-to-back wide receivers in the previous two first rounds, so why not make it a third?!? The Mike Williams era was a short one in Detroit, lasting just six starts over two years. His weight was an ongoing issue, with some in the Lions’ camp even pondering a position change to tight end to accommodate the half-dozen Lafayette coneys Williams was hammering daily. And as is the common theme here, the very next pick happened to be DeMarcus Ware, an all-world linebacker with 127 sacks to his name and likely enshrinement in Canton down the road. Coulda, woulda, shoulda.
Matthew Stafford - 1st overall & Brandon Pettigrew - 20th overall (2009)
Not a complete debacle like some of these other drafts, but it’s safe to say the Lions were expecting much, much more here. In six years of Stafford, you got 131 touchdowns against 85 interceptions, a pair of playoff berths, and no playoff wins. Not overly inspiring, not super upsetting, just sorta, eh. We’ll be entering Stafford’s seventh year this fall, with Lions’ loyalists just waiting for the moment when all of that #1 draft pick potential transforms into on-field results. At what point does that line of thinking become more “pipe dream” than “reasonable expectation”?
As far as Pettigrew, what can you really say? It was a bizarre pick at the time and looks just as ill-fitting today. It’s almost as bad as...
Eric Ebron - 10th overall (2014)
Of all the positions the Lions needed to address last year with such a valuable top-ten selection, there were very few fans, if any, that thought “tight end” was the place to go. But on NFL Draft day, it is never wise to try and predict the dreams and wishes of a Detroit Lions front office.
In the few picks after Ebron were Odell Beckham, Jr., already the league’s most acrobatic receiver, and Aaron Donald, a ferocious defensive tackle that would look pritttttay, pritttttay good in a Lions uniform today. Ebron did not look comfortable in his rookie year, and while Lions’ brass insists he will soon be a top-flight player, the eye-test suggests otherwise.
2015 - ???
The Lions enter tonight’s first round needing help in just about every area of the field. The ball-carriers and receiving corps could use a jolt, both lines need an upgrade, and the secondary is always short on talent.
Just trust that if there’s a misstep to be taken, the Lions will find a way. In the case of first round drafting, history is most definitely not on our side.
