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Ranking the best Lions pick in franchise history at each first-round draft slot If the Detroit Lions stand pat in Round 1 of the NFL Draft on Thursday night, it’ll mark just the second time in franchise history the team has made a pick at 28th overall. You’ll have to keep reading to learn the only Lions player with that distinction. (Hint: He just signed with the Houston Texans in free agency.) But the occasion had us wondering: Who are the best players selected at each first-round draft slot? Join us as we take a trip down memory lane and perform a pseudo-mock draft with every pick from Nos. 1-32 in Lions history to learn the top player selected at each spot.  It’s worth noting the NFL didn’t expand to 32 teams until 2002, so not every player on this list was a first-round pick at the time they were drafted. Our selection at No. 15, for example, was the 15th player selected overall, but was a third-rounder back in 1948. While many of these men carved out their fame in a Lions uniform, some of them made an even bigger name for themselves off the field. Our list features military veterans, stars of the silver screen, and a few players who'd go on to be pivotal members of the team's front office (for better and for worse). Let's get into the picks. * Denotes Hall-of-Famer 1. Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia (2009): We begin our list with what could potentially be a controversial selection. Stafford didn’t win a playoff game during his 12 years in Detroit, but he was partially responsible for reviving the franchise after its darkest days. Pair his longevity with the fact he’s potentially heading to the Hall of Fame, and he gets the slight edge over running back Billy Sims (Oklahoma, 1980), who would have had a stronger case had injuries not ruined his career after making three Pro Bowls and two Second Team All-Pros in five seasons. 2. Calvin Johnson*, WR, Georgia Tech (2007): Ndamukong Suh’s tenure in Detroit was one of the most dominant stretches from a defensive player in recent franchise history. But Johnson, with three First Team All-Pros and six Pro Bowls over nine seasons, finished his career with an argument to be called the best receiver of all time — and he did it all in a Lions uniform.  3. Barry Sanders*, RB, Oklahoma State (1989): We thought about putting Joey Harring—OK, we'll cut the crap. This one is about as easy as it gets. Sanders, the 10-time Pro Bowler and six-time First Team All-Pro, is Lions football. 4. Otto Graham*, QB, Northwestern (1944): The Lions have had the fourth pick just once in franchise history, and they used it to draft a Hall of Fame quarterback who never played a down for the team. Graham instead signed with the Cleveland Browns (then a member of the All-America Football Conference) while serving military duties during World War II. Detroit, led by quarterback Bobby Layne, beat Graham’s Browns in consecutive NFL title games (1952, 1953), but Graham got his revenge by topping the Lions in the 1954 championship. In the end, it all worked out for both teams. 5. Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU (2013): Ansah was a star that shone bright, but not long. His five seasons in Detroit were highlighted by a 14½-sack season in 2015, when he finished as a Second Team All-Pro. A slew of nagging injuries marred what could have been an uber-successful career, but he did enough to land the top spot here. 6. Alex Wojciechowicz*, C/LB, Fordham (1938): The Lions drafted two Hall of Famers with this pick: Wojciechowicz and quarterback Y.A. Tittle. Wojciechowicz was a two-way player and a member of the 1940s All-Decade team. Tittle, meanwhile, never played a snap for the Lions, so Wojciechowicz is the runaway winner.  More: Lions' Brad Holmes trying to be more patient at draft, but hard to argue with past results 7. Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon (2021): Just four seasons into his NFL career, Sewell is the only No. 7 pick in Lions history to make First-Team All-Pro — and he’s done it twice. Still yet to embark on his second contract, he's on pace to be one of the franchise's all-time greats. 8. T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa (2019): The Lions have only made four picks at No. 8 in franchise history, so there isn't much competition for Hockenson, who only spent three-and-a-half seasons in Detroit but was a Pro Bowler in two of them (including 2022, the year he was shipped off to Minnesota at the trade deadline). He's the only Pro Bowler to be selected by the Lions at No. 8. 9. Chris Claiborne, LB, USC (1999): There were just two options for No. 9, Claiborne and Ernie Sims (Florida State, 2006). Both players were linebackers who spent four seasons in Detroit before continuing their eight-year careers elsewhere. But Claiborne had more interceptions (six) and sacks (10) in Detroit than Sims (one and 2½, respectively), so he earned our top spot. 10. Alex Karras*, DT, Iowa (1958): Karras was a true renaissance man, starring in movies and TV shows in addition to being one heck of a football player. He spent 12 years with the Lions, making First Team All-Pro three times with four Pro Bowls. He missed the 1963 season because of a gambling suspension and finished sixth in MVP voting in his 11th year.  11. Greg Landry, QB, Massachusetts (1968): Landry started 98 games for Detroit during a tumultuous time in franchise history. He finished ninth in MVP voting and made his only Pro Bowl in 1971. Later, he’d spend two years as the team’s quarterbacks coach (1995-96), the first of which saw Lions quarterback Scott Mitchell finish second in passing yards (4,338). 12. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama (2023): Defensive end Bill Glass (Baylor, 1957) made two Second-Team All-Pros and four Pro Bowls over his career, but they all came after his four seasons with the Lions. Gibbs, meanwhile, smashed the franchise’s single-season touchdown record (20) in 2024, and with two Pro Bowls in as many seasons, looks like he’ll be an Offensive Player of the Year candidate for years to come. 13. Harley Sewell, OG, Texas (1953): Between 1953 and 2021, only three NFL draft picks had the last name of Sewell, and two of them are on our list in the first 13 picks. Harley spent 11 seasons with the Lions and was a two-time NFL champion with Detroit (1953, 1957) while making four Pro Bowls with a Second-Team All-Pro nod in the Lions’ last championship season.  14. Bob Cifers, HB, Tennessee (1944): Cifers was one of two picks made at No. 14, including tackle Jim Kekeris (Missouri, 1947), who never played a snap in Detroit. Cifers didn’t have much juice as a ballcarrier in his one and only Lions season — his career was also delayed by a stint in the United States Air Corps — but he did lead the league in punting average (45.6 yards) in 1946.  15. Les Bingaman, DL, Illinois (1948): Bingaman was known as the heaviest man in the NFL during his playing days, although there is much discrepancy between his reported weight at the time. In any matter, the fella known as “Bingo” was a monster on the field, capturing three First Team All-Pro selections over his seven-year career, which included two NFL titles in 1952 and 1953.  More: Niyo: Here is what the Lions' seven-round haul could look like in the 2025 NFL Draft 16. Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State (2016): After nine seasons protecting the blindside of Lions quarterbacks, Decker earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl in February. With a three-year contract set to begin this upcoming season, he’s already played more games than any Lions player taken with the 16th pick and is a valuable piece of what many consider to be among the league’s best offensive lines. 17. Gosder Cherilus, OT, Boston College (2008): Out of all the players Detroit has taken 17th overall, only one of them (Cherilus) started three or more seasons in the league. After making 71 starts for the Lions — including a 2011 playoff game — he became the highest-paid right tackle in the NFL, signing with the Indianapolis Colts in 2013 on a five-year, $35 million deal, and finished his career with 116 starts over nine seasons.  18. Jeff Backus, OT, Michigan (2001): From the time he was drafted, Backus played 16 games in every single season except his swan song in 2012, when he missed just one contest. While he didn’t earn any accolades over that span, his Iron Man streak is impressive enough in its own right. Present-day linebacker Jack Campbell, the only other No. 18 pick to play a snap for the Lions, will have to stick around for a little while longer to make his case.  19. Dick Stanfel*, OG, San Francisco (1951): Stanfel played four of his seven NFL seasons in Detroit, but boy, were they productive. He was a First Team All-Pro in two of those years and made the Pro Bowl in another, helping the Lions reach two NFL titles in 1952 and 1953 before finishing his Hall-of-Fame career with Washington, where he made First Team All-Pro in three straight years. 20. Frank Ragnow, C, Arkansas (2018): Over the last seven years, Ragnow has been a stalwart on Detroit’s offensive line, playing through a series of injuries en route to becoming recognized as one of the league’s best centers. He’s reached four Pro Bowls in the last five seasons with three Second Team All-Pro honors, serving as the brain of Detroit’s operation up front. 21. Johnnie Morton, WR, USC (1994): Along with Herman Moore and Brett Perriman, Morton helped make up the best receiving trio in franchise history. He caught 469 passes in Detroit for 6,499 yards (both marks rank third in Lions history) and 35 touchdowns (tied for fourth). Though he never reached a Pro Bowl during his 12-year career, he’s a name that fans will continue to remember for a long time.  22. Russ Thomas, OT, Ohio State (1946): The Lions haven’t had the 22nd pick since 1949, and two of their three picks in that slot didn’t start more than one season in Detroit. That leaves Thomas, who spent four seasons (including three as a starter) as the top choice here. After his playing career, he won two NFL titles with Detroit as an assistant coach and later served a 23-year stint as the team’s general manager.  23. Jeff Hartings, C, Penn State (1996): With just three options, this one came down to Hartings and offensive tackle Riley Reiff (2012). Both players found more success after leaving Detroit than they did with the Lions, but Hartings has a pair of Pro Bowls and a First-Team All-Pro (all of which he received as a member of the Steelers) on his resume. 24. John Gordy, G, Tennessee (1957): Gordy started 10 games as a rookie for the Lions’ last championship team (1957) before making Second Team All-Pro three times over his 10-year career. Perhaps more importantly, he served as president of the NFL Players’ Association and helped negotiate the first collective bargaining agreement in major professional sports.  25. Jerry Rush, DT, Michigan State (1965): Rush, also drafted by the AFL’s Boston Patriots seventh overall, was a reserve option for the Lions over the first two seasons of his NFL career. Beginning in 1967, he made 65 starts on Detroit’s defensive interior and compiled 26 sacks. 26. Robert Porcher, DE, South Carolina State (1992): Porcher spent all 12 of his NFL seasons with the Lions and retired in 2003 as one of the most productive pass rushers (95½ sacks) in franchise history behind Karras (100) and Al Baker (131). Porcher was a consistent force, totaling 10 or more sacks in five seasons with a career-high 15 in 1999, when he made one of his three Pro Bowls.  27. Thurman McGraw, DT, Colorado State (1950): McGraw played in the league before sacks became an officially recognized stat, but one can only imagine the damage he must have done in his Pro-Bowl rookie season, when he recorded five fumble recoveries and an interception. He was a First Team All-Pro in the Lions' 1952 title-winning season and won another championship with Detroit the following year. 28. Laken Tomlinson, OG, Duke (2015): Tomlinson spent only two years in Detroit, but he just finished his 10th NFL season and had a successful stint in San Francisco, where he earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2021. Most importantly: He’s the only 28th pick Detroit has ever made, so he wins by default. He’ll have some competition starting next week, provided the Lions don’t trade out of 28th overall.  29. Chris Spielman, LB, Ohio State (1988): Spielman is one of the most beloved players of his generation. He exploded onto the scene after a decorated career at Ohio State by finishing runner-up for Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1988. He’d go on to post an eight-year stint with Detroit that featured four Pro Bowls, two Second Team All-Pro honors and a First Team All-Pro nod in 1991. Spielman rejoined the Lions in 2020 as a special assistant to the owner and CEO and is credited with helping bring together the regime of general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell. 30. Augie Lio, OL, Georgetown (1941): Despite spending just three of his seven NFL seasons in Detroit, Lio’s selection in 1941 was an instant success. While playing at three different positions (left guard, right guard, left tackle) in as many seasons, he collected two Pro Bowls and two Second Team All-Pro honors before continuing his career with the Boston Yanks. 31. Lloyd Wickett, OT, Oregon State (1943): Neither of the two players selected by Detroit with the 31st pick had an illustrious career, but Wickett had a decent excuse: After his rookie season in 1943, he missed the next two seasons to join the effort in WWII. Wickett returned for the 1946 season but made just two starts, bringing his NFL career to an end. 32. Pat Carter, TE, Florida State (1988): Carter played just one season in Detroit, but he's the only player selected by the Lions 32nd overall who made any appearances for the team. He had a long, steady career, making 154 appearances for the Lions, Rams (both the Los Angeles and St. Louis iterations) and Houston Oilers. Do you have a favorite draft pick in Lions history? Sound off in the comments below. nbianchi@detroitnews.com @nolanbianchi This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Ranking the best Lions pick in franchise history at each first-round draft slot

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