List of Detroit Lions first-round draft picks

Barry Sanders sitting at a table.
Running back Barry Sanders was drafted third overall in 1989. He spent his whole 10-year career with the Lions, during which time he was a 10-time All-Pro, 10-time Pro Bowler, two-time Offensive Player of the Year, and the 1997 MVP.[1] A first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer, Sanders rushed for over 1,000 yards in every season he played and led the league in rushing yards four times.[2][3][4] He was also selected to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.[5]
Matthew Stafford throwing a pass in a Detroit Lions uniform.
Matthew Stafford was selected first overall in the 2009 NFL draft.[6] He spent 13 seasons with the team, during which he time he set various NFL records, including being the fastest to 30,000, 40,000, and 50,000 passing yards,[7][8][9] being the first player to complete 60% or more of all passes in each game in a season,[8] most fourth quarterback comebacks in a season,[8][10] and the most game winning drives in a season.[11][12] He was also the 2010 Comeback Player of the Year Award.[6]

The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the North Division of the National Football Conference.[13] The franchise was founded in Portsmouth, Ohio, as the Portsmouth Spartans and joined the NFL on July 12, 1930.[14] After being purchased by George A. Richards in 1934, the franchise was relocated to Detroit and renamed to the Detroit Lions in reference to the city's Major League Baseball franchise, the Detroit Tigers.[15][16] The team plays its home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.[17]

The NFL draft, officially known as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting",[18][19][20] is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment.[21] The draft order is determined based on the previous season's standings; the teams with the worst win–loss records receive the earliest picks. Teams that qualified for the NFL playoffs select after non-qualifiers, and their order depends on how far they advanced, using their regular season record as a tie-breaker. The final two selections in the first round are reserved for the Super Bowl runner-up and champion. Draft picks are tradable and players or other picks can be acquired with them.[22]

In 1936, the league introduced the NFL draft after team owners voted on it in 1935.[23][24] The intention of the draft is to make the NFL more competitive, as some teams had an advantage in signing players.[22][24] From 1947 through 1958 the NFL designated the first overall selection as a "bonus" or "lottery pick". The pick was awarded by a random draw and the winner who received the "bonus pick" forfeited its selection in the final round of the draft and became ineligible for future draws. The system was abolished prior to the 1959 NFL draft, as all twelve teams in the league at the time had received a bonus choice.[25][26]

Since the first draft, the Lions have selected 92 players in the first round. The team's first-round pick in the inaugural NFL draft was Sid Wagner, a guard from Michigan State; he was the 8th overall selection.[14][27] The Lions have held the first overall pick four times and selected Frank Sinkwich in 1943, Leon Hart in 1950, Billy Sims in 1980, and Matthew Stafford in 2009.[28] In the most recent draft, held in 2024, the Lions selected Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold.[29]

The Lions did not draft a player in the first round on seven occasions.[28] Seven of the team's first-round picks—Otto Graham, Calvin Johnson, Alex Karras, Johnny Robinson, Barry Sanders, Y. A. Tittle, and Alex Wojciechowicz—have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame;[30][26] two of these, Graham and Tittle, chose not to play for the Lions and joined the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) instead.[31][32] The Lions also used three first-round picks in the 1960s to select players–Pete Beathard, John Hadl, and Johnny Robinson–who chose to sign with the NFL's pre-merger direct competitor, the American Football League (AFL) instead.[33][34][30]

  1. ^ "Barry Sanders Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  2. ^ DeArdo, Bryan (July 16, 2023). "Barry Sanders turns 55: Five fast facts to know on Hall of Fame running back's birthday". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  3. ^ "NFL Rushing Yards Year-by-Year Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on May 30, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  4. ^ "Barry Sanders". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  5. ^ Battista, Judy. "NFL's All-Time Team: Jim Brown tops RBs; Bill Belichick a coach". National Football League. Archived from the original on October 8, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Matthew Stafford Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on May 22, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  7. ^ Rothstein, Michael (January 2, 2017). "Lions' Stafford fastest to 30,000 passing yards". ESPN. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Dajani, Jordan (October 20, 2019). "Matthew Stafford breaks Matt Ryan's record, becomes fastest quarterback to reach 40,000 career passing yards". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on October 20, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  9. ^ Kerr, Jeff (September 9, 2022). "Matthew Stafford matches Drew Brees for quickest to 50,000 passing yards in NFL history". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on September 9, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  10. ^ "NFL Fourth Quarter Comebacks Single-Season Leaders (since 1950)". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 19, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  11. ^ "NFL Game-Winning Drives Single-Season Leaders (since 1950)". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  12. ^ Clawson, Douglas (October 27, 2022). "Why Daniel Jones' NFL-record five game-winning drives through seven games aren't what they seem". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  13. ^ Astbury, Matt (April 12, 2023). "Why are there divisions and conferences in the NFL? How do they work?". DAZN. Archived from the original on May 29, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Team Facts". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  15. ^ "Detroit Lions". National Football League. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  16. ^ "How did your NFL team gets its name? Origins explained for all 32". ESPN. February 2, 2022. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  17. ^ Astbury, Matt (January 15, 2024). "Detroit Lions stadium: What is Ford Field's capacity and does it have a roof?". DAZN. Archived from the original on June 21, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  18. ^ "NFL Draft Profile – NFL Draft". ESPN. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  19. ^ Farmer, Sam (April 26, 2008). "What makes them tick". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  20. ^ Reuter, Chad (April 13, 2012). "Who will be the best pro RB? Martin vs. Miller vs. Wilson". National Football League. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  21. ^ "NFL 2021 Draft date: when and where is it taking place?". Diario AS. February 18, 2021. Archived from the original on January 29, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  22. ^ a b "The rules of the NFL Draft". National Football League. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  23. ^ "1936 – The NFL's First Draft". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  24. ^ a b "Learn the history of the NFL Draft". National Football League. Archived from the original on September 11, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  25. ^ Signora, Michael; Gilbert, Zak; Drexler, Sam; Enos, Cody; Romanko, Reilly (eds.). "Official 2023 National Football League Record & Fact Book" (PDF). National Football League. p. 529. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 27, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  26. ^ a b "Hall of Famers by Draft Round". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  27. ^ "1936 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  28. ^ a b "Detroit Lions All-Time Draft History". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  29. ^ Twentyman, Tim (April 25, 2024). "Lions trade up, draft cornerback Terrion Arnold". Detroit Lions. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  30. ^ a b Cummings, Ian (June 21, 2023). "History of Detroit Lions First-Round NFL Draft Picks All Time". Pro Football Network. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  31. ^ Slagter, Josh (April 23, 2013). "From Barry Sanders to Charles Rogers, Detroit Lions have lengthy history in top five of NFL draft". MLive Media Group. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  32. ^ Rothschild, Richard (October 9, 2017). "Y.A. Tittle: The Man Who Ignited Football in NY". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  33. ^ "NFL vs AFL II, 12 Jan 1964". Fort Worth Star-Telegram (clipping). Associated Press. January 12, 1964. p. 67. Archived from the original on September 11, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ Goldstein, Richard (November 30, 2022). "John Hadl, Standout Quarterback of the A.F.L., Dies at 82". The New York Times. sec. B, p. 15. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2023.