Key Detroit Lions Draft Picks That Changed the Franchise
The Lions haven't always been the best team historically. If you've been paying attention to them in recent years, you might think they've always been dominant. However, those of us who have had to duck our heads when wearing our Lions gear out on the town (especially during 2008...yikes) know it hasn't always been easy.
That 2008 season, as painful as it was, helped the Lions earn the #1 pick in the 2009 draft, which they used to draft a familiar name and current Lions all-time passing leader, Matthew Stafford. While it didn't result in a Super Bowl, the drafting of Stafford was an impact moment for this team for years to come.
The Detroit Lions recently took to Facebook to share footage of the Lions draft room's reaction to successfully drafting Jahmyr Gibbs in 2023 with the 12th pick. We all know how impactful Gibbs has been since then.
We'll start with recent seasons and work our way back, and then you can view every first-round pick since 2000.
Detroit Lions Drafts Picks That Have Completely Changed The Culture
Gallery Credit: Tommy McNeill
Detroit Lions First Round Picks since 2000
Gallery Credit: Jacob Harrison
Highest Earning Detroit Lions of All-Time - 2025
Gallery Credit: Jacob Harrison
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