Detroit Lions: Greatest Draft Class of the Last 20 Years

The Lions have struggled to create successful draft classes over the past two decades, but that could be changing with Brad Holmes at the helm.

Holmes has wasted no time putting his scouting expertise to work in Detroit via the draft. In his first year as Detroit’s General Manager, Holmes added prospects like Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown. In 2022, Holmes followed it up with another strong draft, earning the Lions a top 3 draft class ranking from Pro Football Focus and claiming the ‘Greatest Draft Class of the Last 20 Years’ title. 

Granted, Holmes isn’t competing with many other stellar draft classes from previous Lions’ regimes, so it only makes sense Brad Holmes is responsible for the best draft class since 2003 in Detroit. 

2022 Detroit Lions Draft Class

Edge: Aidan Hutchinson- 1st Round

WR: Jameson Williams – 1st Round

DL: Josh Paschal – 2nd Round

S: Kirby Joseph – 3rd Round

TE: James Mitchell – 5th Round

LB: Malcolm Rodriguez – 6th Round

Edge: James Houston – 6th Round

S: Chase Lucas – 7th Round

Aidan Hutchinson- 1st Round

The Michigan native was nothing short of excellent in his rookie NFL season. After being selected second overall by Detroit in 2022, fans speculated whether or not Hutchinson was the correct pick with Kayvon Thibodeaux still on the board, who the Giants with the fifth pick. Even though the first few weeks of the season, the 22-year-old was heavily criticized for his “over-pursuing problem.” The fault was there but simply over-discussed. 

In their first seasons, here’s how Hutchinson and Thibodeaux stacked up against each other: 

Aidan Hutchinson: 9.5 sacks, three INTs, two fumble recoveries, 15 quarterback hits, the most double-teamed player in the NFL.

Kayvon Thibodeaux: Four sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and 13 quarterback hits. 

Hutchinson’s 12.5 forced turnovers were one more than Von Miller, future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, had his rookie season. 

The former Michigan Wolverine didn’t just live up to the expectations of a second overall pick but succeeded them in every way. He has the potential to be one of the best defensive players in the league and a foundational anchor to a defense.

Jameson Williams – 1st Round

Two words come to mind when discussing the rookie season of Jameson Williams—untapped potential. 

Williams returned from an ACL tear suffered in the 2022 College National Championship in Week 14 vs. Minnesota. Immediately, Williams showed superstar flashes to Detroit, catching a 41-yard touchdown as his first NFL reception. The former Alabama speedster hit an impressive 22.09 MPH on the play. 

It shouldn’t be forgotten Jameson Williams was the best receiver in the country during the 2021-22 CFB season. The talented athlete with freak speed was undoubtedly a top 5 pick prior to his injury. The last three wide receivers selected within the top 5 are Jamaar Chase, Corey Davis, and Amari Cooper. 

Fortunately for the Lions, Williams fell to 12, and Detroit added another potential superstar to their roster. His talent and speed will be on full display in 2022. 

Kirby Joseph – 3rd Round

Kirby Joseph was drafted as a developmental player who could sit behind veteran Tracy Walker and learn in his rookie season. That all changed very quickly when Walker tore his Achilles in Week 3 at Minnesota. At 22 years old, Joesph was thrown in as the starting safety on what, at the time, was a historically bad defense in Detroit. From then on, the former Illinois Fighting Illini took bigger strides than anyone anticipated for the rookie. 

The young safety has unteachable instincts and ball-hawking abilities, which helped him reel in four interceptions in 2022 (three against Aaron Rodgers), the third most among rookies. Joseph, at times, struggled to defend the run but made up for it with his two forced fumbles. The former third-round pick is a turnover machine. Teams need big-time playmakers for big-time moments. Limit the mistakes in 2022, and Kirby Joseph can become this type of player for Detroit. 

Malcolm Rodriguez – 6th Round

At the very worst, Detroit drafted an absolutely beloved fan favorite. However, don’t let this misconstrue your opinion of his on-the-field abilities. 

Rodrigo has great instincts operating the run game, as seen by his top 10 finishes in both tackles (62) and tackles for loss (8) amongst rookies. The former Oklahoma State Cowboy also notched a single fumble and fumble recovery in his 16 games. 

Malcolm Rodriguez improved in the passing game from the beginning to the end of 2022. His closeout ability when covering the flats will lead to more big hits and fumbles in 2023 if the 24-year-old can stay on the field. The Lions will almost certainly draft a pass coverage linebacker with lateral speed, something Rodriguez struggles with due to his limited physical traits. Nonetheless, Malcolm Rodriguez was named to the PFFs All-Rookie team with a 62.8 grade. 

James Houston – 6th Round

 

A diamond in the rough is the best way to describe landing James Houston in the 6th Round.

Despite finishing with 16.5 sacks in his Senior season at Jackson State University under coach Deion Sanders, Houston wasn’t a highly scouted player. Standing at 6-foot-1-inch, 225 pounds, Houston was considered undersized, the exact reason he didn’t see a large snap count in his three years at Florida University. 

The 24-year-old didn’t debut until Thanksgiving, Week 11, against the Bills. Houston had two sacks in his first appearance wearing a Lions uniform and tallied six more the rest of the season, including three against Chicago in Week 16.

Eight sacks in seven games is an incredible accomplishment for a sixth-round pick. Despite playing ten fewer games than the rest of his draft class, Houston finished with the second most sacks amongst rookies, only behind Aidan Hutchinson. Houston and Hutchinson combined for 17.5 sacks, contributing to an NFL record 20.5 sacks by a rookie class. 

Josh Paschal – 2nd Round

It’s still unclear whether or not Detroit broke the second-round curse after selecting Josh Paschal in 2022. 

Paschal battled a lingering sports hernia from his time at Kentucky during the beginning of his rookie season, keeping him out until Week 6. In the next three games, Paschal was on the field for 89%, 91%, and 81% of the Lions’ defensive snaps. Paschal certainly took some pressure off Hutchinson but had nothing to show for it on the box score. 

The 6-foot-3-inch, 285-pound defensive lineman was inactive in Weeks 11 and 12 because of another injury. However, from Week 13 to Week 17, Paschal was never on the field for more than 50% of the team’s defensive snaps, only eclipsing 30% once. 

The emergence of James Houston certainly didn’t help Josh Paschal last season. Assuming the Lions continue adding to their defensive line in the 2023 NFL draft, the 23-year-old will have to earn his snaps in training camp this Fall. Regardless, his size and athleticism give Detroit flexibility to play Paschal on the edge or inside. That alone will keep him on the roster.  

James Mitchell – 5th Round

The 23-year-old rookie out of Virginia Tech was somewhat buried in the deep Tight End room a season ago. Mitchell’s athletic upside keeps him around in Detroit despite being TE3 on the depth chart (for now). 

James Mitchell caught 11 passes for 113 yards and one touchdown in his rookie campaign. At 6-foot-3-inch, 255 pounds, Mitchell shows speed and swift elusiveness in his routes. Detroit hopes the 23-year-old takes a stride this off-season. 

Chase Lucas – 7th Round

Chase Lucas played in six games for Detroit, making one solo tackle and assisting on two more. The 26-year-old will compete for a roster spot during training camp.