Detroit Lions’ five worst first-round draft picks

Detroit Lions quarterback Joey Harrington grabs his helmet after his pass to wide receiver Mike Williams in the end zone was ruled out-of-bounds during the final minutes of the fourth quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2005 in Tampa, Fla. The Bucs beat the Lions 17-13. (AP Photo/Scott Audette)

By Paula Pasche | The Oakland Press

PUBLISHED: March 24, 2016 at 1:53 p.m. | UPDATED: June 17, 2021 at 6:59 a.m.

These days it’s tough for an NFL team to make a mistake with a first-round draft pick. The draft has become more scientific with teams, including the Lions, using every available means to get to know the prospect.

It’s not just the time in the 40-yard dash or the combine workouts, but also interviews, and background investigations – anything that will prevent a team from taking a guy who will not be a good fit.

The whole process has evolved over the years.

Still, it’s not a perfect science.

The Lions have the 16th overall pick in the draft starting on April 28. They have needs and will likely have a few good options at that point.

Just for fun, let’s look at the Lions’ worst first-round draft picks since 1980:

1. Reggie Rogers was drafted seventh overall in 1987 and only played two seasons in Detroit. The defensive tackle played in just 11 games – six as a rookie due to emotional problems. After five games in 1988, he was driving on Wide Track in Pontiac when his car struck and killed three teen-agers. His blood alcohol level was .15. He also broke his neck in the crash and was cut by the Lions in He is generally considered one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history. He died in Oct. 2013 from a combination of cocaine and alcohol intoxication.

2. Mike Williams never should have been a first-round pick, but he was one of the doozies selected by general manager Matt Millen. Williams played only two seasons at USC before joining a court battle to be eligible to play in the NFL just two years out of college instead of three which is the rule. He lost and couldn’t go back to school so he sat out a year and then landed in a pot of gold in Detroit as the 10th overall pick. As a rookie in 2005 he had 29 catches for 350 yards and one touchdown in 14 games (four starts). It was worse in 2006 when he had eight catches for 99 yards a touchdown in eight games. He was traded to Oakland on the first day of the 2007 draft. Williams was the third wide receiver drafted in the first round in three years by Millen.

3. Speaking of wide receivers drafted by Millen, Charles Rogers was the second overall pick in 2003 out of Michigan State. After his fifth game as a rookie, he broke his clavicle in practice and missed the rest of the season. Then in the third play of first game in 2004 he broke another clavicle. It wasn’t the injuries that necessarily made him a bust, it was his inability to deal with them. Millen sent him home to recover in 2005 which he later admitted was a mistake. Being away from the team, Rogers got in more trouble. He was suspended four games in 2006 for his third violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. He was released on Sept. 2, 2006. In three seasons with the Lions he had 36 catches for 440 yards in 15 games. In 2003, the Texans used the third overall pick on wide receiver Andre Johnson who played a dozen years in the NFL with 14,100 receiving yards.

4. Joey Harrington was just never a good fit for the Lions. The quarterback out of Oregon was the third overall pick in 2002. He took over as the starter in the first game in 2002 and finished the 3-13 season with a 50.1 completion percentage, a ratio of 12 touchdowns to 16 interceptions, and a 59.9 quarterback rating. The lack of success in his four seasons in Detroit was not all Harrington’s fault. He just should not have been drafted so high. Others who were drafted that year in the first round after Harrington included cornerback Quentin Jammer, tackle Bryant McKinnie, defensive end Dwight Freeney, tight end Jeremy Shockey, defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and safety Ed Reed.

5. Jahvid Best was an exceptional athlete and a good person. Coach Jim Schwartz was super excited to land him as the Lions second first-round pick in 2010 (30th overall). Martin Mayhew traded up to get the pick after they had selected Ndamukong Suh with the second overall pick. Best had a huge red flag that was overlooked by the Lions. He suffered a brutal concussion late in his senior season at Cal – it was his second concussion in two games. He had a solid rookie season for the Lions but suffered a concussion in a 2011 preseason game and another in a game on Oct. 16, 2011, which was the last game he ever played. It wasn’t Best’s fault he was a first-round bust, the Lions should have placed more weight on his concussion history in college. He worked extremely hard to make it back to football but could not.