Key Detroit Lions Draft Picks That Changed the Franchise

The Lions haven't always been the most historically good team. If you've been paying attention to them in recent years, you'd think they were always a dominant team. 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, was instrumental in the Lions getting 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.

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The Detroit Lions recently took to Facebook to share footage of the Lions draft room's reaction to successfully drafting Jahmyr Gibbs back in 2023 with the 12th pick in the draft. We all know how impactful Gibbs has been since then.

After this video was posted, and considering the 2025 NFL draft is just around the corner, it's time to take a look back at the key draft choices that have been winners for this team that went 15-2 last season.

We'll start with the recent seasons and work our way back, starting with the 2024 pick, Terrion Arnold, during the NFL Draft in Detroit. It is in Green Bay, Wisconsin, this year.

You can then view every first-round pick since 2000 below.