Re-Grading Detroit Lions' Past 5 Drafts

Don't you love the job Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew has done? A scroll through the comments section of any draft-related article will show numerous pages bursting with praise for Detroit's main roster architect.

Did I use the right font there? Too often my sarcasm can be mistaken for soothsaying, leaving commenters confused about how I could say such things.

The truth is that many on Twitter don't appreciate the job Mayhew has done in turning this sad-sack franchise from winless road kill to jungle survivor. The Lions certainly haven't been crowned at this point, and more than a few are quick to point that out. But are those statements legitimate indictments of the head man's performance over the past five years? Or do they represent frustration over the lack of playoff wins?

"

I’ll go out on a limb and say if Tom Lewand and Martin Mayhew were running the Boston Bruins they’d be out of jobs also.

— Jeff Moss (@JeffMossDSR) April 15, 2015"

The truth is always somewhere in between, so we'll have to dive into the data to find it. In the following slides, you'll find a list of Mayhew's picks since 2010 and a grade for each class based on how those players panned out.

2010 Draft Class

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Round	Overall Pick	Player	Position	School
1	2	Ndamukong Suh	DT	Nebraska
1	30	Jahvid Best	RB	California
3	66	Amari Spievey	CB	Iowa
4	128	Jason Fox	OT	Miami
7	213	Willie Young	DE	N.C. State
7	255	Tim Toone	WR	Weber State

Talk about a walk down memory lane. The above picture could be used for #TBT (Throwback Thursday) or by @StuffDrakeDoes (self-explanatory) because there isn't a single player left from this class.

But was it a bad one?

Obviously, Ndamukong Suh went on to become a four-time first-team All-Pro who would eventually anchor the league's second-best defense in 2015. He was—and is—one of the best tackles in the game, a surefire Hall of Famer, but the fact that he's now gone doesn't play a role in a grade meant to assess the pick itself.

Mayhew was on fire in 2010 from a defensive line perspective because he unearthed a gem in Willie Young. The seventh-round pick would eventually get rewarded for his solid play in the form of a three-year, $9 million contract offer from the Chicago Bears. That faith was rewarded with a 10-sack performance in 2014-15.

The rest of this draft, however, was either forgettable or unfortunate.

Jahvid Best would retire after just two years due to concussions. The fact that Mayhew traded back into the first round for a guy with known head-trauma problems makes it an extremely unwise pick despite Best's potential. In fact, it's enough to drag down the intelligent (albeit no-brainer) Suh decision at least two letter grades in hindsight.

None of the other players would ever make an on-field contribution—unless you want to count helping opposing receivers find their way downfield.

Grade: C

2011 Draft Class

Stephen Chernin/Associated Press

Round	Overall Pick	Player	Position	School
1	13	Nick Fairley	DT	Auburn
2	44	Titus Young	WR	Boise State
2	57	Mikel Leshoure	RB	Illinois
5	157	Doug Hogue	LB	Syracuse
7	209	Johnny Culbreath	OT	SC State

We've all made mistakes, whether it's picking the wrong career, relationship or place to live. Luckily for us, we can just keep those posts off of Facebook or erase them entirely.

Mayhew doesn't have that luxury, but every semblance of this class has been erased from the roster—just not from the fans' collective memory bank.

Nick Fairley fell into Detroit's lap at No. 13 overall. He had top-overall-pick talent with enough questions to see him tumble out of the top 10. It's easy to defend the chance taken on him because if it worked out, he would have created an all-time pairing with Ndamukong Suh or taken the sting out of Suh's departure.

However, Fairley never was able to put it all together for a variety of reasons. There were weight and motivation issues, and when it seemed that 2014 was finally going to be his year, a knee injury ripped away the opportunity. Still, the talent was enough to warrant the pick, so it's probably a "C" in hindsight.

Mikel Leshoure gave Detroit one season of hope with nine touchdowns after returning from an Achilles injury, but that came with just a 3.7-yard average. He didn't survive past the next year.

The only other player to have any impact was Titus Young, who unfortunately caught more charges (at least 15) than touchdowns (10). That type of issue needs to be sniffed out in the pre-draft process, much like Fairley's, and the effect on the grade is devastating here.

Grade: D-

2012 Draft Class

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Round	Overall Pick	Player	Position	School
1	23	Riley Reiff	OT	Iowa
2	54	Ryan Broyles	WR	Oklahoma
3	85	Dwight Bentley	CB	Louisiana Lafayette
4	125	Ronnell Lewis	LB	Oklahoma
5	138	Tahir Whitehead	LB	Temple
5	148	Chris Greenwood	CB	Albion
6	196	Jonte Green	CB	New Mexico State
7	223	Travis Lewis	LB	Oklahoma

Mayhew started to turn things around with this class. It should be noted that his 2009 version was pretty solid as well, but this particular one has added at least two long-term contributors with two others fighting injuries to get on the same path.

Riley Reiff has held down the left side now for two years with some success. While he was pretty average in 2013 (minus-1.3 Pro Football Focus grade), he grew enough the next year to post a 6.8 grade, which qualified him as the 23rd-best tackle overall (includes both sides of the ball).

Tahir Whitehead was thrust into a starting role after two years of obscurity when Stephen Tulloch went down last season. He finished 2014 with 30 defensive stops (plays that constitute a failure for the offense) and allowed a passer rating of only 85.3 on throws targeting his assignment, which was 11th-best among inside linebackers.

Ryan Broyles and Dwight Bentley offer different cases. Broyles completed his first healthy season since his junior year of college in 2014, but he was never activated for a game. Meanwhile, Bentley suffered an injury in the season opener, continuing a trend that has hamstrung his career.

The late-round corners never quite panned out, and only Travis Lewis was able to carve out a role on special teams. While this haul didn't provide any superstars, it was a solid class that offered something tangible to build on.

Grade: B

2013 Draft Class

Craig Ruttle/Associated Press

Round	Overall Pick	Player	Position	School
1	5	Ezekiel Ansah	DE	Brigham Young
2	36	Darius Slay	CB	Mississippi
3	65	Larry Warford	OG	Kentucky
4	132	Devin Taylor	DE	South Carolina
5	165	Sam Martin	P	Appalachian State
6	171	Corey Fuller	WR	Virginia Tech
6	199	Theo Riddick	RB	Notre Dame
7	211	Michael Williams	TE/OT	Alabama
7	245	Brandon Hepburn	LB	Florida A&M

The face of the 2013 class is yet to be determined, and that's actually a good thing.

Ezekiel Ansah is a terror on the rise. He logged the second-highest pass-rushing productivity score among 4-3 defensive ends and has become a dominant run defender (33 stops). The raw first-rounder looks primed to cash in on his seemingly limitless potential.

But he wasn't the first one to make his mark. Larry Warford came out of the gate hot his rookie season, grading out as the fourth-best guard in the league during his rookie campaign.

Yet when the cleats are hung up and this class moves on from football, it could be Darius Slay who finishes with the biggest impact. In 2014-15, he bounced back from a rough rookie season to rack up eight passes defensed and emerged as a sure tackler (17 stops).

Throw in a good punter in Sam Martin, an electrifying third-down back in Theo Riddick, a rotational defensive end in Devin Taylor and a decent developmental wide receiver in Corey Fuller, and this class isn't just good for Mayhew—it'd be good for frequently lauded Baltimore Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome.

Grade: A

2014 Draft Class

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Round	Overall Pick	Player	Position	School
1	10	Eric Ebron	TE	North Carolina
2	40	Kyle Van Noy	LB	Brigham Young
3	76	Travis Swanson	C	Arkansas
4	133	Nevin Lawson	CB	Utah State
4	136	Larry Webster	DE	Bloomsburg
5	158	Caraun Reid	DT	Princeton
6	189	TJ Jones	WR	Notre Dame
7	229	Nate Freese	K	Boston College

In the case of Nick Fairley, everyone can agree that his special talent and potential fit with Ndamukong Suh warranted his selection. But don't try to sell that same argument for Eric Ebron. All you'll get in return are cold stares and sharp words.

Ebron was taken 10th overall, ahead of defensive tackle Aaron Donald and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., and the tight end will need at least 50 catches this season before fans forget it. His rookie season was unequivocally a dud (25 catches, 248 yards, 1 touchdown) in terms of production, especially for such a high pick.

It does help his case, however, that tight ends are notoriously slow starters. Vernon Davis only had 20 receptions his first year. Jimmy Graham had 31 (albeit five went for touchdowns). The jury is still out on Ebron.

Unfortunately, injuries manhandled two of the next three picks (Kyle Van Noy and Nevin Lawson), giving us little to analyze and grade. Only Travis Swanson received enough playing time his rookie season, giving up one sack, three quarterback hits and 11 hurries in 366 snaps. He seemed adequate enough given his youth and draft status.

Nate Freese barely made it past the season opener before getting cut, and TJ Jones (shoulder injury) and Larry Webster (too raw) never saw the field. It's possible that Caraun Reid could be the fourth guy in the defensive tackle rotation after one stop and three hurries in 112 snaps, but like with most of the players in this class, it's too early to tell.

Grade: Conditional D+

All advanced stats, rankings and grades are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.