Mikey D

With the NFL Draft coming up, I did a little research on the Matt Millen era in Detroit. Yes, this is what I do with my time while I'm on spring break. I basically focused on Millen's picks, which we all know have received much scrutiny over the years. I wanted to look at his drafts as a whole though, to see how he did after he drafted a first-round wide receiver. My findings? We are a terrible, terrible franchise. To start, here are a list of players who are still on the Lion's roster that Matt Millen has drafted. Even if your name is Matt Millen, this is awful.

2001:
OT- Jeff Backus
OT- Dominic Raiola

2002:
TE- John Owens

2003:
DT- Cory Redding

2004:
WR- Roy Williams
LB- Alex Lewis
CB- Keith Smith

2005:
DT- Shaun Cody
CB- Stanley Wilson
QB- Dan Orlovsky

2006:
LB- Ernie Sims
S- Daniel Bulloks
RB- Brian Calhoun
OT- Jonathan Scott
LB- Anthony Cannon

2007:
WR- Calvin Johnson
QB- Drew Stanton
DE- Alama-Francis Ikaika
DB- Gerald Alexander
OG- Manuel Ramirez
CB- Ramzee Robinson

Matt Millen has had 53 draft picks since 2001, the year he took over. Of those 53, only 21 have stuck with the roster. That means Millen has failed on a whopping 32 draft picks. And I use the term "fail" loosely, as you can take a look at the players who are still on the roster, and the "hits" are hardly major successes.

Of the 21 players that are still on the roster, these are the picks that I would deem quality:
OT- Jeff Backus
OT- Dominic Raiola
DT- Cory Redding
WR- Roy Williams
LB- Ernie Sims
S- Daniel Bulloks
WR- Calvin Johnson

I've only listed seven players there. Of course my list is open for debate, as you could probably make a valid argument of not including some of these players, or including others. Maybe Millen will hit on a franchise QB in Stanton, time will tell. So of the seven I've listed, that means fourteen of the players on our roster are basically fillers or back-ups that could be (should be) cut any time. So in essence, Millen has hit on 7 of 53. And of those seven, how many are dominate starters, players you'd build a franchise around? Three (Sims, Williams, Johnson)?

Even more discouraging is Millens' ineptitude in the first couple rounds:

1st Round:
4 out of 8 (50%)
Hits: Roy Williams, Jeff Backus, Ernie Sims, Calvin Johnson
Misses: Joey Harrington, Charles Rogers, Kevin Jones, Mike Williams

2nd Round:
6 out of 10 (60%)
Hits: Dominic Raiola, Shaun Cody, Daniel Bullocks, Drew Stanton, Alama-Francis Ikaika, Gerald Alexander
Misses: Shaun Rogers, Kalimba Edwards, Boss Bailey, Teddy Lehman

Millen can barely get half of his round 1 and 2 picks to stick on the roster! That means we are filling our roster with free agent rejects and later round picks- aka the less talented. So is it any wonder why we have been in rebuilding for years and years? According to the Detroit News, the eight misses in the first two rounds, "represented a sizable investment in terms of money and personnel, but Marinelli said there was no resistance from upper management in his decision to part ways with them. "We talked this thing through all the way through it," Marinelli said. "It's not just talent. It's some of the other areas I'm looking for. Production level is everything in this league."

Marinelli with that statement, in my opinion, just inadvertently said Millen was a failure with his picks. He said it's not just about talent- "Millen, you took the flashiest player on the board, but did not fit our team." He said production level is everything- "Millen, basically your picks have done nothing for us on the field." And they've talked "this thing through"? "Millen, we have to start all over again because you absolutely suck."

I'm sorry, but three quality football players in seven years? Some teams get that in one draft. It's just sad, really. Until I did a little research today, I never fully realized how bad we've truly been. And now I know... and knowing is half the battle.

The Lions officially suck.

~Mikey D