3 Best Draft Classes for Lions since 2000

Our Vito Chirco provides his three best Lions draft classes since 2000

The Lions -- to put it mildly -- have not been known to be the best draft evaluators over the years, especially since 2000.

So, when they have managed to put together a solid draft, it has stood out even more.

Without further ado, here are the three best draft classes they have assembled since 2000:

3.) 2018 class

In Detroit general manager Bob Quinn's best draft to date, he made his first three picks count.

He snatched up center Frank Ragnow in the first round at pick No. 20 plus running back Kerryon Johnson in the second round and safety Tracy Walker in the third round.

Ragnow has developed into an extremely solid NFL center, while Johnson has proven to be reliable when healthy and Walker has become a more than capable starting safety.

Quinn followed up those three picks by selecting defensive lineman Da'Shawn Hand.

Hand had a productive rookie campaign, according to Pro Football Focus. He started eight games, and finished with a 79.5 grade as a pass rusher and a 78.7 mark as a run defender.

He only played in three games a season ago due to injury.

If he returns to his 2018 ways in 2020, it will only make this draft haul look better for Quinn.

For right now, it's the Lions' third-best class since the start of the 21st century.

2.) 2013 class

The Lions did well in 2013, under the leadership of former general manager Martin Mayhew.

Mayhew drafted Pro Bowlers in the first rounds: Defensive end Ezekiel Ansah in the first round (No. 5 overall), shutdown cornerback Darius Slay in the second round and guard Larry Warford in the third round.

Nine total players were taken by Mayhew, yet none of them remain with the franchise to this day.

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Slay and punter Sam Martin, Detroit's fifth-round choice in 2013, were the last two to depart the organization.

Slay was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this offseason, and Martin inked a free-agent deal with the Denver Broncos.

This draft class definitely deserved consideration for the best class since 2000. However, it missed out on the billing due to the player taken in the first round of my No. 1 draft class.

1.) 2009 class

This class -- also a product of Mayhew and in his first year as Detroit general manager -- gets the top spot in my rankings because of one player: No. 9 Matthew Stafford.  

The Georgia product was taken No. 1 overall, and has admirably filled the role of franchise passer in the Motor City for the last 11 years.

The man is the best quarterback the organization has seen since the days of Bobby Layne, who last suited up for the Lions in 1958.

The organization presently has all of its eggs in the Stafford basket, and any kind of Super Bowl hopes it has ride solely on his right arm.

Outside of Stafford, the best player the Lions got in the 10-player draft class was linebacker DeAndre Levy, who was taken with Detroit's first of two picks in the third round.

He suited up for parts of eight seasons in Honolulu Blue, and recorded 100-plus total tackles three times, including a career-best 151 in 2014. Additionally, his 117 solo tackles in '14 were both a career-and-league-high mark.

Safety Louis Delmas and tight end Brandon Pettigrew, each of whom spent at least five years in Detroit, were also taken in this draft.

Pettigrew was Detroit's second first-round selection (No. 20 overall). Meanwhile, Delmas was taken in the second round.

At the end of the day, Stafford catapults this class to its No. 1 ranking, while Levy solidifies its status as the Lions' best draft class since 2000.

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