NFL Thursday stays in the Midwest today, despite moving southeast from Wisconsin down to Michigan. Starting out as the Portsmouth Spartans, the Detroit Lions are a franchise that basically owned the 1950s but haven’t made a lot of noise in the decades since then. That hasn’t been for a lack of quality players, as demonstrated below, however. It’s pretty crazy to look at some of these superstars and balance the data.

Editor’s Note: We find it strange that none of these players played on any of the NFL championship teams from the 1950s that we previously explored (1952, 1953, 1957). That is a strange rarity in this miniseries we’ve been producing for months.

No. 10: Dominic Raiola, C—89 AV (2001-2014)

Maybe it should not be a surprise to see a guy on this list with no double-digit AV seasons and no Pro Bowls on his resume. This is one of those recurring “quantity not quality” entries, as this second rounder played 14 steady years for the franchise without much distinction. His best season (9 AV) was 2011, when he was 33 years old. His second-best seasons (8 AV) were 2007 and 2013, as he was also on the infamous 2008 team.

No. 9: Herman Moore, WR—92 AV (1991-2001)

The No. 10 overall pick, he made the Pro Bowl 4 straight seasons (1994-1997) while also leading the NFL in receptions twice (1995, 1997). However, his peak years were brief, as after he posted 7 consecutive seasons (1992-1998) of at least 935 receiving yards, he dropped off the charts quickly: he caught just 707 yards’ worth of passes in his final 3 seasons. He did total 474 receiving yards in 7 playoff games, however. That’s not bad.

No. 8: Calvin Johnson, WR—94 AV (2007-2015)

Drafted with the second overall pick, he was a monster: 6 Pro Bowls (2010-2015), while topping the league in receiving yards twice (2011, 2012) and receptions once (2012). He put up 296 receiving yards in only 2 career postseason games, as well. But he retired at age 30, however, when he could have played for a much longer time. He’s in the Hall of Fame, yet always with the question(s) about what could have been, ya know?

No. 7: Lomas Brown, T—99 AV (1985-1995)

With 6 consecutive Pro Bowls in his final 6 seasons with the team, he justified his No. 6 overall draft position. He also posted double-digit AV in 5 of those 6 Pro Bowl years. It did take him awhile to develop fully, however. But that peak coincided with the team making the playoffs 4 times (1991, 1993-1995), although that may have been more due to someone else on the list below. Still, someone’s got to block.

No. 6: Dick LeBeau, FS/CB/SS—106 AV (1959-1972)

He only played in a single postseason game during his 14-year career with the team, and it was that quirky 5-0 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in 1970. But he made 3 straight Pro Bowls (1964-1966), intercepted a whopping 62 passes, and made the Hall of Fame as fifth-round draft pick. Oddly, the Cleveland Browns drafted him and then let him go to the Lions, and his coaching career is pretty legendary, too. Well done.

No. 5: Alex Karras, DT—122 AV (1958-1962, 1964-1970)

Probably most known nowadays for his post-NFL acting career and the shocking gambling suspension that cost him the 1963 season, he is in the Hall of Fame because of the 100 sacks (at least) he registered. The No. 10 overall pick, he made 4 Pro Bowls (1960-1962, 1965) and posted 8 seasons of double-digit AV (at least). The statistical record is incomplete for defensive players who participated prior to 1960; he could be higher.

No. 4: Lem Barney, CB—122 AV (1967-1977)

Voted as the Defensive Rookie of the Year, this second rounder went on to have a Hall of Fame career: 7 Pro Bowls, 7 seasons of double-digit AV, and the top AV mark in the league once (1969). He topped the league in interceptions once (1967), fumbles recovered once (1968), and pick sixes twice (1967, 1970)—not to mention fumble return yardage once (1975), as well. Sadly, he never got into the playoffs, as he was injured in 1970.

No. 3: Wayne Walker, LB/K—124 AV (1958-1972)

He made 3 consecutive Pro Bowls (1963-1965) in a relatively otherwise unremarkable career that just represents longevity more than anything else. Maybe that’s not fair, though, as he did post 6 seasons of double-digit AV along the way, too. He also scored 341 points as a kicker, which was more common at the time. But his 38.5 sacks and 14 INTs are modest totals for such a long career. He did well on TV later, though.

No. 2: Matthew Stafford, QB—133 AV (2009-2020)

This top overall pick in the draft was the reward for an 0-16 season. Yet he made just 1 Pro Bowl with the Lions (2014) and eventually was traded. His 74-90-1 record as a starter for Detroit probably wasn’t all his fault, but he also was 0-3 as a playoff starter as well. His 89.9 QB rating with the franchise was barely passable (no pun intended) for a No. 1 overall draft pick. It’s hard to classify him as anything but a flop.

No. 1: Barry Sanders, RB—149 AV (1989-1998)

How did this guy fall to the No. 3 pick in the draft?! He made the Pro Bowl in all 10 seasons he was in the league, and he topped the NFL in rushing 4 times along the way—including a 2,000-yard season in 1997. He was the voted Offensive ROTY, the voted NFL MVP in 1997, and our pick for NFL MVP in 1991 and 1994 as well. He posted double-digit AV in every season he played, and it’s hard to not see him as the GOAT, obvi.