ALLEN PARK, Mich. – The Detroit Lions were on the clock that night in 2014, and general manager Martin Mayhew quickly made his decision. The options were plentiful. The franchise, having just hired Jim Caldwell in the hopes of breaking out of the monotony of mediocrity it had been in for a half-century, was once again drafting in the top 10.
As the well-worn story goes, the Lions could have taken Odell Beckham Jr., Taylor Lewan, Zack Martin, Ryan Shazier or an undersized defensive tackle out of Pittsburgh who had college production similar to Detroit’s own All-Pro, Ndamukong Suh.