After an impressive season that saw them finish with a 12-5 record, their first division title since 1993 and a trip to the NFC Championship Game, the Detroit Lions find themselves in an unfamiliar spot in the 2024 NFL draft: Picking near the end of the first round.
The Lions sport the No. 29 overall pick in this year's draft, which marks just the third time in franchise history Detroit has owned that exact pick. It's also the lowest first-round selection for the franchise since 2010, when they owned No. 30, which was obtained via a trade up from their second-round selection.
The Lions' history with the No. 29 overall pick has been mixed, with Detroit absolutely nailing one of the selections while not doing so well on the other.
With the 2024 NFL draft right around the corner, let's take a look at the team's history with its upcoming first-round pick.
1986: RB Garry James, LSU
In the 1986 draft, the No. 29 overall pick was actually in the second round — and with it, the Lions opted to take running back Garry James out of LSU.
James was an OK player during his college days but certainly didn't blow anyone away. He finished with 2,217 rushing yards, 994 receiving yards and 30 total touchdowns (27 rushing) over 42 contests.
Safe to say, James' NFL career did not pan out the way the Lions had hoped. He lasted just three seasons, tallying 1,510 rushing yards, 816 receiving yards and 14 total scores over 40 career games (38 starts).
It wasn't long before the Lions found his replacement, though. Some guy named Barry Sanders was drafted in 1989 and the rest, as they say, is history.
1988: LB Chris Spielman, Ohio St.
Just two years later, the Lions got their second crack at the No. 29 overall pick, and this time they hit it out of the park by drafting one of the better players in franchise history.
In the 1988 NFL draft, the Lions selected linebacker Chris Spielman out of Ohio State, where he was a two-time All-American and won the Lombardi Award.
Spielman was an immediate impact player for Detroit, with the linebacker finishing second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 1988. From there, he went on to be a perennial Pro Bowler over the next three years and ultimately finished with four nods, on top of one first-team All-Pro.
Spielman broke the century mark with tackles in every year of his Lions tenure and had a league-high 195 in 1994, one of two seasons in which he was named the team's defensive MVP.
After eight years with the Lions, Spielman went on to play in two seasons with the Buffalo Bills before retiring in 1999 after a neck injury.
