The Detroit Lions' third pick in the 2024 NFL draft comes in the third round at No. 73 overall. The Lions initially had a pair of third-round picks but traded one of them in the deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to acquire cornerback Carlton Davis.
The Lions have held the 73rd overall pick three times in franchise history, with two of those selections coming before 1960, both of which were used on halfbacks. In 1954, Detroit selected Tulsa's Dick Kercher, and in 1958, the team took Wisconsin's Dan Lewis.
Kercher went on to play in just seven career games (two starts) and posted three carries for one yard in those contests. Lewis, on the other hand, had a much longer career, playing in 110 games (67 starts) over nine seasons.
Over seven seasons with the Lions, Lewis totaled 2,698 rushing yards, 799 receiving yards and 19 total touchdowns (16 rushing). He broke 400 rushing yards in a season five times, including a career-high 528 in 1963. Lewis spent his final two seasons in the league with Washington (1965) and the New York Giants (1966).
Detroit's only No. 73 overall pick in this century came in 2004, when the Lions took defensive back Keith Smith out of Wisconsin.
Smith appeared in 71 games (five starts) over five seasons in the Motor City, with his best season coming in 2007, when he tallied career-highs in picks (three), passes defensed (seven), tackles (50) and defensive touchdowns (one).
Smith was released by the Lions in 2009 and latched on with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played three games, his last in the NFL.
