Getty T.J. Watt during the NFL Pro Bowl in 2022.
Through the years, the Detroit Lions have wanted plenty of do-overs when it comes to the NFL draft, and the reason for that has plenty to do with their own ineptitude.
The team has struggled getting it right in a big way, and as a result, there are plenty of misses through the years that can be debated in terms of the worst. Interestingly enough, some folks believe the worst whiff may have come within the last handful of years in the draft.
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Recently, with the 2022 draft coming, Bleacher Report has taken a look at some of the biggest misses that teams have had to endure through the years, and the biggest do-over the teams would want as a result of those mistakes. For Detroit, writer Gary Davenport goes back to 2017, and says that Jarrad Davis over T.J. Watt was the team’s top mistake.
As Davenport explains in the piece, Davis became expendable while Watt became a star in the league. Had the situation been different, Watt could have been a star within the Detroit defense like he has done in Pittsburgh.
Passing on Watt represents a big mistake for the Lions, but if fans can have any consolation, it’s in the fact that Bob Quinn, the general manager who presided over this disaster, has exited.
The hope is the Lions can avoid more mistakes just like this in the future.
Watt’s NFL Stats Give Lions Major Remorse
Ever since coming into the league, it’s clear that Watt has represented a major star for the Pittsburgh Steelers. How the Lions in addition to some other teams missed badly on him early in the first-round in 2017 is stunning, but Watt’s transition to the league has made those teams pay dearly. His rookie year, Watt collected 7 sacks, and that was just the beginning. Since, Watt has bettered his sack total every single year, culminating in an amazing 22 sack season in 2021. In total, Watt has collected a gaudy 294 tackles, 72 sacks and 4 interceptions in his career. This production would have looked great in Motown:
How the Lions passed on such a talent is amazing to note, but the Steelers are likely happy they did. Davis has bounced around and Watt has been selected to four Pro Bowls, has been a three-time first-team All-Pro and was voted the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2021. Those accolades sure would have looked nice in Detroit, especially given the trouble the team has had getting after the quarterback.
Davis’s Career Stats & Highlights
Speaking of Davis, the Lions have recently just taken a second chance on the linebacker after he was cut last offseason. Though he hasn’t been nearly as good statistically, Davis always brings it on the field in terms of energy and passion, and that’s something he has done since he played in college with the Florida Gators while putting up 201 tackles and 5.5 sacks in Gainesville. Known as one of the best tacklers and leaders in his class when he came out, Davis has always had all the tools to be a solid NFL player, but has yet to get comfortable in the league. Perhaps he can find a home in Detroit again with his aggressive play and achieve some consistency. Though he wasn’t always elite or a star, he has played at a high level in the league before like the tape shows:
At times, Davis can be his own worst enemy in terms of the things he does on the field in pursuit and in coverage, but more often than not, his speed and passion is a major advantage for him when in attack mode. One of his last years in Detroit, Davis was best at rushing the passer. He put up 63 tackles and 2 sacks in the 2019 season for the Lions. As a whole in his career, Davis has 330 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 7 forced fumbles and 1 interception.
Obviously, it’s not a controversial opinion to say that the Lions should have went with Watt over Davis, and some believe that doing the opposite would be the team’s biggest draft do-over of all-time.
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