The 1980s
Detroit Lions draft history: 1970–present
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the North Division of the National Football Conference. The franchise was founded in Portsmouth, Ohio, as the Portsmouth Spartans and joined the NFL on July 12, 1930. After being purchased by George A. Richards in 1934, the franchise was relocated to Detroit and renamed to the Detroit Lions in reference to the city's Major League Baseball franchise, the Detroit Tigers. The team plays its home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.
Quick Facts
- Stadium type
- Indoor dome (air-supported fabric roof)
Lore & Background
The Lions participated in the 1984 NFL supplemental draft, which occurred after the formation of the United States Football League (USFL), with the primary purpose of selecting players that had already signed with a USFL team in a separate process from the annual draft. The Canadian Football League (CFL) was also included in this supplemental draft. However, the Lions did not select any player in the 1984 NFL supplemental draft.
Reader's Guide
The Lions have taken part in every modern NFL draft since 1970, doing so most recently in the 2025 NFL draft, where they drafted seven players. The Lions have only selected a player once in a supplemental draft, taking Kevin Robinson in the ninth round in 1982.
Did You Know?
- Two players drafted by the Lions since 1970 have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson.
- With the nineteenth pick of the first round of the 1970 draft, Steve Owens, a running back out of Oklahoma University, became the Lions' first modern draft selection.
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