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Detroit Lions All-Time Roster by Decade
NFL Dynasty rates 104 Lions players across 6 decades of football (1970s–2020s). The highest-rated is Calvin Johnson (WR, 99 overall), whose peak season with the team came in 2011: 1,686 rec yds, 16 TD, 97 rec. The best Lions defense in the game belongs to the 2010s: 17.6 points allowed per game (#3 in NFL) in 2014.
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The strongest Lions lineup: 2010s
Drafting the top-rated player at every position from the 2010s Lions board gives a team rating of 83.4 — good for an expected 12-5 season in the game, just short of the 88 team rating needed for a shot at 17-0. Against the 16-0 2007 Patriots in Boss mode, that five would win about 5.2% of the time. The thinnest Lions board is the 1980s (72.0).
| Pos | Player | Season | Peak season | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Matthew Stafford | 2011 | 5,100 pass yds, 41 TD, 16 INT | 87 |
| RB | Reggie Bush | 2013 | 1,006 rush yds, 4 TD, 54 rec | 75 |
| WR | Calvin Johnson | 2011 | 1,686 rec yds, 16 TD, 97 rec | 99 |
| TE | Brandon Pettigrew | 2010 | 722 rec yds, 4 TD, 71 rec | 75 |
| DEF | Lions Defense | 2014 | 17.6 points allowed per game (#3 in NFL) | 77 |
Best Lions player at every position
| Pos | Player | Season | Peak season | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Matthew Stafford | 2011 | 5,100 pass yds, 41 TD, 16 INT | 87 |
| RB | Barry Sanders | 1997 | 2,053 rush yds, 11 TD, 33 rec | 88 |
| WR | Calvin Johnson | 2011 | 1,686 rec yds, 16 TD, 97 rec | 99 |
| TE | Sam LaPorta | 2023 | 889 rec yds, 10 TD, 86 rec | 85 |
| DEF | Lions Defense | 2014 | 17.6 points allowed per game (#3 in NFL) | 77 |
Lions boards, decade by decade
The top three players at each offensive position plus the best defense of each decade — what you can draft when the wheel lands on the Lions. Ratings run 56–99 and are era-adjusted (how ratings work).
1970s Lions
Best possible lineup: team rating 75.9 · expected 6-11 · 14 players on the board
| Pos | Player | Season | Peak season | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Greg Landry | 1976 | 2,191 pass yds, 17 TD, 8 INT | 81 |
| QB | Joe Reed | 1975 | 1,181 pass yds, 9 TD, 10 INT | 69 |
| QB | Jeff Komlo | 1979 | 2,238 pass yds, 11 TD, 23 INT | 67 |
| RB | Mel Farr | 1970 | 717 rush yds, 9 TD, 29 rec | 74 |
| RB | Steve Owens | 1971 | 1,035 rush yds, 8 TD, 32 rec | 73 |
| RB | Altie Taylor | 1973 | 719 rush yds, 5 TD, 27 rec | 70 |
| WR | Ron Jessie | 1974 | 761 rec yds, 3 TD, 54 rec | 72 |
| WR | Ray Jarvis | 1976 | 822 rec yds, 5 TD, 39 rec | 70 |
| WR | Larry Walton | 1974 | 404 rec yds, 3 TD, 31 rec | 60 |
| TE | Charlie Sanders | 1970 | 544 rec yds, 6 TD, 40 rec | 72 |
| DEF | Lions Defense | 1970 | 14.4 points allowed per game (#3 in NFL) | 76 |
1980s Lions
Best possible lineup: team rating 72.0 · expected 4-13 · 13 players on the board
| Pos | Player | Season | Peak season | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Gary Danielson | 1980 | 3,223 pass yds, 13 TD, 11 INT | 76 |
| QB | Joe Ferguson | 1986 | 941 pass yds, 7 TD, 7 INT | 62 |
| RB | Garry James | 1988 | 552 rush yds, 5 TD, 39 rec | 65 |
| WR | Richard Johnson | 1989 | 1,091 rec yds, 8 TD, 70 rec | 74 |
| WR | Freddie Scott | 1981 | 1,022 rec yds, 5 TD, 53 rec | 70 |
| WR | Pete Mandley | 1987 | 720 rec yds, 7 TD, 58 rec | 68 |
| TE | David Lewis | 1985 | 354 rec yds, 3 TD, 28 rec | 67 |
| TE | Ulysses Norris | 1983 | 291 rec yds, 7 TD, 26 rec | 62 |
| DEF | Lions Defense | 1983 | 17.9 points allowed per game (#2 in NFL) | 73 |
1990s Lions
Not every position is covered on this board. · 9 players on the board
| Pos | Player | Season | Peak season | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Charlie Batch | 1998 | 2,178 pass yds, 11 TD, 6 INT | 72 |
| QB | Rodney Peete | 1990 | 1,974 pass yds, 13 TD, 8 INT, 363 rush yds | 69 |
| QB | Bob Gagliano | 1990 | 1,190 pass yds, 10 TD, 10 INT | 62 |
| RB | Barry Sanders | 1997 | 2,053 rush yds, 11 TD, 33 rec | 88 |
| WR | Herman Moore | 1995 | 1,686 rec yds, 14 TD, 123 rec | 94 |
| WR | Brett Perriman | 1995 | 1,488 rec yds, 9 TD, 108 rec | 81 |
| WR | Mike Farr | 1991 | 431 rec yds, 1 TD, 42 rec | 65 |
| DEF | Lions Defense | 1997 | 19.1 points allowed per game (#10 in NFL) | 65 |
2000s Lions
Best possible lineup: team rating 72.7 · expected 4-13 · 29 players on the board
| Pos | Player | Season | Peak season | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Jon Kitna | 2006 | 4,208 pass yds, 21 TD, 22 INT | 78 |
| QB | Charlie Batch | 2001 | 2,392 pass yds, 12 TD, 12 INT | 67 |
| QB | Joey Harrington | 2004 | 3,047 pass yds, 19 TD, 12 INT | 66 |
| RB | Kevin Smith | 2008 | 975 rush yds, 8 TD, 39 rec | 71 |
| RB | Kevin Jones | 2006 | 689 rush yds, 6 TD, 61 rec | 70 |
| RB | James Stewart | 2000 | 1,172 rush yds, 10 TD, 31 rec | 69 |
| WR | Roy Williams | 2006 | 1,310 rec yds, 7 TD, 82 rec | 77 |
| WR | Mike Furrey | 2006 | 1,086 rec yds, 6 TD, 98 rec | 73 |
| WR | Johnnie Morton | 2001 | 1,154 rec yds, 4 TD, 77 rec | 72 |
| TE | Marcus Pollard | 2005 | 516 rec yds, 3 TD, 47 rec | 70 |
| TE | David Sloan | 2001 | 409 rec yds, 7 TD, 37 rec | 67 |
| TE | Mikhael Ricks | 2003 | 434 rec yds, 2 TD, 37 rec | 67 |
| DEF | Lions Defense | 2000 | 19.2 points allowed per game (#11 in NFL) | 65 |
2010s Lions
Best possible lineup: team rating 83.4 · expected 12-5 · 24 players on the board
| Pos | Player | Season | Peak season | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Matthew Stafford | 2011 | 5,100 pass yds, 41 TD, 16 INT | 87 |
| QB | Shaun Hill | 2010 | 2,686 pass yds, 16 TD, 12 INT | 70 |
| QB | David Blough | 2019 | 984 pass yds, 4 TD, 6 INT | 58 |
| RB | Reggie Bush | 2013 | 1,006 rush yds, 4 TD, 54 rec | 75 |
| RB | Joique Bell | 2013 | 650 rush yds, 8 TD, 53 rec | 71 |
| RB | Mikel Leshoure | 2012 | 798 rush yds, 9 TD, 34 rec | 71 |
| WR | Calvin Johnson | 2011 | 1,686 rec yds, 16 TD, 97 rec | 99 |
| WR | Golden Tate | 2014 | 1,331 rec yds, 4 TD, 99 rec | 80 |
| WR | Marvin Jones | 2017 | 1,101 rec yds, 9 TD, 61 rec | 80 |
| TE | Brandon Pettigrew | 2010 | 722 rec yds, 4 TD, 71 rec | 75 |
| TE | Eric Ebron | 2017 | 574 rec yds, 4 TD, 53 rec | 70 |
| TE | Tony Scheffler | 2012 | 504 rec yds, 1 TD, 42 rec | 62 |
| DEF | Lions Defense | 2014 | 17.6 points allowed per game (#3 in NFL) | 77 |
2020s Lions
Best possible lineup: team rating 82.5 · expected 11-6 · 15 players on the board
| Pos | Player | Season | Peak season | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Jared Goff | 2024 | 4,629 pass yds, 37 TD, 12 INT | 87 |
| RB | Jahmyr Gibbs | 2024 | 1,412 rush yds, 16 TD, 52 rec | 83 |
| RB | David Montgomery | 2023 | 1,015 rush yds, 13 TD, 16 rec | 73 |
| RB | Jamaal Williams | 2022 | 1,066 rush yds, 17 TD, 12 rec | 72 |
| WR | Amon-Ra St. Brown | 2023 | 1,515 rec yds, 10 TD, 119 rec | 90 |
| WR | Jameson Williams | 2024 | 1,001 rec yds, 7 TD, 58 rec | 74 |
| WR | D.J. Chark | 2022 | 502 rec yds, 3 TD, 30 rec | 65 |
| TE | Sam LaPorta | 2023 | 889 rec yds, 10 TD, 86 rec | 85 |
| TE | T.J. Hockenson | 2020 | 723 rec yds, 6 TD, 67 rec | 73 |
| DEF | Lions Defense | 2024 | 20.1 points allowed per game (#7 in NFL) | 69 |