National Football League

After Fairley signs with Rams, two Lions draft classes all gone

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 1:11 a.m. ET

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The Detroit Lions' draft classes of 2010 and 2011 are now completely wiped out.

The last pick remaining from 2010 was defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who signed earlier this week with Miami.

And the last one left from 2011 was Nick Fairley, another defensive tackle, who signed Friday with St. Louis.

Eleven draft picks total between those two years -- all gone.

Here's the breakdown:

2010

First round: Suh, the No. 2 pick overall, was a first-team All-Pro for three of his five years, but the Lions were unable to re-sign him once he hit free agency.

First round: Running back Jahvid Best, the 30th selection overall, gave the Lions a game-breaking threat before a brain injury forced him to retire after a couple seasons.

Third round: Defensive back Amari Spievey played three seasons with the Lions, even started 26 games, but a head injury also took a toll on him and he was eventually released.

Fourth round: Offensive tackle Jason Fox never lived up to expectations because of injuries and left for Miami after the 2013 season as a free agent.

Seventh round: Defensive end Willie Young was general manager Martin Mayhew's best late-round pick. Young developed into a starter in Detroit, but he bolted last year to division rival Chicago as a free agent.

Seventh round: Receiver Tim Toone, given the title of “Mr. Irrelevant” after being the final pick of the NFL Draft, never played a game with the Lions but he kicked around the league for a few years, mostly on practice squads and training-camp rosters.

2011

First round: Fairley, the 13th pick overall, showed flashes of a Pro-Bowl caliber player at times. However, he was terribly inconsistent, largely because of injuries, problems with his weight and lack of motivation.

Second round: Receiver Titus Young was suspended during his second season for disciplinary reasons. He was later released, got into trouble with the law and suffered from some mental issues.

Second round: Running back Mikel Leshoure never was the same after suffering a ruptured Achilles' tendon during training camp of his rookie year. He was the starter in 2012 but got demoted the following season.

Fifth round: Linebacker Doug Hogue spent two seasons with the Lions before ending up in the Canadian Football League.

Seventh round: Offensive tackle Johnny Culbreath's claim to fame was being the first in a series of Detroit players who got arrested during the 2012 offseason.

These were the second and third years that Mayhew was in charge of the draft as the team's GM, and he'd probably like to forget both of them.

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