NFL Draft: 2004 Re-Draft

7. Detroit Lions

Dec 29, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen (69) reacts against the Detroit Lions in the second quarter at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome. The Vikings win 14-13. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

New Pick: Jared Allen

2004 Pick: Roy Williams

Williams certainly wasn’t the biggest bust in Detroit’s run of selecting three straight wideouts in the top 10, but he never quite lived up to his 7th overall pick either, only going over 1,000 yards once in his career.

For the first time in this Re-Draft, we’re reaching out of the first round, to Round 4 in fact, to grab Jared Allen. Since coming into the league, Allen has had more sacks than any other player in that span. The Lions have been bad for a while, and for much of that span (aka the Matt Millen era), they mistakenly tried to build their team completely around the offense.

Jared Allen is a dominant, but sometimes one-dimensional pass rusher. With a gear of speed off the edge that only one or two guys each draft has, Allen has gone for double digit sacks in eight of his ten seasons. Only until recently with Ndamukong Suh has Detroit had such a force on D.

This pick comes smack dab in the middle of one the worst draft bust streaks for any franchise in NFL history. And although I can’t re-do Joey Harrington and Charles Rogers, with Allen, the Lions hit big on a first rounder.