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Top 10 Detroit Lions
This list is top heavy with talent.
Over the last 60 years, the Detroit Lions have had some great players, but they’ve been mired in the mediocrity around them. It turns out Matt Stafford really is a Super Bowl QB, but he had to get out of Detroit to prove it. Other great players such as Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson had great careers but saw limited success at a team level. This list has a lot of old guys on it. I expect in a few years some guys from the current team will be in the top ten.
For another trip down Memory Lane, here are some other guys who came close; include Billy Sims, Darius Slay, Jason Hansen, and Wayne Walker.
10. Bubba Baker
Bubba was a pass rusher extraordinaire. Baker hit the NFL with a bang in his rookie season in 1978 when he unofficially compiled 23 sacks. He was also named to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams that season. While Baker never recorded that many sacks again, he did pile up 75.5 sacks in his five years as a Lion. Ultimately Bubba went to a total of three Pro Bowls. Baker got the nod over Robert Porcher because, while Porcher ultimately finished with 95.5 sacks as a Lion, Baker was truly spectacular, though for a much shorter period of time.
