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Detroit Lions: Rookie Contributions a Bright Spot in 2016 Season

By Zac Snyder

Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Taylor Decker (Ohio State) with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected by the Detroit Lions as the number sixteen overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Taylor Decker (Ohio State) with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected by the Detroit Lions as the number sixteen overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Bob Quinn’s first draft as general manager of the Detroit Lions brought in ten players in the 2016 NFL Draft. His first class exceeded expectations.

Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Taylor Decker (Ohio State) with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected by the Detroit Lions as the number sixteen overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Taylor Decker (Ohio State) with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected by the Detroit Lions as the number sixteen overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /

With the Detroit Lions 2016 season over and done with, Bob Quinn’s first draft class as the teams’ general manager have completed their rookie seasons. Shortly after the draft I ranked the ten member draft class by expected impact as a rookie. In looking at each player, I laid out what I thought was a best case and worst case scenario.

While I did like the foundation Quinn set with his initial draft class, I wasn’t expecting a lot from year one. However, the contributions the Lions got out of this group of players was one of the pleasant surprises of the 2016 season.

In some cases, more playing time than expected was well earned and in other cases it was out of necessity.

Now that those rookie season are in the books, let’s take a look back at expectations and how things played out. Each player is presented in draft order.

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