Finding recent NFL Draft "busts" for the Detroit Lions is a bit like being a paleontologist, I would imagine. The Lions have been absolutely locked in when it comes to the NFL Draft in recent years which is why this team is considered one of the best and most well-rounded in the entire NFL heading into the 2025 offseason.
The Lions are deep. They know how to find culture fits. They know what they need. They know what works. They have virtually not missed when it comes to premium draft capital in recent years.
But there are still some picks that just don't appear to be working out. While the word "bust" is harsh, sometimes it's warranted and it doesn't necessarily mean that a guy can't figure things out going forward. It may, however, mean that the Lions can't bank on these guys figuring it out in their program and they might have to go another direction in 2025.
Which recent draft picks might be considered "busts" heading into the 2025 offseason?
1. Brodric Martin, DL (2023 3rd-Round Pick)
Given the fact that the Detroit Lions have been in such desperate need of help on the defensive side of the ball over the last two years, especially in 2024 due to injuries on that side of the ball, it's a shame that we haven't gotten the chance to see 2023 3rd-round pick Brodric Martin actually out there doing his thing.
The Lions had an absolutely loaded 2023 NFL Draft class overall and Martin was part of that as a top-100 selection overall. The former Western Kentucky star was the 96th overall pick by Detroit and while you can never guarantee anything from any pick slot, that's a player you expect to make an impact within his first two seasons.
Unfortunately, Martin has been limited to just five games over the last two years and a total of 53 snaps within those five games. You've got to be able to stay on the field in the NFL in order to get to a second contract and unfortunately, Martin is looking like he's going to be headed to some reserve/futures contract type deals in the future if he doesn't get it going in 2025.
2. Hendon Hooker, QB (2023 3rd-Round Pick)
It's a pick I absolutely can't fault the Detroit Lions for, but the selection of Hendon Hooker is slowly starting to look like a bust for GM Brad Holmes and his team.
Hooker was a fascinating prospect coming out of Tennessee a couple of years ago with his combination of arm talent and athleticism. Hooker was a fun prospect at Tennessee and a lot of folks in the NFL Draft community thought he would go much higher than he did when the Lions picked him 68th overall.
The issue is, the development hasn't been there yet for Hooker and the Lions actually asked Teddy Bridgewater to come out of retirement to be their backup quarterback this past season, indicating maybe they don't have the utmost confidence in Hooker's development to this point.
It will be fascinating to see if the Lions actually end up trading Hooker this offseason especially with Ben Johnson now in Chicago and Aaron Glenn in New York. If one of the former coaches doesn't want Hooker in situations to potentially be an option at the quarterback position, then that would tell us all we need to know about where he's at as a player.
Although it wasn't obvious to everyone at the time, the Lions would have probably been better served going after another defensive player where they selected Hooker in the 2023 NFL Draft, even though that class seems to be the gift that keeps on giving. We'll see what the team does this offseason but it looks likely that they will go in a different direction.
3. Ifeatu Melifonwu, DB (2021 3rd-Round Pick)
To reiterate, we're really having to stretch with this to find guys who would fit the "bust" label in recent years for the Detroit Lions. But maybe this kind of post can serve to show just how nails the Lions have been when it comes to the NFL Draft in the last window (four years) under GM Brad Holmes and the Dan Campbell coaching staff.
Ifeatu Melifonwu has actually proven himself to be a really good player when he's actually been able to be on the field. He's a big, rangy defensive back who can blitz and play around the line of scrimmage.
Over the course of his NFL career, however, Melifonwu has only been able to play in 37 games and was limited to just three games last season. Again, when he's been on the field, Melifonwu has been pretty tremendous. He's probably going to get an interesting one-year contract offer somewhere elsewhere in free agency to prove he can regain his 2023 form on a full-time basis, but the Lions have seemingly moved on.
Detroit has one of the top safety duos in the NFL with Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch, and even with injuries piling up on the defensive side this past year, Melifonwu might see a better fit elsewhere. And for the Lions, it just doesn't appear to be working out.
For a team that is probably going to head into the 2025 offseason scarred from what transpired this past year in terms of the injuries they dealt with, they might just cut their losses here and move on.