Detroit Lions: 5 worst NFL Draft picks in franchise history

The second of three receivers to make the list, Mike Williams was a colossal bust for the Detroit Lions. This was the point in Lions’ history when fans were starting to really voice their opinions about Matt Millen’s poor drafting especially after choosing Williams with the 10th overall selection in the 2005 NFL Draft.

Williams was a serious Heisman contender when playing for USC, even catching 95 passes for 1,314 yards and 16 touchdowns in his final season with the Trojans in 2003. The controversy with his selection was that he tried to declare for the NFL Draft after his sophomore year, following Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett’s footsteps.

Federal courts upheld the decision to make second-year collegiate athletes ineligible for the NFL Draft, per NCAA rules, and since Williams had already hired an agent, he was not eligible to return to USC and had to sit out the entire 2004 season.

Still, though, the Lions thought it was in their best interest to draft another wide receiver in the top 10 of the NFL Draft despite swinging and missing just a couple of years earlier. He did put up gaudy numbers at USC in two seasons, but he hadn’t played a down in two years and there were serious question marks about his level of play.

As a rookie, he showed some potential, catching 29 passes for 350 yards and a touchdown, but his second season was anything but impressive. He finished with eight catches for 99 yards and a score in just eight games, and his career with Detroit was over.

Williams bounced around a bit until 2010 when he had his best professional season with the Seahawks, catching 65 passes for 751 yards and two touchdowns, but hasn’t played since 2011.

Next: 2. Andre Ware