The rookie class of 2011 for the Lions has a very nice upside as a whole but two of the five players they picked spent their rookie seasons on I.R.  This class might be looked upon in the future as a great bunch, but time will tell.  Here is a look at what the Lions’ draft picks did in their rookie years:

23-year old DT Nick Fairley had a rough rookie season as the first round pick was dogged by minor injuries that kept him off the field a lot.  He played in 10 games for the Lions last year and he had 15 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss.  The Lions expect big things out of Fairley in the near future.

22-year old WR Titus Young was picked in the 2nd round last April and he was easily the most productive player in this draft for the Lions in 2011.  Young played in all 16 games for the Lions last year and he caught 48 passes for 607 yards (12.6 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 15 yards (7.5 ypc) last year.

21-year old RB Mikel Leshoure was a 2nd round pick last April for the Lions.  He missed his entire rookie season due to an Achilles injury.  This was a blow to the Lions’ offense as they saw Leshoure as the thunder to Jahvid Best’s lightning.

22-year old OLB Douglas Hogue was a 5th round pick last April.  He played in 13 games and he had 6 tackles as he did most of his work on special teams.

23-year old OT Johnny Culbreath was a 7th round pick for the Lions.  He missed his entire rookie season due to an undisclosed illness.

GRADE FOR THE 2011 SEASON:  D

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  B