A history of the No. 7 overall pick in the NFL draft – Lions Wire

Not every No. 7 story has a happy ending, alas

2015 Kevin White, WR White is an abject lesson in not drafting players without a strong track record. White was a one-year wonder at West Virginia who didnt test particularly well at the NFL scouting combine. The Bears learned the hard way; White caught just 48 passes in four years, 36 of those as a rookie. Injuries have ruined any chance for White to live up to his status, but he struggled before them too.

2013 Jonathan Cooper, OG Taking an interior offensive lineman in the top 10 is generally a bad idea. For the Cardinals, it turned into a disaster. Cooper quickly played his way out of Arizona, and then New England, and Cleveland, and Dallas and a few other spots. He hasnt played since 2018 and makes Oday Aboushi look like an All-Pro by comparison.

2012 Mark Barron, S Holmes old team, the Rams, learned that taking a player without a real position isnt such a great idea. Barron never really fit as a safety or a linebacker. He was not a bad player, but Barron never made much of an impact outside of a small string of games where he played as a starting backer in a base 2-LB defense.

2009 Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR He was a stunning selection by the Raiders, a player generally projected as a Day 2 talent. And he occasionally lived up to that level of status, but never came close to the top-10 selection.

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A history of the No. 7 overall pick in the NFL draft - Lions Wire