From 2008-2015, Martin Mayhew, who is now the VP of Player Personnel for the San Francisco 49ers was the general manager for the Detroit Lions.
Though Mayhew spent a good deal of time with the Lions, he is known best for one move. (Or lack thereof).
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When the Lions were on the clock in the 2014 NFL Draft, he had the chance to select DT Aaron Donald but instead, he selected TE Eric Ebron.
We all know exactly how that decision has played out as Ebron fizzled out with the Lions while Donald is a perennial All-Pro.
In an interview with Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free press, Mayhew admitted that he made a mistake by not selecting Donald.
Via Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press:
“Everybody sort of whittles down, me being seven years I was there, into one draft pick,” Mayhew said. “Like, ‘Oh my God, he didn’t take Aaron Donald so he was awful.’ And that’s fair. Everybody has their own narrative and I can’t tell people how to judge the time that I was there.”
“I wish I would have taken Aaron Donald,” he said. “That’s no knock on Ebron. I wish I would have taken him. It’s not a decision that’s made in a vacuum. We talked about a lot of different scenarios, different situations. Man, I wish I had taken him.”
Nation, was selecting Eric Ebron over Aaron Donald the worst decision a Detroit Lions GM has ever made? If not where does it rank?