Detroit Lions Draft Successes Since 2001, No. 5: Shaun Rogers

At the peak of his career, defensive tackle Shaun Rogers was an absolute force on the Lions' defensive line. He was often inconsistent, especially with his conditioning and ability to stay on the field, but when he could play he was very good.

Rogers spent seven seasons in Detroit and started all 16 games in four of those seasons. He had one year where he only started in 12 games, one where he only started in 14 and another where he only started and played in six. All in all, his ability to play in a game wasn't the problem, but rather his ability to consistently be out there during games. That is what ultimately helped the Lions decide to trade him to Cleveland in 2008.

Although his overall career with the Lions hasn't been remembered all that positively, partly because of the losing that went on when he was in Detroit, Rogers' numbers are impressive. During his seven years with the Lions, he averaged 50 tackles and four sacks per season. He also had an interception return for a touchdown (against the Broncos in 2007) and a total of four forced fumbles.

While more consistency would have been nice, Rogers did quite a bit for the Lions for being picked 61st overall (second round) in the 2001 NFL Draft.

Previously: No. 10 Sammie Hill, No. 9 Brandon Pettigrew, No. 8 Louis Delmas/DeAndre Levy, No. 7 Cory Redding, No. 6 Dominic Raiola

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