The NFL Draft is fraught with overreactions and hot takes. Armchair fans and commentators are eager to weigh in on picks and criticize teams for selecting one player over another. This is especially popular among fans who wish to dunk on their favorite team’s division opponents.
For example, here’s a wonderful screen grab from our own Ryan Mathews, capturing Green Bay Packers analysts reacting to the Detroit Lions selecting running back Jahmyr Gibbs with the No. 12 overall choice in the 2023 NFL Draft—you know, before he made the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
But, in light of Saturday night’s news that the Chicago Bears traded quarterback Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a sixth-round pick in 2025 (!) we thought it might be a good time to revisit some media and fan reactions from when the Lions passed on Fields in favor of All-Pro offensive tackle Penei Sewell.
This is all in good humor and in the spirit of team rivalry—and kudos to these brave folks for not deleting these tweets—but let’s have some fun, Lions fans.
He recognized his mistake during the Lions’ 2023-24 divisional playoff victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
