Every era of Detroit Lions football, one lineup. These are the highest-rated Detroit Lions legends across the 1960s to today — a full 11 on both sides of the ball, chosen by iKnoBall's era-adjusted engine — and the record they'd post over a 17-game season.
Offense is weighted 55%, defense 45% — exactly how iKnoBall scores a roster. Think you'd start a different 11? Prove it.
Matthew Stafford headlines the group at a 90 overall — the kind of number only genuine all-time greats reach on iKnoBall's scale. Around Stafford, the model fills out a complete lineup that balances quarterback play, skill-position firepower, the trenches, and a defense across Detroit Lions history, then simulates all 17 games. The result — 14–3 — reflects both the raw talent and how the pieces fit on both sides of the ball.
Every Detroit Lions legend in the iKnoBall pool, ranked by era-adjusted overall. The top group forms the starting 11 above; the rest are the depth chart and the debate.
| Player | Position | Era | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Stafford | Quarterback | 2010s | 90 |
| Barry Sanders | Running Back | 1990s | 99 |
| Calvin Johnson | Wide Receiver | 2010s | 98 |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown | Wide Receiver | 2020s | 92 |
| Penei Sewell | Offensive Tackle | 2020s | 93 |
| Ndamukong Suh | Defensive Tackle | 2010s | 93 |
| Joe Schmidt | Linebacker | 1960s | 90 |
| Lem Barney | Cornerback | 1960s | 92 |
| Yale Lary | Free Safety | 1960s | 88 |
| Frank Ragnow | Center | 2020s | 91 |
| Aidan Hutchinson | Defensive End | 2020s | 92 |
| Alex Karras | Defensive Tackle | 1960s | 91 |
| Billy Sims | Running Back | 1980s | 90 |
| Herman Moore | Wide Receiver | 1990s | 90 |
| Darius Slay | Cornerback | 2010s | 89 |
| Jared Goff | Quarterback | 2020s | 89 |
| Jahmyr Gibbs | Running Back | 2020s | 89 |
| Charlie Sanders | Tight End | 1970s | 88 |
| Chris Spielman | Linebacker | 1990s | 88 |
| Lomas Brown | Offensive Tackle | 1990s | 87 |
| Shaun Rogers | Defensive Tackle | 2000s | 87 |
| Golden Tate | Wide Receiver | 2010s | 87 |
| Glover Quin | Free Safety | 2010s | 87 |
| Ezekiel Ansah | Defensive End | 2010s | 87 |
| Brian Branch | Strong Safety | 2020s | 87 |
| Dick LeBeau | Cornerback | 1960s | 85 |
| Robert Porcher | Defensive End | 1990s | 85 |
| Pat Swilling | Defensive End | 1990s | 85 |
| Roy Williams | Wide Receiver | 2000s | 85 |
| Jeff Backus | Offensive Tackle | 2000s | 85 |
Draft your own all-time Detroit Lions — or any franchise across five sports — build your roster, and sim a full season chasing a perfect 17–0. Free to play.
Build Your All-Time TeamGet the AppBy iKnoBall's era-adjusted ratings the all-time Detroit Lions lineup is Matthew Stafford (QB, 2010s), Barry Sanders (RB, 1990s), Calvin Johnson (WR1, 2010s), Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR2, 2020s), Penei Sewell (OL, 2020s), Ndamukong Suh (DL, 2010s), Joe Schmidt (LB, 1960s), Lem Barney (CB, 1960s), Yale Lary (S, 1960s), Frank Ragnow (FLEX-O, 2020s), Aidan Hutchinson (FLEX-D, 2020s). Together they project to a 14–3 regular season.
iKnoBall's simulation projects this 11-man lineup at 14–3 over a 17-game season, with an average starter rating of 93. The model runs each game as a probability from the roster's combined offensive and defensive strength, so an all-time team contends for a near-perfect year but nothing is guaranteed.
Each player's overall is era-adjusted so a 1970s legend and a modern superstar sit on the same 70–99 scale. Offense (QB, skill players, line) is weighted 55% and defense 45%, and only true all-time greats reach the mid-to-high 90s.
Yes — iKnoBall is a free game where you draft one legend per era, build your all-time roster, and simulate a full season chasing a perfect 17–0. Play it free at play.iknoball.com.
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Ratings are era-adjusted and computed by iKnoBall's simulation engine. Records are model projections for entertainment, not predictions. Player names belong to their respective owners; iKnoBall is an independent fan-made game.