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Lions general manager Martin Mayhew has had a steady stream of triumphs in assembling this roster.

(Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

ALLEN PARK -- We've praised Jim Caldwell. We've praised Ndamukong Suh and DeAndre Levy and Golden Tate. We've praised the heck out of Teryl Austin.

That's what happens when you're in the thick of a division title chase with four games to play. There's a lot of guys doing a lot of things right.

But what about Martin Mayhew?

The Detroit Lions' defense is allowing the fewest points in the NFL. They swallow up anything that rushes their way -- so much so, the Bears gave up on the proposition all together, despite having one of the game's best tailbacks.

And that defense is doing it without starting linebacker Stephen Tulloch, and starting defensive tackle Nick Fairley, and starting nickel man Bill Bentley, and even backup nickel Nevin Lawson.

Austin and Caldwell have been heaped with praise for orchestrating that thing. But what about the guy who pieced this roster together?

For many, Mayhew was Public Enemy No. 2 for the failures of the past few years. If my email inbox is any indication, only Jim Schwartz was more loathed after last year's collapse.

But now that the Lions are 8-4 and just one game out in the NFC North, it's nothing but crickets from those who wanted Mayhew gone, like, yesterday.

The truth is, Mayhew made some blunders early in his tenure. That 2011 draft class is Exhibit A.

But he's learned from those early trials, and has been on a roll the past couple years. And that's been every bit as important to this year's success as Caldwell and Austin and the rest of the gang.

Consider that 2013 draft class, which net a starting defensive end, starting corner, starting right guard and starting punter. And it's not even two years old yet.

A lot of people made a fuss over whether Ezekiel Ansah, a so-called project, deserved to be the No. 5 overall pick. Mayhew didn't care. He drafted him anyway. And a year later, Ansah has 49 QB sacks, hits and hurries. That's more than anyone not named J.J. Watt or Michael Bennett.

Second-rounder Darius Slay is a top-25 cornerback, despite being exceptionally raw as a rookie. Third-rounder Larry Warford is one of the better guards in the game. Sam Martin is a top-10 punter by any metric you prefer.

Even the role guys have had major impacts. Sixth-rounders Corey Fuller and Theo Riddick both caught game-winning touchdown passes this season.

"We feel like we was the best class in the league (last year)," Slay said earlier this season. "We got to take some pride in that."

Mayhew was back at it this offseason.

The defense was the perceived weakness of this team. Especially the secondary. And everyone was screaming at Mayhew to sign a cornerback.

He signed a receiver instead, which caused an awful lot of anger. But 80 catches and 1,136 yards later, Golden Tate has turned out to be a pretty good signing. After big catches against New Orleans and Atlanta, the Lions would almost certainly be a couple wins lighter without him.

He's been the best free-agent signing in football.

Mayhew got the big stuff right. He got the little stuff right, too, signing guys such as George Johnson and Darryl Tapp as camp bodies. Both have made huge plays as role players on that league best defensive line.

James Ihedigbo was considered a lateral move, at best, from Louis Delmas. Now he's the 16th-best safety in the league, per PFF.

Then there was the draft, when people were again screaming at Mayhew to select a defensive player -- preferably a cornerback -- in the first round. And then more were screaming at him to take a corner in the second round. And even more were screaming at him in the third round.

I was one of them.

But Mayhew knew something we didn't. This defense was going to be just fine without a high draft pick. Slay was going to be just fine in his second year.

So he took a reserve offensive lineman in the third round, over a cornerback. That was easily his most unpopular pick of the draft. And 12 games into the season, Travis Swanson is starting and playing well for the injured Warford.

The undrafted Cornelius Lucas just bested Jared Allen in his first career start at left tackle. The undrafted LaAdrian Waddle has been a starter at right tackle since midway through his rookie season.

On and on and on.

Caldwell deserves his due for instilling a winning culture here. Ken Whisenhunt was widely believed to be Detroit's top choice, and there's no telling how he would have fared in comparison to this. But it's hard to imagine it would have been any better, and just might have been a lot worse. (Tennessee, with less talent than Detroit, is 2-10.)

Austin deserves his credit as well. Detroit has been a top-five defense all year, and No. 1 for much of it, and it's not just a numbers wonder. The Lions have neutralized the likes of Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers.

That defense has also done an amazing job of performing despite injuries to starters such as Tulloch, Fairley and Bentley.

But let's not forget about the guy who drafted Tahir Whitehead, who is playing for Tulloch. And signed C.J. Mosley, who is starting for Fairley. And signed Cassius Vaughn and James Ihedigbo and Glover Quin and Isa Abdul-Quddus, who have done well in the secondary without Bentley.

And, hey, let's not forget about the guy who helped hire Caldwell and Austin in the first place.

Martin Mayhew was blasted for some of his early mistakes. Now let's give the man his due for killing it.

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