Dave Birkett

Detroit Free Press

D.J. Hayden has struggled with injuries throughout his four-year NFL career. But the Detroit Lions' newest cornerback said his outlook on football and life has changed dramatically since the near-death experience he went through as a senior in college.

"You don’t want to take life for granted as much and you kind of actually just want to think things through," Hayden said in a conference call with Detroit reporters earlier this month. "It kind of humbles you some. The most (important) thing is not taking everything for granted like the little things. Just a little thing as just walking we just take for granted. Like your legs can be (taken) from you any day. We can die anytime, so I’m just truly thankful and blessed to even be here."

As a senior at Houston, Hayden nearly lost his life when he ruptured the vena cava, the main vessel that carries blood from the heart to the lower extremities, during a seemingly normal collision at practice.

Doctors estimated Hayden was 5 minutes from dying when he underwent surgery to repair the vessel.

In the NFL, Hayden, the 12th pick of the 2013 draft by the Oakland Raiders, missed 20 games over the past four seasons because of injuries, all of them much more minor than what he went through in college.

He missed half of his rookie season with a groin injury, opened the 2014 season on the physically unable to perform list because of a foot injury, and finished last season on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.

Hayden, who missed the final six games of last year, said the most difficult part of his most recent injury was watching the Raiders make the playoffs without him.

"I’m not going to lie, it was kind of frustrating just for me to get hurt and see the team go to the playoffs and it was our first time going to the playoffs since I’ve been in the league," Hayden said. "I mean, it was frustrating, but it was something that I really couldn’t control. Those were the cards I was dealt. I’m onto the future now."

With the Lions, Hayden is expected to help out in nickel packages and perhaps vie for time as an outside cornerback. The Lions included $500,000 in per-game roster bonuses in his contract, and Hayden said he has yet to reach his full potential because of injuries.

"That could be somewhat of it," Hayden said. "But moving onto the future I plan on playing to my max potential."

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