NFL Draft 2013: Detroit Lions Select Ezekiel Ansah No. 5 Overall
By Josh Hill
The Detroit Lions needed a more than a few things heading into the NFL Draft, but they finally decided on one position and one player. Despite rumors that they’d trade down with a team looking to move up to select Tavon Austin, the Lions thanked the football gods for shaking up the first round the way they did and selected Ziggy Ansah.
Ansah was projected to go pretty high in the first round and the Lions were hoping that he’d end up falling to them at No. 5 overall. Now that Ansah is a Lion, the defensive line just got a lot better than it already was, as the BYU product joins Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley on what could end up being one of the best young defensive fronts in the entire league.
Some thought that the Lions should have gone guard with the pick to help protect Matthew Stafford, but they made the right call and upgraded their defensive line. The Lions lost both their defensive ends this offseason and needed to make an upgrade at the position.
At the end of the day, the Lions play in the NFC North, one of the most defensive divisions in the NFL, and when you play guys like Aaron Rodgers, Jay Cutler and Adrian Peterson twice a year, defense is the way you’re going to win.
The NFL Draft is just getting started, so be sure to stay tuned to FanSided all weekend long to get the most up to date info on everything that happens at Radio City Music Hall.