With the 157th overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions selected Syracuse linebacker Doug Hogue. This pick originally belonged to the Seattle Seahawks, but as part of the trade that landed the Lions Mikel Leshoure, they moved down three spots in the fifth round and took Hogue with it.
The Lions hosted Hogue for a visit at some point during the lead-up to the 2011 NFL Draft. He is a converted linebacker from Syracuse, where he originally played running back. His experience as a linebacker is limited in that sense, but he has improved quite a bit in recent years. In fact, he played well enough last season to get invited to the East-West Shrine Game and the combine, which wasn't necessarily on his radar before 2010.
This pick may not fill the Lions' need for starting linebackers in 2011, but Hogue can be a depth guy as he continues learning the linebacker position more and more. Already he has come a long way since being a running back, and the Lions obviously like Hogue's potential enough to make him one of their draft picks in 2011.
For more coverage of the 2011 NFL Draft (i.e. NFL mock drafts, draft projections, scouting reports, the full NFL Draft schedule, etc.), check out Mocking The Draft, SB Nation's NFL Draft hub, SB Nation Detroit's NFL Draft StoryStream and Pride Of Detroit's 2011 NFL Draft archive.