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The Detroit Lions have made another trade. After moving down in the fourth round and eventually selecting Oklahoma defensive end Ronnell Lewis, the Lions decided to acquire an additional pick in the fifth round. They received the 138th overall pick (third selection in the fifth round) from the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2013. With the 138th pick, the Lions selected Temple linebacker Tahir Whitehead.
When it was originally assumed that Lewis would play linebacker for the Lions, it appeared their need for some extra depth at the position had been filled. With Lewis being looked at as a defensive end by the Lions, that wasn't the case. Now the need is in fact filled with the Whitehead pick.
Right now, there seems to be one spot up for grabs at linebacker on the 53-man roster. Starters Stephen Tulloch, Justin Durant and DeAndre Levy are all coming back, and backups Ashlee Palmer and Doug Hogue are returning as well. It appears that Slade Norris, who signed a futures deal after last season, will battle Whitehead for that final spot at linebacker.
UPDATE: As first noted by Jon Ekstrom, the Lions and Vikings also swapped seventh-round picks. The Lions sent the 219th pick, which originally belonged to Seattle, to Minnesota in exchange for the 223rd pick. Basically, the Lions gave up four spots in the seventh and a fourth-round pick in 2013 to make this deal happen.
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