2013 NFL Draft: Jim Schwartz impressed with Ezekiel Ansah

One of the more interesting prospects in the 2013 NFL Draft is BYU defensive end Ezekiel Ansah. He is relatively new to the game of football, and his potential is viewed as being quite high because he is so athletic. The Detroit Lions got an up-close look at him at the Senior Bowl, as they coached his team.

During the week leading up to the Senior Bowl, Ansah's stock wasn't exactly going up. He struggled in practice, and his lack of experience was being shown off. On game day, however, Ansah looked like a completely different player. He was really the best player on the field, and he silenced any questions about his performance earlier in the week.

Lions head coach Jim Schwartz talked about Ansah at the NFL Combine on Thursday and spoke very highly of the former BYU defensive end. Schwartz dismissed concerns over Ansah's struggles in practice, even jokingly referencing Allen Iverson at one point. Schwartz compared Senior Bowl practices to the NFL Combine in the sense that what you do on game day and on film is ultimately more important. From MLive:

"To see him go in and improve every day in practice, have the game he had -- a very productive game -- he's obviously a guy that is talented physically," said Schwartz, who was Ansah's head coach at the Senior Bowl.

"I think he went a long way to answering questions about his background and his aptitude in a setting like the Senior Bowl."

Ansah has been viewed as a bit of a sleeper for the No. 5 overall pick. He is projected to go later on in the first round because he is such a raw talent, but perhaps a team earlier in the draft like the Lions will decide to take a chance on his potential.

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