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Most 2013 NFL mock drafts have the Detroit Lions taking a defensive player with the fifth overall pick. Since they have such a big need at defensive end and cornerback, the majority of mock drafts have the Lions going with a player at one of those two positions.
NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah does not have the Lions going defense in his new mock draft. Instead, he has the Lions taking offensive tackle Luke Joeckel, who is believed by many to be the possible No. 1 overall pick. How exactly did Jeremiah's mock draft play out to give the Lions a shot at taking Joeckel? He has West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith going first overall to the Kansas City Chiefs. Then there is a run on defensive players with Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones, Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd and Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei going in the next three picks.
Honestly, this is probably the best-case scenario for the Lions. They would have their choice of the top defensive end, the top cornerback and the top offensive tackle. They could potentially be in a position to trade down as well. If they stay put, picking Joeckel seems like a solid idea, as Jeremiah explained.
In this scenario, the Lions would be ecstatic. Joeckel is the top offensive tackle in the draft, and he would start in Detroit from Day 1. Current left tackle Jeff Backus is 35 years old, while starting right tackle Gosder Cherilus is about to become an unrestricted free agent. Joeckel could team up with Riley Reiff to provide the Lions with two very tough, smart and physical building blocks to protect Matthew Stafford.
Adding Joeckel would give the Lions the ability to shift Reiff inside to guard if they wanted. They would also be able to move on from Cherilus and potentially Backus as well and establish Joeckel and Reiff as their new starting tackles.
This is one pick that hasn't been discussed a whole lot because Joeckel isn't expected to last until the fifth overall pick. However, I think the Lions would come away as big winners of the first round should this play out in the real draft.
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