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2013 NFL mock draft: Mel Kiper jumps on Ezekiel Ansah to Lions bandwagon

ESPN's Mel Kiper has the Detroit Lions taking BYU defensive end Ezekiel Ansah in his new 2013 NFL mock draft.

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While we have a moment before NFL free agency officially begins, let's take a look at Mel Kiper's latest 2013 NFL mock draft. It came out on Monday, and it has the Detroit Lions going with BYU defensive end Ezekiel Ansah. That's right; Kiper is the latest person to jump on the Ansah to Lions bandwagon.

In Kiper's first two mock drafts, he had the Lions going with Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones, so the Ansah selection is a departure from his previous thinking. Kiper seems to have realized that a linebacker with medical concerns might not be the greatest fit in the world for the Lions, so he elected to go with Ansah instead.

Kiper explains that while Ansah may be "raw in terms of football skills," he could be an "explosive pass-rusher" in the Lions' scheme. Also, Kiper thinks Ansah could "hold up against the run," which would obviously be a big plus for the Lions.

Perhaps the biggest reason Kiper has the Lions going with Ansah is that Luke Joeckel, Eric Fisher and Dee Milliner are gone in the top four of this mock draft. This scenario wouldn't leave the Lions with a ton of great options at No. 5, so aside from trading down, Ansah may make the most sense.

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