2013 NFL mock draft: How can Lions land Eric Fisher at No. 5?

Just because fans view Central Michigan offensive tackle Eric Fisher as the top player on the Detroit Lions' draft board doesn't mean he will be No. 1 on the team's actual draft board. It's entirely possible that the Lions could rank BYU defensive end Ezekiel Ansah or Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner or even a player at another position above Fisher. In other words, if Fisher falls to No. 5 in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft, it's far from a lock that the Lions will select him.

For the sake of conversation, though, let's say that Fisher is the player the Lions want the most with the fifth overall pick. Given that many mock drafts have had him going somewhere in the top four, what kind of scenario needs to play out for him to be available when the Lions go on the clock? SB Nation's latest 2013 NFL mock draft has Fisher going to the Lions, so let's take a look at the top four:

1. Kansas City Chiefs - OT Luke Joeckel (Texas A&M)
2. Jacksonville Jaguars - QB Geno Smith (West Virginia)
3. Oakland Raiders - DT Sharrif Floyd (Florida)
4. Philadelphia Eagles - DT Star Lotulelei (Utah)

It's pretty clear that if you want the Lions to land Fisher, you should root for Smith and the top defensive tackles to go in the top four. The Lions obviously don't need a quarterback, and they don't need a defensive tackle in the first round. If guys like Smith, Floyd and Lotulelei go in the top four, Fisher could easily get pushed down to No. 5 overall.

With the Chiefs setting their sights on Joeckel, Fisher should be the next tackle off the board. It doesn't seem like the Jaguars or Raiders are interested in going in that direction, but the Eagles are a definite threat to take Fisher (as I found out in the SB Nation writers mock draft). In that regard, it could work in the Lions' favor if Smith slides to fourth overall. That way the Eagles could decide to draft a quarterback, ensuring that Fisher is available for the Lions.

All of this is just speculation, of course, and as mentioned earlier, the Lions may not even take Fisher if he's still on the board. Even so, the best thing for the Lions is to have multiple options, and I can't think of many scenarios better than getting to pick between Fisher, Ansah and Milliner. I suppose trading down and still landing one of them is the ultimate best-case scenario, but if the Lions stay put at No. 5, getting to pick between those three players would be about as good as it gets.