Detroit Lions draft picks 2013: A look at this year's class

The Detroit Lions faced a crucial 2013 NFL Draft given that they went 4-12 last season. With the front office and coaching staff entering a make-or-break season, it was vital for the Lions to not only fill needs, but also to come away with talent.

We'll have plenty of time in the coming weeks and months to talk about whether the Lions were able to find talent and fill needs, but let's just take a deep breath for now and take a more general look at what happened over the last few days. The Lions ended up with nine picks in this year's draft, and they took the following players:

• Round 1 - Pick No. 5 (5) - DE Ezekiel Ansah (BYU)
• Round 2 - Pick No. 4 (36) - CB Darius Slay (Mississippi State)
• Round 3 - Pick No. 3 (65) - OG Larry Warford (Kentucky)
• Round 4 - Pick No. 35 (132) - DE Devin Taylor (South Carolina)
• Round 5 (from SEA) - Pick No. 32 (165) - P Sam Martin (Appalachian State)
• Round 6 - Pick No. 3 (171) - WR Corey Fuller (Virginia Tech)
• Round 6 (from SEA) - Pick No. 31 (199) - RB Theo Riddick (Notre Dame)
• Round 7 - Pick No. 5 (211) - TE Michael Williams (Alabama)
• Round 7 - Pick No. 39 (245) - LB Brandon Hepburn (Florida A&M)

Over the next couple weeks, we'll take a closer look at each pick with scouting reports, so keep an eye out for that series here on Pride Of Detroit.

More from POD:

• Track the Lions' picks in our draft StoryStream

• Follow all of the Lions' draft news

• 2013 Lions undrafted free agent tracker