Nov 17, 2012; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A

Texas A&M defensive end Damontre Moore has been a popular pick for the Lions in mock drafts. It makes sense considering his production on the field, physical traits, projected development and the team’s need for a pass rusher.

However, Moore’s early showing at the combine has been less than spectacular and it is fair to wonder how far it could knock him down draft boards. It doesn’t make sense to overreact to combine testing considering it is but one part of an overall picture by which prospects should be evaluated, but red flags are concerning and warrant closer scrutiny. A big red flag went up concerning Moore today as the defensive linemen did their bench press reps.

Damontre Moore had 12 reps on the bench press. That’s not, um, strong.

— Will Brinson (@willbrinson) February 24, 2013

Compare that to what SMU’s Margus Hunt did:

Damontre Moore had 12 reps on the bench press. That’s not, um, strong.

— Will Brinson (@willbrinson) February 24, 2013

Does a poor bench press mean Moore isn’t worthy of a top five pick? Not necessarily but it means teams that would have considered him have more work to do before feeling comfortable making a heavy investment in Moore. Not everyone has agreed that Moore is a blue chip prospect. Russ Lande is one draft analyst who left Moore out of a recent first round mock. News like this might make opinions like Lande’s more the rule than the exception. Time will tell.

Sep 29, 2012; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A

FanSided’s Josh Sanchez has the Lions going in that direction with Damontre Moore from Texas A&M. Sanchez explains:

The Lions could address their secondary with this pick, but if Moore falls into their laps it will be hard to pass him up and it will kill two birds with one stone. One of the best ways to make up for a lack of talent in the defensive backfield is to make sure you are getting pressure on the opponents quarterback. Moore can do just that.

We’re still early in the draft process but by this point Lions fans should be quite used to seeing Damontre Moore’s name associated with the pick. He is widely regarded as a top-five pick and plays a position the Lions need to get more production out of in 2013.

But that doesn’t mean everyone agrees, at least as far as the specific pick of Moore is concerned.The National Football Post’s Russ Lande released his updated mock draft today and not only does he not see the Lions taking Moore, he left him out of his first round entirely. Lande does agree with defensive end being the direction the Lions go, it’s just that he has them selecting Bjoern Werner out of Florida State.

And it isn’t just that Lande wants to be contrarian. He bases his mock off his own grading of prospects as well as what he is hearing from NFL scouts.

@justin_rogers @footballpost – No, Damontre Moore grades out as a 2nd rounder & have not found an NFL scout who gave him a 1st round grade.

— Russell Lande (@RUSSLANDE) February 11, 2013

Maybe the Lions end up with Moore through the draft, just not where the early read has put him.

Check out the full first round mock draft on FanSided.com.

Oct 13, 2012; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive end Bjoern Werner (95) works his way around Boston College Eagles offensive tackle John Wetzel (73) during the first half of the game at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

The most common position selected for the Lions in early mock drafts has been defensive end. Those picks have been mostly divided between Bjoern Werner from Florida State and Damontre Moore from Texas A&M who are widely regarded as the two blue chip defensive end prospects in this year’s draft.

While either one would make a fine choice for the Lions with the fifth overall pick, it is unlikely the Lions will be able to choose between the two. Instead, they may be forced to pick the one that remains available if rumblings out of Jacksonville come to fruition:

Word from Jacksonville is that team zeroing in on defensive end with No. 2 overall pick. Bjoern Werner, Damontre Moore thought to be tops

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) January 30, 2013

Outside linebacker Jarvis Jones is another pass rusher that has been linked to the Lions in some early mock drafts but he still seems less of a fit for what the Lions want to do defensively. There is no guarantee that any of Jones, Werner or Moore will be available when the Lions are on the clock. That may be the worst case scenario as it would likely force the Lions hand into drafting an offensive tackle like Luke Jockel or Eric Fisher (not necessarily a terrible thing) or reaching for a defensive back like Dee Milliner or Kenny Vaccaro.