Feb 22, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Alabama offensive lineman Chance Warmack speaks at a press conference during the 2013 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Consider this from a recent NFL Draft prospect evaluation:

He could be one of the highest draft picks at the guard position in recent years, and he could easily go in the top 10.

Sound like Chance Warmack? Think again, that’s from last year’s combine profile on David DeCastro. Those that watched the television coverage will remember Mike Mayock waxing poetically about DeCastro as the guard was routinely used as an example when the group moved to a new position drill.

Now, Warmack is the highly-touted guard making draftniks wonder if he is worthy of a top ten, even top five, pick. Will it happen? You never know, but based on the way the draft went last year, it would likely take a team to believe Warmack is a significantly better prospect than DeCastro, who “fell” to the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 24th pick.

Forgive me for not buying into the hype but there isn’t anything being said about Warmack that wasn’t said about DeCastro a year ago. Every draft is its own beast and without a solid group of top quarterbacks, maybe this is the year it could happen if it ever will again.

As for me, I’ll believe a guard can go in the top five or top ten when I see it.

Photo Credit: James Snook-US PRESSWIRE

David DeCastro, OG, Stanford
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 316 lbs
Arm Length: 32-3/8″
Hands: 10″
40-yard Dash: 5.43 sec
Vertical Jump: 29.5″
Broad Jump: 98″
Bench Press: 34 reps
3-cone Drill: 7.30 sec
20-yard Shuttle: 4.56 sec
Watch his combine workout here

There is little debate that David DeCastro is the top guard in this year’s draft class. In fact, he’d likely rank as the top guard in most draft classes. The Lions may not have a shot to draft DeCastro for that very reason but it would be hard to deny that he would be the best player available if he was there for the Lions with the 23rd pick.

The National Football Post has DeCastro rated as the number four overall prospect in the draft but that seems to be the high-water mark. NFL Mocks has him 11th overall, ESPN has him number 12, CBS Sports has him number 13. Interior offensive lineman aren’t generally drafted high in the first round so DeCastro could slip below his overall rank according to those draft sites but slipping all the way to 23 is probably a stretch. Still, a Lions fan intent on the team upgrading their guards can dream.

NFL Mocks includes the following summary in their scouting report on David DeCastro:

Simply put DeCastro has virtually no flaws in his game or in his personality. He should be protecting the president. He has dominated every game I have scouted. He has handled big DT’s with no problem such as Alemeda Ta’Amu and he has dominated quicker DT’s as well. He gets to the second level quickly and demolishes second level defenders which allows for many big plays. Every team could use him but I don’t see him lasting past early 20’s and he could be a top 10-15 pick due to his talent. Teams such as Titans, Chiefs, Chargers, Cowboys, Bucs, Lions, and Texans will look to pick this kid up.

David DeCastro is the type of prospect that can come in and start right away and won’t have to wait long until he can make a standing reservation at the Pro Bowl. He has the prototypical size and is technically sound – it’s no wonder that he was often used to demonstrate position drills for his group at the NFL combine last month. The combine is also the spot where the Lions showed interest in DeCastro, he was one of their interviews in Indianapolis.

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