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Notre Dame vs. Alabama
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Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame – Manti Te’o was a highly coveted player coming out of high school and he will be regarded just as highly coming out of college. Some early mock drafts have Te’o coming off the board within the top five picks, including some that have him landing with the Lions.

Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama – Like Te’o, some consider Dee Milliner a top five talent and worthy of the Lions’ consideration with the fifth overall pick. At 6’1″ and 198 pounds, he has the size Gunther Cunningham would like in his corners.

Chance Warmack, OG, Alabama – It’s no secret that the Lions need get better on the interior of their offensive line and Chance Warmack is one of the highest, if not the highest, rated guards in the 2013 draft class. The Lions will likely have to pull off a trade to land Warmack as a guard won’t ever warrant a top-five pick but a talent like Warmack won’t fall out of the first round.

Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame – I have a hard time seeing the Lions drafting Eifert if he’s available in the second round but they are serious about surrounding Matthew Stafford with weapons. Although they haven’t publicly soured on Brandon Pettigrew it is a situation worth watching as his drops/ball security issues have continued. The discussion may be moot anyway – Eifert could certainly be drafted between the Lions’ first two picks.

Barrett Jones, C, Alabama – The Lions love versatility and offensive linement don’t get any more versatile than Barrett Jones. A win over the Irish will give Jones the distinction of being a three-time national champion while starting at three different positions on the offensive line. He played right guard before being asked to play left tackle last year and has been Alabama’s center in 2012. Center may be his long-term position in the NFL but Jones has the ability to contribute anywhere a need arises.

D.J. Fluker, OT, Alabama – Fluker is a mountain of a man and might have a hard time sticking at tackle in the NFL as a result. Teams that can view him as a tackle long-term might consider him late in the first round but he could slide if not. Probably no later than a round two prospect either way.

Robert Lester, S, Alabama – Lester can play the run or the pass but isn’t outstanding in either area. The versatility is a plus but it will likely keep him from being drafted in the top two rounds. He could be an option for the Lions, who need help at saftey, starting in round three.

Braxston Cave, C, Notre Dame – If the Lions want to address the interior of their line in the draft but do it later than where Barrett Jones could be an option, Braxston Cave could get a look around the fourth round. He’s a little bigger than Dominic Raiola, something Lions fans will love considering the constant criticism of Raiola being undersized.

Zeke Motta, S, Notre Dame – He won’t be the best safety prospect in the game but Zeke Motta will hear his name called in April, probably on day three.

Theo Riddick, RB, Notre Dame – He may not be the speedster the Lions need on offense but Theo Riddick might be agile enough to give the Lions the added dimension they’ve missed in Jahvid Best’s absence. Seeing what he can do against the Alabama defense is an excellent way to size up how much value he could bring to the Lions as a late-round pick.

Oct. 13, 2012; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Manti Te

The Detroit Lions’ place in the 2013 NFL Draft is coming into focus. They would hold the fifth pick if the season ended today and could end up anywhere from third to ninth based on how things shake out in week 17.

Josh Hill released an update to the FanSided.com mock draft today and he is sticking with Manti Te’o as the Lions’ pick:

I had Manti Te’o going to the Lions in every single one of my mock drafts and the higher they pick the more certain the pick is. This defense needs serious work and they need a new image as a franchise. Calvin Johnson is a great, positive influence but they need someone on defense to balance Ndamukong Suh. Te’o is a class act and he just so happens to be an amazing prospect. He’s still got room to grow, but if he lands in Detroit, the Lions upgrade in more ways than one.

While Te’o has been undoubtedly a great college football player there are a few questions that need to be answered before he will be seen as a top five pick. Linebackers of his ilk are rarely drafted that high and if he doesn’t check out as more than a middle linebacker during the draft process it will be hard for anyone in the top ten, especially the Lions, to make Te’o their pick.

Te’o really is just the kind of player the Lions need on defense but the situation will have to be right for the two to come together. I’m not sure the Lions picking in the top five is just that, especially if pass rushers like Damontre Moore and Bjoern Werner are available like they are in this week’s FanSided mock.

November 24, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Manti Te’o

This week’s pick happens to be the same as last week’s, Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o. Josh Sanchez put together this week’s mock for FanSided.com and offers the following commentary on the pick:

In typical Detroit Lions fashion, the team will go with the best player on their board. Grabbing a linebacker like Te’o may not be as big of a need as grabbing a top tier cornerback, but at this point Te’o is too good to pass up. This could be a spot where teams would be looking to jump up ahead of Buffalo and Arizona to snag a quarterback, in which case they could land the corner they desire like Dee Milliner or Johnathan Banks.

It seems like Lions fans are hoping the team trades back every year. Could this be the year it happens?

Sanchez is right in pointing out that the Lions could be in position to do so. It might not seem like this year is stocked full of quarterback prospects but we’ve seen in recent years that teams aren’t afraid to take one earlier than anticipated. Christian Ponder and Ryan Tannehill are examples from the last two drafts that ended up going earlier than many predicted.

Depending on how the draft board plays out, the Lions could benefit from this phenomenon. Of course, standing pat and adding a guy like Manti Te’o to the defense wouldn’t be a bad consolation prize. The Lions lack playmakers on defense and Te’o has been just that as the leader of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish defense.