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Detroit Lions: 4 Senior Bowl draft candidates to watch

By Michael Kirkland

MOBILE, AL - JANUARY 28: Nate Peterman #4 of the North team celebrates with Zay Jones #7 of the North team during the second half of the Reese's Senior Bowl at the Ladd-Peebles Stadium on January 28, 2017 in Mobile, Alabama. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
MOBILE, AL - JANUARY 28: Nate Peterman #4 of the North team celebrates with Zay Jones #7 of the North team during the second half of the Reese's Senior Bowl at the Ladd-Peebles Stadium on January 28, 2017 in Mobile, Alabama. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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Ziggy Ansah
SEATTLE, WA – JANUARY 07: Ezekiel Ansah #94 of the Detroit Lions attempts to tackle Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks during the first half of the NFC Wild Card game at CenturyLink Field on January 7, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /

Who To Watch in the Senior Bowl

Defensive End

"Marcus Davenport, UTSA, 6-7, 255: Physically, he’s going to impress some NFL personnel. Coming from a small school, this will be a big week for him. He recorded 55 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks with three forced fumbles in 2017. – Tim Twentyman, DetroitLions.com"

Davenport is usually listed at 6’5″ or 6’6″, but close enough. The former two-star has the prototype size and athleticism the NFL covets. NFLDraftScout.com projects him as a round one pick.

I chose to put him in here due to his ideal stature and rise to national prominence despite going to University of Texas-San Antonio. He put on about 60 pounds of muscle since leaving high school. The Senior Bowl is the ideal place to make or break the wave of positive press this young man is getting.

This is the kind of drama worth tuning in for. He has a great, small school story and seems like a guy to root for.

Davenport could fall to the Lions in the first round, or further, and would fill a big need at end. Either with, or without Ziggy Ansah, Davenport could provide an instant spark to the Lions anemic pass rush.

Defensive Tackle

"Greg Gilmore, LSU, 6-4, 308: Very productive in the middle of the LSU defensive front. Gilmore recorded 53 tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks this season. – Tim Twentyman, DetroitLions.com"

Gilmore offers a strong, late round tackle option to beef up the front seven. Lions fans saw what happened when Haloti Ngata went down with an injury. We need some other big, run-stopper’s. Greg was also a former five-star recruit from North Carolina, before going to Louisiana State.

The sack numbers, 7.5 in 2017, are solid for an interior lineman. We need to generate pressure from all spots to improve the defense.

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