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Detroit Lions: This former sixth rounder outshined Ziggy Ansah

By Steven Mullenax

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 1: Case Keenum #7 of the Minnesota Vikings is hit while throwing the ball by defender Anthony Zettel #69 of the Detroit Lions in the first quarter of the game on October 1, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 1: Case Keenum #7 of the Minnesota Vikings is hit while throwing the ball by defender Anthony Zettel #69 of the Detroit Lions in the first quarter of the game on October 1, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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The Detroit Lions got some much needed quality play out of a former sixth rounder in 2017. But have they seen enough to allow a superstar to leave?

The Detroit Lions‘ defensive line suffered some major injuries in 2017. It all started in the first game of the preseason when the Lions’ previous sack leader, Kerry Hyder Jr., suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in their opener against the Indianapolis Colts.

Later that offseason it was revealed the the team’s premier pass rusher, Ziggy Ansah, had suffered a mysterious knee injury that he seemed to struggle with all season.

And the hits kept coming for Detroit’s D-Line when their interior anchor, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, suffered a season-ending bicep injury in Week Five.

But it wasn’t all bad news for the Lions. Those voids allowed other players to see more action than they normally would have. And due to Hyder’s absence, one young defensive end was able to step up and develop into a potential star for the Motor City. And that player was former 2016 sixth round selection Anthony Zettel.

"“Ezekiel Ansah rebounded this season with 12 sacks in 14 games, racking up three sacks in three separate games. However, his fellow defensive end outshined him as a down-to-down pass rusher,” wrote Matt Harmon on NFL.com. “Zettel led all Lions defensive linemen with a 10.1 percent pressure rate in addition to his 6.5 sacks.”"

Zettel performed admirably in place of Hyder, starting in all 16 games for Detroit as well as racking up 43 total tackles, those aforementioned 6.5 sacks and one forced fumble. The second-year defender played a whopping 753 defensive snaps in 2017, that’s nearly 70% of the time the defense was on the field.

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The emergence of Anthony Zettel combined with the expected return of Kerry Hyder Jr., who is an exclusive rights free agent this offseason, gives the Detroit Lions some insurance in case they decide not to re-sign Ziggy Ansah. But retaining Ansah would only bolster the Lions’ defensive unit which certainly could use all the help it can get after ranking 27th in total defense last year.

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