It has been 16 years since a guard was selected in the top 10 of the NFL Draft, but the Detroit Lions could consider taking Alabama's Chance Warmack with the fifth overall selection after he had a "very impressive visit" with the team, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.
NFL Draft 2013: Chance Warmack impresses Detroit Lions in visit
If taken selected at fifth overall, Warmack would be the first guard to be picked in the top five in 28 years.
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Warmack, 21, was an All-American in 2012 as part of an offensive line that led the Alabama Crimson Tide to a second-consecutive BCS National Championship. In a scouting report on SB Nation, Matthew Fairburn compared Warmack's play to that of two-time Pro Bowler Carl Nicks of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
The comparison is admittedly a lofty one, but it’s tough to find players with Warmack’s combination of athleticism and high-level technique. Nicks, obviously, has both, as he has become one of the best guards in the NFL. Warmack has a chance to do the same.
If Warmack was selected by the Lions, it would be a rather historic pick, as Bill Fralic was the last guard taken in the top five when he was taken second overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the 1985 NFL Draft. Players like Robert Gallery and Mike Williams were taken in the top five as offensive tackles before later moving inside to guard.
Along with guard, the Lions have needs at defensive end and cornerback. In the SB Nation NFL blogger mock draft, the Lions selected BYU defensive end Ezekiel Ansah with the fifth-overall selection before taking Kentucky guard Larry Warford early in the second-round.
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