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With the fifth pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions selected BYU DE Ezekiel "Ziggy" Ansah. Ziggy becomes the Cougars' ninth first-round draft pick, and is now tied with Jim McMahon (#5 pick in '82) as the highest NFL Draft pick out of BYU.
As is usually the case, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is the person that announces the draft picks; but in the case of the Lions, that honor went to Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders. Whether he knew who Sanders was, Ziggy started his NFL career standing next to the greatest Lion of them all.
Detroit ended the 2012 season at 4-12, and were looking for defensive line help -- most believed that Ziggy was a perfect fit. Detroit lost both of its starting defensive ends from last season, and it appears that Ziggy will get an opportunity to play immediately. "We drafted him to play right away," Lions head coach Jim Schwartz told the Detroit media. "We didn't draft him to be a project."
"He's the best player available and he fills a need," Lions general manager Martin Mayhew said of Ansah. "This was an opportunity where the grade matched up with the need and it worked out great for us."
While the Lions weren't a playoff team in 2012, they are just one year removed from playing in the postseason. The team is very talented, especially on offense. With quarterback Matthew Stafford, receiver Calvin Johnson, and newly signed running back Reggie Bush, Detroit is a team that can be successful quickly.
Ziggy's rise up the draft boards is almost unheard of. Not only was he not known by most NFL scouts mid-way through the 2012 college football season, Ziggy wasn't even viewed as a starter on BYU's football team until an injury to DE Eathyn Manumaleuna forced Ansah into a starter's role.
Once Ziggy was put in a position to play every down, he started turning heads. It wasn't long before NFL scouts started to take notice, and Ziggy's stock was on its way up.
As a fierce pass-rusher with size and speed, Ziggy possesses all the tools that make a great NFL player. While his lack of experience was a question mark, teams, and in this case, the Lions, knew his up-side was too great to pass up.
Detroit is no stranger to taking players from Provo. The Lions have drafted 11 Cougars; the most recent being former BYU running back Luke Staley, who was taken in the seventh round back in 2002.
Ziggy's first game as a member of the Lions will come on August 9th, when Detroit hosts the New York Jets in a preseason game at Ford Field. The Lions open up the regular season at home on September 8th against the Minnesota Vikings.
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Photo: Courtesy of BYU Photo
