Detroit Lions training camp preview Defensive Ends

Starters:

Ezekiel Ansah Rookie 1st round pick 4 year contract
2013 cap hit: $3,380,818

Easily the most intruging story of 2013 for me. It is well noted the man love the blog has for Ansah. A rare athlete with explosive arms. How well he convert to a rush end? I have great confidence he will be great vs. the run.

Jason Jones 6th year 1st with Detroit 61 NFL games 3 year contract
2013 cap hit: $1,833,333

A free agent from Seattle after spending four years in Tennessee, he is brought in to replace Avril. He will be a step up in stopping the run. In 2010, he was the # 6 DT by PFF and # 27 in 2011. It will be a interesting part of the new package to where he lines up.

Back Ups

Willie Young 4th year 32 games 25 tackles 3 sacks last year on his contract
2013 Salary Cap: $1.5 mil
W/L 14/19

Willie really struggled in 2012. He was named to the pro football focus secret superstar in the preseason last year but never played close to that status. His stats in 2012 212 pass rushes, 0 sacks 5 QB hits and 6 penalities. His play did pick up in the 2nd half but along with Avril and KVB the Lions end play was the worst in the NFL.

Devin Taylor Rookie 4th round pick 4 year contract
2013 salary cap Hit: $480,446

The blog has been record saying that Taylor will be a better pro than college player. Long and quick he dominated the EWSG in 2013. Should be part of the rotation with Jones. His development is key to the future on the D-Line.

Ronnell Lewis 2nd year 8 games 2 tackle 3 years on contract
2013 hit; $579,272
w/l 4/4

Major disappointment in 2012. Too slow to play LB and special teams and too small to play DE. An offseason arrest does not help him. I will be mildly suprised he makes the team.

Braylon Broughton 2nd year 1st with Detroit

This guy is the dark horse for the blog this season. Long and quick, he could win a job as pass rush specialist in 2013. Signed off of waivers from the Saints, he was on the Lions draft radar in 2012. I like this guy.