NFL Mock Draft 2013: Bjoern Werner could fill major hole for Lions

The Detroit Lions find themselves in a position where almost everyone is predicting that they have only one area to target in this April's draft: Defensive end. Not only did the Lions lack an outside pass rush, but their leading sack-getter is a free agent and they've released veteran Kyle Vanden Bosch. For these reasons, pretty much everyone assumes that the Lions will draft a pass rusher. But which one?

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On Monday, SBNation's Dan Kadar projected that player to be Ezekiel Ansah out of BYU, but as of now that opinion is in the very small minority. More commonly, we're seeing names like Dee Milliner (not a defensive end), Jarvis Jones, or maybe even tackle Eric Fisher, but the most common name appears to be...

Bjoern Werner. That sentiment was shared at Walter Football in their latest mock draft, having Werner go to the Lions one pick ahead of Ansah:

Kyle Vanden Bosch was recently released because of his $5 million salary, while the other exterior pass-rushers, excluding Cliff Avril, barely did anything this past year. Avril also happens to be a free agent, which is just one more reason why this pick will be used on a defensive end.

Werner is seen by many as the top defensive end in the draft and it could be a gift to see him fall outside of the top three, especially in a draft that currently looks light on high-end quarterback talent. He could be a good fit with the Jaguars or Raiders but if those teams pass on him (or if nobody trades up into the top four to take him) then it looks like an excellent fit with the Lions.

Barring something unforeseen between now and April, it certainly will fill a need.