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At 5, Lions take Ziggy Ansah

Ziggy Ansah

Brigham Young defensive lineman Ziggy Ansah runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

AP

Five years ago, Ziggy Ansah had never seen an American football game. Now he’s a Detroit Lion.

The Lions took Ansah, a native of Ghana who played defensive end at Brigham Young University, with the fifth overall pick.

Ansah is a phenomenal athlete, with a freakish blend of size and speed. The question is whether Ansah is ready to play at the NFL level. At BYU his production didn’t generally match his talent, and after starting just nine games in college, he may not be ready to start in the NFL as a rookie.

For Lions General Manager Martin Mayhew and coach Jim Schwartz, they need Ansah to be ready in a hurry, or else someone else will be calling the shots for the Lions at the 2014 NFL draft.