Lions trade back, pick Duke guard Tomlinson

A lineman was the Detroit Lions' expected pick. The question was which side of the ball they would target with their first-round pick.

After trading back five spots with the Denver Broncos, the Lions drafted Duke guard Laken Tomlinson with the 28th overall pick. Tomlinson was the top-ranked guard in the 2015 draft. He measured 6-33/8and weighed 323 pounds at the NFL combine. He also had an 823/4-inch wingspan.

The Lions could have drafted a defensive tackle to replace the offseason departures of Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. They traded for Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata in March and could fill Fairley's vacancy on Day 2 of the draft.