Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College.
This pick presents the Detroit Lions with a really interesting choice. Castonzo, who some think is the best offensive tackle in the 2011 NFL Draft class, is available. Most people think he is a lock as an NFL starting tackle for the next 10 years. Also still on the board is Clemson defensive end Da'Quan Bowers, a likely top 5 talent who is only still available due to some lingering concerns about his knee.
The choice is this: Grab the stud offensive tackle to try and keep oft-injured franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford upright, or take the stud defensive end to pair with Ndamukong Suh and potentially have a dominant defensive front for the next decade.
I chose Castonzo for the simple reason that, for better or worse, the fate of the Lions is tied to whether or not they can keep Stafford healthy for the next few seasons. They have no chance of doing that with aging (Jeff Backus) and ineffective (Gosder Cherilus) tackles.
In the clip below Castonzo is matched up with North Carolina stud defensive end Robert Quinn, who went sixth in our mock draft to Cleveland and is considered a top 10 talent. Castonzo had just mixed success with Quinn, but there is a reason why the North Carolina defensive end is already off the board.
Robert Quinn vs. Anthony Castonzo (via AloAloysius)