The Detroit Lions selected defensive end Ziggy Ansah out of BYU with the fifth overall pick.
Ansah has only been playing football for three years and started less than one full season.
General manager Martin Mayhew said that the Lions had just two players rated higher than Ansah.
The Lions also selected Darius Slay early in the season round, another player they had given a first round grade on.
"I think he's high on a lot of boards," Mayhew said. "We felt like he was a guy we should definitely target and try to get in the second round."