If the Detroit Lions learned as much from Florida offensive lineman D.J. Humphries' Thursday visit to the club's facility as its fans learned from his interview with the team's website, they know at least this much: He doesn't lack for confidence.
The potential first-round pick believes he takes a backseat to nobody at his position when it comes to athleticism.
"I think I'm the best athlete," Humphries told detroitlions.com. "I think me being such an athlete and how hard I play and how much I love football, putting all that recipe together works out for me."
Several offensive linemen are expected to be chosen in the draft's first round, but it isn't clear which tackle will go first. If not Humphries, it could be Miami's Ereck Flowers, or Stanford's Andrus Peat. LSU's La'el Collins is another possibility, although some teams are projecting Collins as a guard. Iowa's Brandon Scherff, who played tackle in college, is also being projected inside to guard.
Humphries, whose draft stock has risen steadily since he declared for the draft as an underclassman despite a recommendation to return to college from the NFL Draft Advisory Board, said he will bring a no-nonsense attitude to the club that chooses him.
"You're going to get a tough-nosed, hard-working young offensive lineman that's ready to come in and just play football," Humphries said. "I'm not with all the glitz and the glamour and the interviews and smiling and kissing babies. I just want to put my hand down and road-grade people."
Detroit holds the No. 23 overall pick -- squarely in the range of where most of the offensive tackles are expected to be chosen -- and have a clear need at the position. Coach Jim Caldwell has said veteran tackle Riley Reiff could play on either the left or right side in 2015, perhaps opening the door for a rookie to find a home on the other side.
Tackles Donovan Smith of Penn State and Cedric Ogbuehi of Texas A&M have also made pre-draft visits to the Lions.
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