Carl Davis

Iowa's Carl Davis has the size and length the Detroit Lions love with their interior defensive linemen.

(AP File Photo)

After focusing heavily on kick returning prospects last week, the Detroit Lions kicked off Monday by shifting the attention of the team's pre-draft visits back to the trenches, hosting Iowa defensive tackle Carl Davis.

Davis, a Sterling Heights native, played four years for the Hawkeyes after redshirting his freshman season. A starter the past two years, he recorded 78 tackles (13 for a loss) and 3.5 sacks during that stretch.

The low sack numbers, which have been highlighted as a concern by some draft analysts, can be attributed to Iowa's defensive scheme, which didn't require Davis to attack a single gap.

"We two-gap the whole time. I took on a lot of double teams in college," Davis said at the combine.

For a team like the Lions, which prefers taller, rangier interior linemen, Davis fits the mold. He measured in at 6-foot-5, 320 pounds at the combine with 34 5/8-inch arms, among the longest at his position group.

Davis is the fifth defensive lineman the Lions have hosted leading up to the draft. Detroit has also brought in Florida State's Mario Edwards Jr., Washington State's Xavier Cooper, Oklahoma's Jordan Phillips, Auburn's Angelo Blackson and Arizona State's Marcus Hardison.

It's been reported Florida State's Eddie Goldman and Washington's Danny Shelton also have visits scheduled with the Lions. The team also conducted the individual drills at Malcom Brown's pro day at the University of Texas.

The Lions remain in the process of reshaping the interior of the team's defensive line, following the departure of starters Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley in free agency.

Detroit made a trade with Baltimore for Haloli Ngata and signed Tyrunn Walker, a promising young talent with upside, away from New Orleans. The only returning member of the Lions' rotation is Caraun Reid, the team's 2014 fifth-round draft pick. He played just 112 defensive snaps in 12 games during his rookie season.

Note: In the video below, Davis is not always highlighted. He's No. 71.

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