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Lions first-round draft pick Ziggy Ansah got the preseason off to a fine start.

Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez? Not so much.

On the Jets’ first offensive drive of the preseason on Friday night in Detroit, Sanchez dropped back to pass and tried to dump off a screen, failing to see that Ansah was directly in the path of where Sanchez wanted to throw. The athletic Ansah picked off the ball and ran straight to the end zone for an easy 14-yard touchdown return.

If Sanchez wants to remain the Jets’ starter, he has to avoid mistakes like that. Geno Smith was already breathing down Sanchez’s neck, and these are the kinds of plays Sanchez can’t afford to make.

These are also the kinds of plays that the Lions were hoping Ansah would make when they chose him with the fifth overall pick in the NFL draft.