ALLEN PARK, Mich. — We’re three weeks into training camp now, and we’ve followed the Detroit Lions from day one through joint practices and the season opener. That’s a large enough sample size to project Detroit’s 53-man roster. No easy task, but one worth attempting.

While we have a good idea of ​​which players the Lions will rely on this year, the roster is still open in some spots. WR3 is far from decided. The same goes for the reserve offensive line. At the end of the DB room, it could be a few names. Just to name a few.

Let’s go through the list position by position and explain each choice.

Quarterbacks (3)

Jared Goff
Hendon Hooker
Nate Sudfeld

This could be controversial because I know people are disappointed in Sudfeld after the season opener against the Giants. But the team likes him, he has experience, knows the offense and can help Goff prepare for weekly opponents. Hooker – who is currently dealing with a concussion – is the option with the most upside and has flashed his ability, but the consistency is lacking. Considering this is his first full season, that’s fine. But I think this is trending toward a three-man room.

Running backs (4)

Jahmyr Gibbs
David Montgomery
Craig Reynolds
Sione Vaki

The Lions have arguably the best running back duo in the league, and Craig Reynolds got a ton of work this summer. He’s clearly the RB3 right now. The team won’t risk losing Vaki by putting him on the practice squad, so he’ll stay on the roster while he develops. His preseason performance was a good step in the right direction. It’s hard to justify five running backs, but Jermar Jefferson is getting everyone’s attention and will make this a discussion if he keeps it up. If not, it seems likely he’ll make the practice squad.

Wide Receivers (5)

Amon-Ra St. Brown
Jameson Williams
Daurice Fountain
Caliph Raymond
Antoine Green

Williams looks like a starter in this offense. It feels like he’s ready to be WR2. The WR3 spot in this offense is getting a lot of attention. Right now, it looks like Fountain has the most trust from the staff, but no one has agreed to take the job. It’s almost like the coaches are asking someone to do it. Granted, WR3 won’t be a huge target with so many mouths to feed, but I feel like that position is far from solidified. We could look at a committee.

Just my two cents: I’m not sure if Detroit’s WR3 is on the roster.

Offensive Line (9)

TaylorDecker
Graham Glasgow
Frank Ragnow
Kevin Zeitler
Penn Sewell
Colby Sorsdal
Daniel Skipper
Giovanni Manu
Michael Niese

NFI: Christian Mahogany

This feels like a year where the Lions could play with 10 offensive linemen while continuing to develop their young talent. Skipper will play if the Lions deploy their jumbo package. Sorsdal has played primarily tackle this camp. He should make the team. If Zeitler or Ragnow miss practice, Niese is usually the first interior lineman to get the nod. I think he’s headed in the right direction. Manu is a project tackle who won’t see the field this year. The depth here is largely unproven, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if someone like Kayode Awosika or Ike Bottenger made it. Mahogany had a ton of experience at Boston College, but he missed all of training camp due to an illness and is just now back in the building. Could see him at the NFI early in the year while he gets back into the swing of things.

Tight Ends (4)

Sam LaPorta
Brock Wright
Shane Zylstra
James Mitchell

LaPorta and Wright are essentially co-starters, just as the Lions use 12 players. But after that, the question is: three tight ends or four?

I’d say four, although it wasn’t an easy decision. Shane Zylstra was the best of the bunch. He earned a spot on the first team while LaPorta was out with a hamstring injury. He was also spotted with his hand in the dirt in an I-formation while playing fullback. Former fifth-round pick James Mitchell hasn’t really flashed this summer, but we’ve never seen a Holmes pick fail to make the roster within the first six rounds. That’s why he’s in. For now.

Defensive Tackle (6)

Alim McNeill
DJ Reader
Levi Onwuzurike
Brodric Martin
Mekhi Wingo
Kyle Peko

Defensive tackle is pretty inconsistent. DJ Reader may not be ready to start the season yet as he recovers from a torn quad. He hasn’t returned to practice yet. It could be one of those scenarios where he’ll miss some time early in the year, but not enough to start on the PUP list, which would keep him out of action for four games.

If that’s the case, the Lions likely keep five more tackles. Onwuzurike is basically a hybrid of edge and tackle right now, so consider him in the edge rotation. Peko has spent a lot of time in first-team defense, so he could be Reader’s backup if the Lions play in their SAM package – a five-man lineup with Aidan Hutchinson, McNeill, Peko (Reader), Onwuzurike and Barnes. He’s taken over for Martin, who still has work to do. Wingo has performed well as a rotation player, so he rounds out the roster.

Edge (5)

Aidan Hutchinson
Marcus Davenport
Josh Paschal
James Houston
Mitchell Agude

IR: John Cominsky

Outside of the top three, edge is a little uncertain. I rate Houston higher than some of my peers and believe Houston’s pure pass-rush ability is too good to leave off the roster. I’ve already mentioned Onwuzurike as a factor on the edge. Normally, Cominsky would be here, but he’ll be out for at least a couple of months with a torn medial ligament. If the Lions go with five edge rushers, the fifth spot is up for grabs. Nate Lynn has made some plays, but Campbell has confirmed he’ll likely miss the entire 2024 season with a shoulder injury. I’m not sure former CFL Defensive Player of the Year Mathieu Betts has done enough to make the team, and the coaching staff has even taken the SAM linebacker duties off of him. We need to see more of him.

Two guys I’m keeping an eye on: Isaac Ukwu, who flashed a sack in the preseason game, and Mitchell Agude. Right now I’d take Agude. But that’s still up in the air.

Linebackers (5)

Alex Anzalone
Michael B.
Derrick Barnes
Malcolm Rodriguez
Jalen Reeves-Maybin

I think that space is pretty filled, although the wild card could be a guy like Ben Niemann taking over Anthony Pittman’s role on special teams. There’s not much more to say. Campbell and Anzalone are your starters at Mike and Will, Barnes will play the hybrid SAM spot – he’ll pressure the passer or drop into coverage on a given snap. Rodriguez and Reeves-Maybin are backups and contributors on special teams. Not much drama here.

Cornerbacks (5)

Carlton Davis III
Terrion Arnold
Amik Robertson
Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
Khalil Dorsey

IR: Emmanuel Moseley

Losing Moseley hurts the depth here a bit, but it still looks like a solid roster if the rookies are ready. The tough choice was between Dorsey, Kindle Vildor, or Steven Gilmore for the fifth spot. I went with Dorsey because he’s a little more valuable on special teams and the staff loves him. Not to mention, most years you probably won’t rely too heavily on your CB5 as a defensive contributor. That was Gilmore a year ago, who was inactive most Sundays. Ideally, Gilmore stays on the practice squad and continues to develop.

Fuses (4)

Brian Branch
Joseph Kerby
Ifeatu Melifonwu
CJ Moore

This was a tough choice between Moore, Brandon Joseph and even Morice Norris. Of the three, Norris made the most plays. Joseph got the most reps between spring and training camp. But Moore is the most valuable on special teams. A good argument for all three, hence the difficulty. My gut tells me Moore is the one special teams coordinator Dave Fipp will fight for. Remember: The Lions signed Moore to a new contract before he was suspended for a year for violating the NFL’s gambling policy. As soon as his suspension was up, the Lions immediately brought him back. My guess is they’ll try to fit one of Joseph or Norris on the practice squad while Moore keeps his spot as the special teams ace.

Specialists (3)

Jack Fox
Jake Bates
Hogan Hatten

Last year, Jake McQuaide was better than Scott Daly in my opinion. In my opinion, teams don’t bring in long snappers unless they have doubts about their starter. Daly ended up securing the job, so he deserves credit, but here we are a year later with Hatten – a UDFA from Idaho. Hatten’s relative athleticism score of 9.89 was the third highest all-time for a long snapper. He also played linebacker in college, which shows in punt coverage. He was the first man involved in the following play:

.@MrJackFox starts the year with a 62-yard 💣#DETvsNYG | 📺 Lions TV Network pic.twitter.com/uF5ZsybzWL

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) 8 August 2024

“It’s a real competition,” Campbell said of the long snapper position. “One of the reasons we wanted to get Hogan was his intriguing coverage ability. He played linebacker in college, so he runs pretty well and has some feel for the football, and he played some defensive snaps for us – a few. We needed him where we were at linebacker to finish a game. And that’s what he has. …Daly could snap consistently and under pressure, big plays, different looks, handle the defense and the snap. So that’s the next step for (Hatten). He’s got to be able to prove he can do that with a rush on him. We’ve got to try to put him in some of those tough situations. It’s a real competition right now.”

Daly is probably the frontrunner, but I would rely on Hatten as LS1.

(Top photo of Daurice Fountain: Perry Knotts / Getty Images)