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Post OTA/minicamp Detroit Lions 53-man roster prediction

With OTAs and minicamp in the books, we have a better sense of who the Detroit Lions may have a leg up to make the final roster. Here are our latest predictions.

Leon Halip/Getty Images

With training camp still a month away, the Detroit Lions roster is fairly stable for the time being. Now that we have a small impression of how the coaches feel about the roster -- based on minicamp and organized team activities -- it's time to go back to the current 89-man roster and predict who the final 53 players on the team may be. Of course, chances are by Week 1 the Lions will have at least one or two players on their team that aren't even currently on the roster. But this is a good exercise in seeing where the roster currently stands.

QB Matthew Stafford
QB Dan Orlovsky
QB Jake Rudock

RB Stevan Ridley
RB Ameer Abdullah
RB Theo Riddick
RB Zach Zenner

RB George Winn
RB Dwayne Washington

FB Michael Burton

WR Golden Tate
WR Marvin Jones
WR Jeremy Kerley

WR TJ Jones
WR Andre Caldwell
WR Corey Fuller
WR Jace Billingsley
WR Damian Copeland
WR Quinshad Davis
WR Jay Lee
WR Ryan Spadola
WR Andre Roberts
TE Brandon Pettigrew
TE Eric Ebron
TE Cole Wick
TE Matthew Mulligan
TE Adam Fuehne
TE Ben McCord
TE Orson Charles

OT Riley Reiff
OT Taylor Decker
OT Michael Ola
OT Corey Robinson
OT Cornelius Lucas
OT Chase Farris

OG Laken Tomlinson
OG Larry Warford

OG Joe Dahl
OG Geoff Schwartz

C Travis Swanson
C Graham Glasgow
C Gabe Ikard
DE Ziggy Ansah
DE Devin Taylor
DE Anthony Zettel
DE Wallace Gilberry
DE Brandon Copeland

DE Deonte Gibson

DT Haloti Ngata
DT Tyrunn Walker
DT A'Shawn Robinson
DT Caraun Reid

DT Stefan Charles
DT Gabe Wright
DT Khyri Thornton
DT Kerry Hyder
DT Louis Palmer

LB DeAndre Levy
LB Tahir Whitehead
LB Josh Bynes
LB Antwione Williams
LB Kyle Van Noy

LB Stephen Tulloch
LB Khaseem Greene
LB Jerry Franklin
LB Jon Bostic
LB Zaviar Gooden
CB Darius Slay
CB Nevin Lawson
CB Alex Carter
CB Quandre Diggs
CB Darrin Walls
CB Johnson Bademosi

CB Crezdon Butler
CB Adairius Barnes
CB Keith Lewis
CB Ian Wells
CB Charles Washington

S Glover Quin
S Rafael Bush
S Miles Killebrew
S Tavon Wilson

S Isaiah Johnson
S Don Carey

K Matt Prater
K Devon Bell

P Sam Martin

LS Jimmy Landes
LS Don Muhlbach

Changes from last time

IN: Cole Wick, Kyle Van Noy
OUT: Tim Wright, Corey Robinson

Tim Wright was placed on injured reserve, so he obviously won't be part of the Lions' final roster. Based on the ravings of beat writers during minicamp and OTAs, Cole Wick seems like the most likely candidate to step up. With Brandon Pettigrew still yet to join any practices, Wick will continue to get the opportunity to justify a roster spot.

The Lions have a plethora of offensive linemen who are quite versatile on the roster, making Corey Robinson expendable. Robinson also still has practice squad eligibility, so the Lions could potentially keep him if they are afraid he could still develop into something bigger. In his spot, I placed Kyle Van Noy, not because I believe in the hype from minicamp (I don't). Rather, the Lions are quite shorthanded at the linebacker position and Van Noy is the most likely out of the bunch to separate himself from the pack.

Offense summary

The biggest competition remaining on offense is the wide receiver position. Many came out of camp impressed by the work Andre Caldwell did, so he remains the last man in on the group. But look out for newcomer Andre Roberts, who adds a dimension as a punt returner. Of course, don't sleep on UDFAs Jay Lee and new fan favorite (of mine) Jace Billingsley.

I'm still absolutely convinced the Lions will keep three quarterbacks on the roster. There have been absolutely no signs of Detroit being fed up with Dan Orlovsky and although it appears Jake Rudock is coming along slowly, the Lions need a long-term option at backup quarterback, so it would be foolish to let Rudock go. Of course, Detroit could choose to add him to the practice squad, but that adds the unnecessary risk of losing him to free agency.

With both Geoff Schwartz and Joe Dahl able to play the tackle position, I think this is the year Corey Robinson is finally let go. With all of their versatility, there's no real reason to think the Lions would have to carry 10 linemen. Even if they were, a guy like Gabe Ikard may have a better chance than Robinson at this point.

Defensive summary

Kyle Van Noy owes a big thank you to Brandon Copeland for agreeing to move to defensive end. The move leaves the Lions quite thin at linebacker and adds a lot of value to Van Noy's presence. Copeland, himself, may have put himself on the bubble by adding himself to a crowded, but not-so-talented defensive end grouping. However, because there aren't any clear winners outside of the two starters, I think the Lions may choose to keep five defensive ends on the roster to keep the competition tight.

Everything else has pretty much stayed the same. Isaiah Johnson could very well make a play for a secondary position, but I favored newer, Bob Quinn guys when talent was seemingly even. So although Johnson may have made a few decent plays during last year's preseason, Tavon Wilson is a guy Quinn went out and signed. He has to be the favorite. It's the same situation at cornerback with Darrin Walls vs. Johnson Bademosi vs. Crezdon Butler. Butler is the last man out simply for the reason that he wasn't a Quinn acquisition.

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