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Receiver Marvin Jones was the Lions' biggest offseason acquisition, and will be charged -- fairly or not -- with the impossible task of replacing Calvin Johnson.

(Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

MLive will examine each of the Detroit Lions' positions heading into the start of training camp July 28. Today we hit on Receivers. Tomorrow: Running back.

Receivers

Locks:

Marvin Jones, Golden Tate

Competing:

Jeremy Kerley, TJ Jones, Corey Fuller, Andre Caldwell, Andre Roberts, Jay Lee, Jace Billingsley, Damian Copeland, Quinshad Davis, Ryan Spadola

Notable departures:

Calvin Johnson, Lance Moore

Breakdown: The Lions have been scrambling this offseason to replace Calvin Johnson, adding a first-rate wideout in Marvin Jones, plus a fleet of young and old receivers to fill out the back end of the rotation.

That sets up receiver to be perhaps the most heated job battle of training camp.

Jones faces the impossible task of replacing Johnson, whether he wants to admit it publicly or not, though he certainly seemed up for the challenge during OTAs and training camp. He was one of Detroit's best players on the field, and will join Golden Tate as the top outside threats. But that's about the extent of what we know heading into training camp.

Everything else -- from the third starting job, to every single roster spot behind it -- is up for grabs.

TJ Jones earned a lot of early buzz as a possible breakout player, and vetted that hype with some outstanding practices. But the Lions brought in Jeremy Kerley too, and they are the leaders for the inside job. Both offer some versatility as return men as well, which will help their roster cases, but the loser of that battle is going to have several others to fend off for a reserve job.

Veterans such as Andre Caldwell and Andre Roberts were brought in as late free-agent signings, and a few promising rookies were added to the mix as well, most notably Jay Lee. At 6-foot-2 and 211 pounds, the undrafted free agent out of Baylor stood out for his size and physicality during the early portions of the offseason. He certainly seems capable of providing a big-bodied complement to smaller dudes like Marvin Jones, TJ Jones, Kerley and Tate, and that's attractive for a club that wants to do a lot of rushing and short passing. You need someone to block at the second level, and Lee looks like he could be up for it.

Corey Fuller was also in the mix, though a June foot surgery hurts his chances (and he had faded behind TJ Jones and some others before that anyway). His roster outlook is bleak at best.

Lots of names. Lots of options. Should be an interesting summer, watching these guys jostle for roster and starting spots all over the place.

Prediction: Marvin Jones, Golden Tate, Jeremy Kerley, TJ Jones, Jay Lee