Photo by Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com

ALLEN PARK -- With the bottom half of the roster out of the way, it's time to move on to the top 20 of our Detroit Lions player rankings for 2017.

All the disclaimers issued in the first installment still apply. Go ahead and bark about our differences. I take no offense. This is a clearly subjective exercise with no right answers -- except for No. 1. There's a right answer there, and I'll fight anyone who disagrees.

Peep Nos. 53-21 right here. Now let's move on to the main event.

Don't Edit

Photo by Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

20. DE Kerry Hyder

His story is as feel-good as they come these days in Allen Park. He began his pro career by toiling for two long seasons on practice squads as a 300-pound defensive tackle. He was starting to think about real-world jobs last summer. Then he shed 35 pounds, moved to defensive end, eked onto the roster with a huge preseason -- and then exploded for five sacks in the first month of the season, which led the NFC. He finished the season with eight sacks, while the rest of the team combined for just 18. That's good stuff. For those scoring at home, though, that also means he had just three sacks in the final 13 games. He's penciled in for a starting job right now, but it's on him to prove that torrid start was no fluke.

Don't Edit

Photo by Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

19. DT Haloti Ngata

At 33 years old, Ngata is just a shell of the guy who was named to five straight All-Pro teams in Baltimore. He can still eat up a lot of snaps and clog a run lane or two, but he's just not an explosive playmaker from the inside anymore -- a big reason Detroit's interior pass rush was worst in the league last year, according to PFF.

Don't Edit

Photo by Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

18. CB Nevin Lawson

The Lions fired a warning shot Lawson's way with the selection of Teez Tabor in the second round of the draft. Nobody drafts a guy that early to ride the bench, after all, and they already have Darius Slay locked up on the other side. But don't expect Lawson to go silently into that good night either. He improved a lot last season, and has allowed fewer receiving yards per coverage snap than anybody else in his draft class. He's no star, and Tabor appears to be the future. But Lawson is solid too, which gives Detroit some long-sought depth in the secondary and takes the pressure off Tabor while he develops.

Don't Edit

Photo by Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

17. LB Jarrad Davis

Taylor Decker was a first-round pick who stepped into an immediate starting role at a difficult position -- and never looked overmatched. Sure, he made mistakes along the way. But the role never looked too big for him, and by year's end, he was terrific. And I can't help but get the same vibes when I watch Davis. I have no idea how good he'll be once he starts hitting -- sort of an important step for a linebacker -- but man, does he already look good in the middle of Detroit's defense. The speed is unmistakable, and should help tighten up the coverage issues that plagued Detroit with Tahir Whitehead in the position last year.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Photo by Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

16. K Matt Prater

Matthew Stafford gets showered with praise for those eight fourth-quarter comebacks last year, and rightfully so. But let's not forget the guy who finished off so many of those things either. Prater was perfect in game-tying/winning scenarios in the fourth quarter and overtime, and nailed all seven attempts from beyond 50 yards -- including that 58-yard equalizer at the end of regulation in Minnesota. Detroit went on to win the game in OT and take over first place in the NFC North, as pivotal a game as any in its push to the postseason.

Don't Edit

Photo by Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

15. DT A'Shawn Robinson

Began his rookie season as a backup. Ended it as Detroit’s best interior defensive lineman. He just affects the game in so many ways, eating up space against the run, getting home for a couple sacks, and deflecting a mind-boggling seven passes. That was more than the rest of Detroit’s linemen combined, even though he started just five games.

Don't Edit

Photo by Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

14. WR Marvin Jones

It was almost like Detroit had two different players wearing No. 11 last season. There was Good Marvin Jones, who racked up 482 yards the first four weeks of the season. And then there was Bad Marvin Jones, who had just 448 yards the rest of the way. He was signed to be the former, a guy who could stretch -- and break -- a defense vertically. But there are fears that he could be the latter, a guy who struggles to get open against physical coverage. The truth is he's probably somewhere in between.

Don't Edit

Photo by Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

13. P Sam Martin

This might seem a little high for a punter, and hey, maybe it is. But the Punt God is no ordinary specialist. In four years with Detroit, Martin has posted the four greatest punting seasons in team history. The Lions net 44.2 yards of field position every time Martin swung his right leg last year, which was second most in the history of the game. For a team that was average in so many other ways, their ability to flip field position was clutch.

Don't Edit

Photo by Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

12. C Travis Swanson

Swanson is a classic case of what can happen when you give a young player time to figure himself out. He was awful in 2015, his first season as a starter, and ProFootballFocus ranked him 33rd at the position. But Swanson just kept getting better last offseason, eventually held onto the starting job and wound up becoming a top-five player at the position until a concussion sidelined him the final month of the season. He says he’s good now though, and his return provides some consistency for an offensive line that will open 2017 with at least three new starters up front.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Photo by Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

11. RB Theo Riddick

Injuries held him back last season, much as they did Ameer Abdullah. But Riddick remains one of the league's most dangerous pass-catchers out of the backfield, and one of its most elusive players with the ball in his hands. There are entire pages of the Lions playbook that are unlocked when he's on the field -- and ripped out when he's not.

Don't Edit

Photo by Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

10. RB Ameer Abdullah

A lot of people were surprised by how little Detroit invested in the running back position in free agency and the draft. Take that as a sign of how much Bob Quinn loves Abdullah. He sure looked like he had the chops last season, averaging 5.6 yards per carry in his two games and helping Detroit crack 100 yards rushing both times-- something it did just once the rest of the way. But the other side of that coin is Abdullah played just two games. He is a talented running back, that much is evident, and Detroit's hopes of achieving competency in the run game are pinned to his ability to remain on the field.

Don't Edit

Photo by Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

9. TE Eric Ebron

He was a top-10 tight end last season, based on catches and yards. Of course, there’s more to playing the position than just catching the ball, and that is where Ebron has struggled most. But with Darren Fells and Michael Roberts aboard, he’ll be asked to do even less of that blocking stuff than ever before – and more of what he does best. If he stays healthy, Ebron could be headed for a very nice year.

Don't Edit

AP Photo

8. S Glover Quin

Quin gets love, but not nearly enough. This guy has started every game since signing with the Lions in 2013, and 116 straight games overall, nearly double any other safety in the game. He didn't come off the field for a single defensive snap last year, and was awesome while doing it. Quin's steady, mistake-free play on the back line has been instrumental in keeping Detroit's defense afloat despite some significant issues in front of him.

Don't Edit

Photo by Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

7. OT Taylor Decker

Expectations were high for Decker last season, even though he was asked to play from Day 1 at one of the most difficult -- and highest stakes -- positions in the game. That's a recipe for disappointment. And yet, Decker somehow exceeded all of it. After allowing four sacks in the first month of the season, he allowed just 0.5 the rest of the way. It was one of the best bits of left tackle play Detroit has seen in some time, and he headed into this year as one of Detroit's most indispensable players -- and then he suffered a crushing shoulder injury during OTAs. He's expected to miss at least the first month of the season, and might not return until December. Greg Robinson, Cyrus Kouandjio and Cornelius Lucas are the favorites to replace him, each of whom is a massive downgrade from the former first-round pick.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Photo by Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

6. WR Golden Tate

There were plenty of skeptics when Tate said he was ready to become a WR1 in the post-Calvin era, and they looked prophetic when he slumped his way to just 95 yards in the first month of the season. He was even benched in the second half against Chicago, But then Tate pulled his head out of you-know-where, and tore open defenses for 86 yards per game the final 11 weeks of the season. And when all was said and done, he was right back in the top 15 in receiving yards, and second among wideouts in yards after the catch. With Marvin Jones’ picture on the side of a milk carton these days, Tate has become Matthew Stafford's best target. And doing it at $6.2 million annually, he is one of the best bargains in the game.

Don't Edit

Photo by Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

5. OT Rick Wagner

Wagner allowed just three sacks and four QB hits last season, according to ProFootballFocus, and graded out as the league's fourth-best pass protector. That's why Baltimore pushed so hard to re-sign him -- and why the Lions made him an offer he couldn't refuse. A signing, by the way, that looks even better now that Detroit is without its left tackle for a while.

Don't Edit

Photo by Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

4. DE Ezekiel Ansah

A disappointing 2016 has taken some of the shine off Ansah, but that had a lot to do with ankle injuries that kept him out of three games and limited him in so many others. Ansah remains very much the freak that racked up 14.5 sacks in 2015, and he should be able to recapture that form now that he's healthy again.

Don't Edit

Photo by Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

3. OG T.J. Lang

Might seem high for a guard, and maybe it is. But the man didn’t give up so much as a QB hit last year, let alone sack. That’s an incredible statistic for any offensive lineman, and it’s especially so for a guy blocking in front of Aaron Rodgers, who holds the ball longer than anybody. Lang earned every bit of that Pro Bowl nod with Green Bay last year, and instantly becomes Detroit’s best offensive player this side of Matthew Stafford.

Don't Edit

Photo by Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

2. CB Darius Slay

Slay has blossomed into one of the best cover corners in the league. In fact, he was the very best against both in routes and out routes last season according to PFF. As for zone coverage, once his greatest weakness, he allowed afirst-down catch in the opener against Indianapolis -- and then none the rest of the season. Slay is really good, you guys, and all that's stopping him from becoming elite are the takeaways.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Photo by Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

1. QB Matthew Stafford

Like this was going to be anybody else? Just look at what went down last year. With Stafford, the Lions won eight games that they trailed in the fourth quarter, an NFL record. Without him, they might have won four games. Maybe. Detroit was just so devoid of playmakers, especially in the run game. Their defense allowed the highest QB rating in history. They trailed in the fourth quarter of 15 games. Yet they went to the playoffs – and more than anything else, it was Stafford’s improved efficiency and captivating heroics that got them there. He’s still not among the elite QBs, but it can no longer be denied that he is on the short list of good ones. He's the best Detroit has had in at least 50 years, and maybe, ever.