By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com

ALLEN PARK -- With seven practices in the books, some players have helped themselves in Detroit Lions camp. Others, not so much.

Here's a look at five players on each end of the spectrum, as Detroit prepares to embark on an important week. It heads to Indianapolis on Thursday for a couple joint practices with the Colts, then plays its preseason opener on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Enough of the small-talk. Let's do this.

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***5 who have shined***

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WR Marvin Jones

In his bid to bounce back from a disastrous finish to last season, Jones has impressed bigly. He separates with ease, even against the first-string defensive backs, and has been wonderful when working in tight quarters along the sidelines and in the end zone. His footwork is just so good, as is his body control. Of course, Jones was looking good this time last year as well, and it took defenses only a month to figure out they could neutralize him with aggressive, physical coverage. So it’s premature to say Jones has shaken off his struggles until he sees those kinds of looks. With that said, the early results are certainly promising.

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WR Jared Abbrederis

There’s a job or two open at the back end of that receiver rotation, and Jared Abbrederis has inserted himself firmly into the mix. He’s made as many plays as any wideout in camp. Of course, that could also have something to do with matching up against Teez Tabor much of the time as well. Is Abbrederis really this good? Or Tabor that bad? Here’s betting it’s somewhere in the middle. At any rate, Abbrederis has become a contender for the last job or two, along with TJ Jones, Jace Billingsley and Keshawn Martin.

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LB Jarrad Davis

A year ago, Taylor Decker was drafted in the first round and inserted immediately into the starting lineup. There were some bumps along the way, but he never – never – looked overmatched or out of place. By the end of the year, he was Detroit’s best player at the position. And I just can’t get any of that out of my head when I watch Davis practice. He looks good. Real good. Things won’t be perfect, like with Decker, but his speed, decisiveness – and dare I say, confidence – at the position are unmistakable. The kid looks good. He’s going to start. And if the Decker comp is any indication, he’s going to live up to the hype.

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OT Rick Wagner

The Lions gave him more money than anybody pays a right tackle in the game, yet he's had maybe the quietest camp of any starter. And that's a good thing. While the left tackles have been the talk of camp for all the wrong reasons, Wagner has been whisper-quiet for all the right ones. He's been dependable in team drills, and mistake-free in one-on-ones. It was a workmanlike week for the right tackle, and Detroit use more of that elsewhere up front.

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DE Anthony Zettel

Detroit has been without three of its top four defensive ends since the first day of camp, which has created opportunities for others. And Zettel has the seized the opportunity more than anybody. He’s got some power, but it’s his speed off the ball that is noticeably improved from last year. Of course, Zettel's big week could also have something to do with the mess of left tackles he’s faced.

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***5 who have not***

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CB Teez Tabor

On the first day of camp, Michael Rector beat Tabor deep. It was nothing fancy. Rector got a step on him early, and Tabor just couldn’t close the gap as they raced downfield. At this point, you're probably asking yourself who the hell is Michael Rector, and that's the problem. Everyone has been beating up on Tabor, even an undrafted rookie out of Stanford with no shot to make the team.

Among the serious candidates to make the 53-man roster, Tabor might be having the worst camp. With that said, cornerback is also among the most difficult positions for a rookie. Struggles are nearly universal for first-year players. Recall Darius Slay’s rookie season, when he was benched in his first two games and then got the hook permanently. Now he’s great. It just takes time -- and if we’ve learned anything in the first week of camp, it’s that Tabor is going to need that time.

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LT Greg Robinson

It’s premature to panic about Tabor. The same cannot be said of the left tackles. Through a week of practice, Robinson, the favorite to win the job, has ranged from bad to worse -- and that’s when he’s on the field at all, which hasn’t been much. There’s a reason he lost his job in L.A., then got traded for a sixth-round pick, and I think we’re seeing it.

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LT Cyrus Kouandjio

With Robinson slowed by injury, Kouandjio has gotten a lot of run as the first-team left tackle, but fared no better. Sometimes, he’s been worse. Again, we’re talking about a guy who struggled to hold a job for a bad team, so we shouldn’t be surprised that he’s getting beat here too. At this point, Detroit’s best hope at left tackle is that Decker heals before Matthew Stafford gets his head split open

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TE Michael Roberts

He’s struggled with drops throughout the first week of camp, and ball security when he does catch it. He gets beat a lot in blocking one-on-ones too. But much like Tabor, these problems are nothing to be alarmed by (yet). Tight end can be especially difficult on a rookie, because sometimes you’re lining up split out, other times in line and occasionally in the backfield. It’s like learning three positions at once. It’s tough, and takes time for most guys. (Just ask Eric Ebron.)

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DE Ezekiel Ansah

Detroit finished one sack off the league low last year, then made no substantive additions to the line in the offseason. The club is clearly counting on Ansah to bounce back from an injury-riddled 2016 – but now he hasn’t played a snap in camp, while battling yet another injury. And his absence is exacerbated by the injuries to Armonty Bryant and Cornelius Washington. That’s three of the club’s top four ends, appearing in zero practices since Day 1. Yikes.