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Second-round pick Ameer Abdullah currently projects to back up Joique Bell at tailback, but will compete with Jeremy Ross for a starting job at returner.

(Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

ALLEN PARK -- Free agency has been open for weeks, and the NFL draft is in the books.

That means the majority of players who will eventually break camp with the Detroit Lions in September are already on the roster.

A lot will happen between now and cut-down day, of course. Some guys will rise and fall. Others will be cut. But here's an early look at what the depth chart looks like right now (not counting undrafted free agents):

OFFENSIVE LINE (Interior)

Projected starters: Laken Tomlinson, Travis Swanson, Larry Warford

Reserves: Manny Ramirez, Taylor Boggs, Braxston Cave, Darren Keyton

Rookies: Tomlinson

Notable departures: Dominic Raiola, Rob Sims

Bottom line: No position has undergone a bigger makeover than this one. Tomlinson should start from Day 1, and Ramirez is a versatile reserve for all three spots who will also provide veteran mentoriship for the first-time starter Swanson. Sims is now officially out in Detroit, if he wasn't already.

OFFENSIVE LINE (Exterior)

Projected starters: Riley Reiff, LaAdrian Waddle

Reserves: Cornelius Lucas, Michael Williams, Corey Robinson

Rookies: Robinson

Notable departures: Corey Hilliard

Bottom line: After all that talk about the Lions shaking up their tackles, it appears they'll head into the summer with no changes at all. Reiff is still the team's best left tackle, and Waddle is their best right tackle whenever he returns from an ACL. The real competition will be between Lucas, Williams and the massive rookie Robinson for the two reserve spots.

TAILBACK

Projected starter: Joique Bell

Reserves: Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick, George Winn

Rookies: Abdullah

Notable departures: Reggie Bush

Bottom line: Bell will open the season as the starter, but expect Abdullah to shoulder much of the rushing load early as well. Detroit would not have taken him that high if it planned on Riddick being the No. 2. The powerful Bell and speedy Abdullah will complement each other, much as Bell and Bush did in previous years. Riddick probably will be used a lot like he was last year, as a receiver out of the backfield. Winn faces a long road to make the team.

FULLBACK

Projected starter: Michael Burton

Reserves: Emil Egwenagu

Rookies: Burton

Notable departures: Jed Collins

Bottom line: If their drafting is any indication, the Lions appear to be shifting their offense toward a power-running attack. Nobody really uses fullbacks these days, yet they felt compelled to take Burton as high as the fifth round. Detroit also used its first two draft picks to add a power guard (Tomlinson) and a new running back (Abdullah). Expect to see some power sets in 2015.

RECEIVER

Projected starters: Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate, Jeremy Ross

Reserves: Corey Fuller, Ryan Broyles, TJ Jones, Skye Dawson, Andrew Peacock

Rookies: None

Notable departures: None

Bottom line: The Lions stood pat at receiver in the draft for the first time since 2006, but changes could still be afoot. Detroit has been open about wanting more out of its return units, and the first thing Martin Mayhew mentioned after drafting Abdullah was his return ability. If Abdullah wins those jobs, Ross could be out in Detroit. Broyles and Jones are also on the bubble.

TIGHT END

Projected starter: Eric Ebron

Reserves: Brandon Pettigrew, Joseph Fauria

Rookies: None

Notable departures: None

Bottom line: Pettigrew is back as the primary in-line blocker, while Ebron is expected to become the No. 3 target for Matthew Stafford. Fauria was a red-zone monster as a rookie in 2013 before losing most of 2014 to ankle injuries. These guys were a major disappointment last year, but Detroit clearly believes they can handle the offense in Year 2.

QUARTERBACK

Projected starter: Matthew Stafford

Reserves: Dan Orlovsky, Kellen Moore

Rookies: None

Notable departures: None

Bottom line: There wasn't much to like about Stafford's first season in the new offense, other than his turnovers were down (12) and wins were up (11). But he's expected to be better next year now that reinforcements are on the way, both in the protections in front of him and the tailbacks behind him. A productive running game could make all the difference.

DEFENSIVE TACKLES

Projected starters: Haloti Ngata, Tyrunn Walker

Reserves: Caraun Reid, Gabe Wright, Jermelle Cudjo, Roy Philon, Xavier Proctor

Rookies: Wright

Notable departures: Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley, C.J. Mosley

Bottom line: The Lions were able to breathe new life into their running game with two early-round selections, but the tradeoff was missing out on the best rookie defensive tackles. Detroit did trade up into the fourth round to grab Wright, who is a bit of a project, but will be counted upon as a rotational guy immediately.

DEFENSIVE ENDS

Projected starters: Ezekiel Ansah, Jason Jones

Reserves: Darryl Tapp, Devin Taylor, Larry Webster, Phillip Hunt, Kerry Hyder

Rookies: None

Notable departures: George Johnson

Bottom line: The Lions didn't draft a defensive end, nor did they need one. This position is set with a pair of returning starters, one of whom is one of the more promising young pass-rushers in the league (Ansah). The only real loss was top reserve George Johnson, and Detroit believes Taylor and Webster can fill that role.

LINEBACKERS

Projected starters: DeAndre Levy, Stephen Tulloch, Kyle Van Noy

Reserves: Tahir Whitehead, Josh Bynes, Brandon Copeland, Jerrell Harris, Travis Lewis, Julian Stanford

Rookies: None

Notable departures: Ashlee Palmer

Bottom line: No change here. Levy is still one of the best-regarded outside linebackers in the game, and Tulloch is still expected to return to his starting job in the middle after losing most of 2014 to injury. The only drama is on the strong side, where a couple of returners will duke it out. Whitehead was terrific while playing for Tulloch in the middle last year, while Van Noy is the club's second-round choice from a year ago. Van Noy gets the early nod, barely, because his big body would fit so well into what Teryl Austin wants to do with all those multiple fronts.

CORNERBACK

Projected starters: Darius Slay, Rashean Mathis

Reserves: Bill Bentley, Nevin Lawson, Quandre Diggs, Alex Carter, Crezdon Butler, Mohammed Seisay, Josh Wilson

Rookies: Diggs, Carter

Notable departures: Cassius Vaughn

Bottom line: The Lions added some competition here in the draft, though not for starting spots. Wilson, a third-rounder, is a 6-footer out of Stanford who could serve as the primary backup on the outside. At nickel, Diggs offers some insurance in case Lawson and/or Bentley can't fully recover from their injuries. If all three nickels are healthy, then they'll compete for probably two spots.

SAFETIES

Projected starters: Glover Quin, James Ihedigbo

Reserves: Don Carey, Isa Abdul-Quddus, Nate Ness

Rookies: None

Notable departures: None

Bottom line: There are no changes at safety, though the rookie cornerback Carter could have the physicality and tackling ability to move here at some point. For now, everything is status quo. And that's a good thing given how well they played last year.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Projected starters: PK Matt Prater, P Sam Martin, PR/KR Ameer Abdullah, LS Don Muhlbach

Reserves: Jeremy Ross

Rookies: Abdullah

Notable departures: None

Bottom line: The kick/punt returner battle between Ross and Abdullah will be among the best job battles of the summer. Abdullah was electrifying early in his career, averaging 29.3 yards per kick return as a freshman and 13.1 yards per punt return as a sophomore. But fumbles were an issue, and relinquished the punt return duties his final two seasons. He returned just four kicks as a junior, though did get 14 attempts as a senior (averaging 28.0 yards per). Detroit has been vocal about wanting competition for Ross, as well as its plan to try Abdullah here.

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