ALLEN PARK -- Bob Quinn usually likes to temper expectations for rookies, even first-round picks.

But when it comes to Jeff Okudah, the third overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, he really couldn’t help himself.

“I would hope that Jeff Okudah would come in and start Day 1,” the Detroit Lions general manager said during a video chat on Saturday night. “I sure hope so. But listen, if we don’t have an offseason program, would it take him a couple of weeks? Maybe. You never know. But I think he’s a very mature kid, very smart football-wise. I mean, I’m very confident that even if we do a virtual offseason program for six weeks, he’ll know enough of our defense to be a very capable player very, very early in his rookie season.”

So, yeah. Barring injury or an act of God -- and hey, to be fair, we are all currently locked down in a global pandemic -- Okudah will start for the Detroit Lions in 2020.

But what about the rest of the rookie class? How do they fit into the picture?

With the nine-man draft class officially aboard, here’s an early projection of where Detroit’s depth chart stands:

OFFENSIVE LINE

Projected starters: LT Taylor Decker, LG Joe Dahl, C Frank Ragnow, RG Jonah Jackson, RT Halapoulivaati Vaitai

Reserves: OT Tyrell Crosby, OT Dan Skipper, OT Matt Nelson, G Kenny Wiggins, G Logan Stenberg, G Caleb Benenoch, G Beau Benzschawel, G Josh Garnett, G Casey Tucker, G Oday Aboushi, C Russell Bodine

Notable departures: Graham Glasgow, Rick Wagner

Draft picks: Jackson (third round), Stenberg (fourth round)

Breakdown: This might be the hardest position to project right now because there’s just so much change under way. The entire right side of the line is gone, with Graham Glasgow in Denver and Rick Wagner in Green Bay. Halapoulivaati Vaitai (didn’t even have to google it) is expected to replace Wagner at right tackle. With Taylor Decker entering his fifth season at left tackle and Frank Ragnow anchoring the center position, the uncertainty right now is at both guard spots.

Joe Dahl and Kenny Wiggins started games there last year, but there is a reason Detroit still used third- and fourth-round picks on guards anyway. Just to put that in perspective, this is the first time the Lions have used back-to-back picks on interior offensive linemen since 1978 (Tennessee State’s Homer Elias and Wake Forest’s Larry Tearry). Heck, they haven’t used back-to-back picks on offensive linemen of any kind since 2001 -- nearly two decades ago -- when they took Jeff Backus and Dominic Raiola in the first two rounds.

Throw in the pick of D’Andre Swift at 35th overall, and Detroit used three of its first five picks to fortify a running game that already returns Kerryon Johnson and Bo Scarbrough. OK, guards have to pass block too. But these are big, meaty, physical guards who are made for run blocking. Especially Stenberg, who played in a top-five running offense at Kentucky. The plan is pretty obvious, and you have to think Stenberg and Jackson will both start someday. But right away? Dahl has a slight edge right now because of his experience heading into a shortened offseason, although at least one of the rookies is likely to crack the lineup. Jackson, taken one round earlier than Stenberg, is the more advanced player right now after spending his final season in that pro-style system at Ohio State.

RECEIVER

Projected starters: Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, Danny Amendola

Reserves: Marvin Hall, Quintez Cephus, Travis Fulgham, Chris Lacy, Tom Kennedy, Geronimo Allison, Geremy Davis, Victor Bolden

Notable departures: None

Draft picks: Cephus (fifth round)

Breakdown: The Lions return every receiver who caught at least one pass last season -- a season where Detroit happened to rank among the three best passing offenses in the league when Matthew Stafford was under center. Throw in the expected growth of T.J. Hockenson at tight end, and you can make the case that this team should have one of the best, deepest and most experienced aerial attacks in the league. Now they’ve added Cephus to the mix, although all these returners mean he probably won’t play much.

TIGHT END

Projected starter: T.J. Hockenson

Reserves: Jesse James, Isaac Nauta, Matt Sokol

Notable departures: Logan Thomas

Draft picks: None

Breakdown: After spending last year’s eighth overall pick on T.J. Hockenson and then adding Nauta in the seventh round -- the first time they’ve taken multiple tight ends in the same draft since 2009 -- the Lions stood pat here in free agency and the draft. Hockenson was up and down as a rookie, sure, but everyone around Allen Park says the ability is there. OK, so they were saying the same things about Eric Ebron too. The difference is Hockenson also has the mental makeup, and Detroit really believes this guy is going to make a big leap next season.

But there are depth issues behind Hockenson, with Jesse James coming off a woeful debut in Detroit and Nauta not really doing much as a seventh-round pick. But keep your eye on the UDFA wire. We’re not accounting for those guys here because the deals aren’t finalized, but there are reports Detroit is signing Washington’s Hunter Bryant, a high-upside pass-catching tight end who was among the most-sought UDFAs this year. That guy just might make the team.

RUNNING BACK

Projected starter: D’Andre Swift

Reserves: Kerryon Johnson, Bo Scarbrough, Ty Johnson, Jason Huntley, Tra Carson, Wes Hills, Nick Bawden (FB)

Notable departures: None

Draft picks: Swift (second round), Huntley (fifth round)

Breakdown: The D’Andre Swift pick has a chance to be a home run for the Lions. They already had a prolific passing game that was killing teams with Matthew Stafford on the field last year. Now they’ve added a back who averaged 6.6 yards every time he carried the football at Georgia, more yards than any other back in school history. And that school has produced some very good backs. Throw in what Swift can do as a pass-catcher and his polish as a pass protector, and there’s no reason he won’t see a lot of the field on Day 1.

But a healthy Kerryon Johnson is no slouch either, averaging the second-most yards per carry in the league as a rookie in 2018. A couple knee injuries have slowed his development, although there’s still a lot to like about his game. Throw in Bo Scarbrough , who looked good as Johnson’s injury replacement last season, and Detroit has its deepest, most intriguing set of backs in years. Don’t forget about Ty Johnson and Jason Huntley either, sixth- and fifth-round picks in the last two drafts and perhaps Detroit’s fastest players. Special teams could decide the jobs in the back end of that rotation.

QUARTERBACK

Projected starter: Matthew Stafford

Reserves: Chase Daniel, David Blough

Notable departures: Jeff Driskel

Draft picks: None

Breakdown: Bob Quinn once said it was good football business to draft a quarterback every year or every other year. But for the third straight year, he did not draft any at all. There was so much talk about Tua Tagovaiola with the third overall pick, but no one inside or around the organization ever really thought that was in play. Not with how well Matthew Stafford was playing before the back injury last year, and still under contract for three more seasons.

Stafford is healthy right now, although three back injuries in two years has to be some kind of concern. Detroit has invested in an insurance policy by bringing in an experienced backup in Chase Daniel.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Projected starters: DL Trey Flowers, DT Danny Shelton, DL Da’Shawn Hand

Reserves: EDGE Julian Okwara, EDGE Austin Bryant, DE Romeo Okwara, DE Frank Herron, DE Jonathan Wynn, DT Nick Williams, DT Kevin Strong, DT John Penisini, DT Jashon Cornell, DT John Atkins, DT Olive Sagapolu

Notable departures: DT Snacks Harrison, DT A’Shawn Robinson, DT Mike Daniels

Draft picks: Okwara (third round), Penisini (sixth round), Cornell (seventh round)

Breakdown: It’ll be fascinating to see how Julian Okwara is worked into an edge mix that already includes guys like Trey Flowers. The 6-foot-4, 252-pounder had five sacks in nine games last season and pressured the quarterback 32 times on 202 pass-rushing snaps. That’s the sort of disruption Detroit was lacking last season. Then again, he broke his leg late in the year and his draft stock plummeted from the top 50 to the third round. The lack of an offseason program could hurt him as he tries to work his way back to form.

There is also some curiosity for Austin Bryant, another versatile edge player who was taken in the fourth round of last year’s draft. But he suffered a shoulder injury in training camp that sidelined him the first 12 games of the season. So it’s still hard to say what the plan is for him, or how he’ll be worked into the mix.

LINEBACKER

Projected starters: Jamie Collins, Jahlani Tavai, Christian Jones

Reserves: Jarrad Davis, Reggie Ragland, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Christian Sam, Jason Cabinda, Elijiah Lee, Anthony Pittman

Notable departures: Devon Kennard

Draft picks: None

Breakdown: The Lions have signed Jamie Collins to replace Devon Kennard on the edge, but it’s hard to read what their plans are otherwise for the position. They say they love Jarrad Davis in the middle, but they spent a second-round pick on Jahlani Tavai last year and then signed former second-round pick Reggie Ragland in free agency this year. Either could see time at middle linebacker this season, which could mean Davis is demoted. And that might not be the worst thing for him. He’s been at his best as a pass rusher anyway, and focusing on those packages and subpackages could be what’s best for everybody.

SECONDARY

Projected starters: CB Jeff Okudah, CB Demond Trufant, CB Justin Coleman, S Duron Harmon, S Tracy Walker

Reserves: CB Amani Oruwariye, CB Jamal Agnew, CB Mike Ford, CB Mike Jackson, CB Tony McRae, CB Darryl Roberts, S Will Harris, S Miles Killebrew, S Jayron Kearse, S C.J. Moore

Notable departures: CB Darius Slay, CB Rashaan Melvin, S Tavon Wilson

Draft picks: Okudah (third overall)

Breakdown: The Lions selected Jeff Okudah third overall, higher than anyone’s taken a cornerback since 1997. The team believes he’s so good that he transcends the norms for the position in the draft, much like with tight end T.J. Hockenson last year. And much like Hockenson, Okudah is expected to start right away. Even a shortened offseason isn’t expected to change that. “I would hope that Jeff Okudah would come in and start Day 1,” Bob Quinn said. “I sure hope so.”

Is Detroit better off with Okudah-Trufant than Slay-Melvin? Is that an upgrade? Those are questions that will get debated a lot in the coming months. Both players should be better than Melvin was, but Slay was so good that he made the Pro Bowl despite playing behind the league’s worst pass rush. That guy was really, really good. Trufant is nice, but he’s not Slay nice.

Of course, Okudah is expected to be really good too. But just how long it takes him to get there remains to be seen. Cornerback is notoriously difficult on rookies, and now Okudah will have even fewer practice reps because the coronavirus has canceled rookie minicamps and OTAs across the NFL. A virtual program is fine (that starts on Monday), but simply can’t replicate taking reps against Matthew Stafford and Kenny Golladay.

At safety, the Lions return starters Tracy Walker and Will Harris, but have added Duron Harmon to the mix in a trade with New England. Harmon could take the full-time starting job from Harris, although all three safeties could be on the field together a lot.

SPECIALISTS

Projected starters: PK Matt Prater, P Jack Fox, LS Don Muhlbach, KR/PR Jamal Agnew

Reserves: P Matt Wile, KR/PR Ty Johnson, KR/PR Jason Huntley, LS James Fisher

Notable departures: P Sam Martin

Draft picks: Huntley (sixth round)

Breakdown: After years of stability in the special teams, change is afoot. Punter Sam Martin has already signed with Denver, leaving Jack Fox and Matt Wile to battle for that job. Agnew was OK as a return man last season, including housing one punt for a touchdown, but last year’s sixth-round pick (Ty Johnson) and this year’s fifth-round pick (Jason Huntley) are both burners who could vie for the job. Even veteran long snapper Don Muhlbach, who has been with the club since 2004, could face more robust competition for his job now that James Fisher has signed with the club. Another long snapper could be en route from the UDFA market as well. Throw in all the coverage guys who were signed in free agency, and it’s clear Detroit is rebuilding its special teams unit under new coordinator Brayden Coombs.