ALLEN PARK -- Joe Lombardi already knew what Calvin Johnson could do because, well, everyone knows what Calvin Johnson can do. Come on.

And stitching together an offense that features the perennial All-Pro is one of Lombardi's great pleasures.

But in his four-plus months since joining the Detroit Lions, Lombardi -- the team's offensive coordinator -- also has gotten a better feel for some of Detroit's role players. And three have stood out: Tailback Theo Riddick and receivers Jeremy Ross and Kevin Ogletree.

"You could really see a role with some of these guys that I wasn't as familiar with," Lombardi said. "You know, I knew what Calvin Johnson was, obviously -- or certainly had an idea. I had a lot of respect for Golden Tate. I kind of knew that was a good player.

"But there are some other guys, you know, at other skill positions that I'm pretty impressed with and excited to work with. Jeremy and Kevin Ogletree are doing some good things. Theo Riddick is a player that has some ability."

Ogletree is an interesting standout because he could be fighting for one of the final spots on the roster. Detroit kept six receivers last year, and Johnson, Tate and Ryan Broyles seem like locks to make this year's team.

Ross also will be back as long as he continues to be a special teams force.

That leaves Ogletree fighting with Kris Durham, Corey Fuller and rookie TJ Jones for the final two spots. Patrick Edwards, Andre Peacock and Naaman Roosevelt also are under contract but are longshots to make the team.

Ogletree is on Lombardi's radar with one more round of OTAs to go, which could be a sign he's in good shape to return to Detroit. He had 13 catches in 12 games after signing with the team in October.

Ross was another midseason pickup, and had an even bigger impact. He averaged 16.2 yards per punt return, which would have led the league if he had enough attempts to qualify, and housed one against Philadelphia.

He also averaged 29.3 yards per kick return.

But Ross had minimal impact on the offense, catching just five passes for 59 yards in 10 games. He also rushed twice for 40 yards.

Now it seems he could be positioning himself to have a greater role in Detroit's new wide-open offense.

Riddick was Detroit's third tailback last year behind Reggie Bush and Joique Bell. He's fighting Mikel Leshoure for that same role this year.