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10 QUESTIONS WITH TWENTYMAN: Who are the rookies to watch in OTAs?

From time to time this offseason Tim Twentyman will answer 10 good questions from his Twitter account @ttwentyman in a feature we call "10 Questions with Twentyman."

20man: I think we can start right at the top with the first two draft picks – tight end T.J. Hockenson and linebacker Jahlani Tavai.

Hockenson looked good in the first open OTA practice Tuesday. He's a smooth route runner and catches everything with his hands away from his body. He laid out and made a couple nice touchdown grabs. He'll see the field early and often.

I was a little surprised at how big Tavai is seeing him up close, but he moves really well for a guy that size. He was already running with the second unit at practice. He should have a chance for early playing time.

A couple other quick notes ... Wide receiver Travis Fulgham looks bigger than his listed 6-foot-2, running back Ty Johnson is as fast as advertised, and safety Will Harris is working into some packages on defense.

20man: Good question.

Why Lions will win: A top 10 defense a year ago takes the next step in the second year of the scheme and becomes a top unit in the league.

Why Lions won't win: Sometimes there are bumps in the road learning a new offensive scheme.

Why Bears will win: They have the most complete roster top to bottom of any team in the division.

Why Bears won't win: They end up really missing defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who is now the head coach in Denver.

Why Vikings will win: Mike Zimmer is one of the best defensive minds in football. That side of the ball is getting older, but it's still loaded.

Why Vikings won't win: They rely too much on the right arm of quarterback Kirk Cousins. They have to find balance on offense.

Why Packers will win: Aaron Rodgers.

Why Packers won't win: Because it's only been Aaron Rodgers going on a decade now

20man: Go with running back Kerryon Johnson. Not only do I expect him to have a great year running the football in Darrell Bevell's offense -- if he stays healthy of course -- but he's also one of the most likeable personalities on the roster. Give him a follow of Twitter if you haven't already: @AyeyoKEJO.

20man: This will be something to monitor throughout the spring and into training camp. Head coach Matt Patricia kind of downplayed Frank Ragnow's move to center for the first OTA practices as them just working different combinations in the spring. That certainly could be the case.

I believe the Lions drafted Ragnow to play center. The size, length and athleticism of veteran Graham Glasgow allows him to move over and play guard pretty easily. If I had to guess, I'd say we see Ragnow at center to start training camp, but we'll have to wait and see.

20man: He did both in the first open OTA practice. I think with his ability as a blocker in the run game we see him in-line more than anything else. He's much better in that regard than Eric Ebron was.

He's not quite the athlete Ebron was on the outside in the passing game, but he's got a really solid overall game for the position. I see that fitting in more in-line, but I'd expect to see him do a little bit of everything.

20man: There is a good opportunity for Tabor to get some quality reps this spring with Darius Slay not at the voluntary workouts. He and veteran Rashaan Melvin were the two starters at outside cornerback with the first-team defense on Tuesday.

When Slay comes back, one of those spots will be his, and Tabor and Melvin will be the top two candidates competing for the other spot. Some others will be in the mix as well.

I'd give the edge to Melvin right now, but it's very early and Tabor has made a few nice plays to begin OTAs.

20man: Johnson was the clear No. 1 in the first open practice, and he's going to get plenty of opportunity to tote the rock.

It's was clear to me that the tight end position will be a feature of this offense. The Lions ran a goal line drill against the secondary just using their tight ends. I'd never seen that before. That tells me they expect the position to play a big role in the red zone and probably on third down, too.

20man: That's going to be one of the good position battles to watch over the course of training camp, Lucas.

I always look at who lines up where to start the spring. Competition has a way of changing things, but to answer your question, Kenny Wiggins took first-team reps at the spot Tuesday.

Maybe someone like Oday Aboushi works in there too, maybe a guy like undrafted rookie free agent Ben Benzschawel wows once the pads come on, but I see it as Wiggins' job to lose to begin the spring.

20man: I think it will be tough at tackle. Tyrell Crosby was the swing tackle last year as a rookie. He was playing left tackle with the second unit on Tuesday. Taylor Decker and Rick Wagner are pretty entrenched at the two tackle spots.

The Lions have said they'll work Crosby in at guard some this offseason and see if that's a possibility, but I suspect he'll be the swing tackle again. He's a very nice insurance policy in case of injury.

20man: Quarterback Tom Savage has played and won games in this league. Obviously, the hope is Matthew Stafford plays 16 games and this isn't something to even worry about.

The Lions pay Stafford a lot of money, and Lions GM Bob Quinn made a point this offseason about how that limits the other resources they can extend to the position. It's just the reality of the salary cap.

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