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: From the undrafted rookies, I like the signing of Notre Dame wide receiver Javon McKinley, who led the Irish with 717 yards receiving on 42 catches last season. He's another big-framed receiver who has a chance to make the roster with a good camp.
Of the players returning to the roster, I expect second-year cornerback Jeff Okudah to have a bounce-back second season. He's now healthy, and I think the defensive coaches he's got working with him now, specifically new defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, have a long history of getting the best out of some of the secondary players they've worked with. I expect Okudah to be a much more consistent player in Year 2.
20man: If you throw on the tape from Penei Sewell's 2019 season at Oregon, his athleticism in the run game really jumps out. Sewell made a habit of exploding into the second level and demolishing defenders. He has really nimble feet for a player with his size and strength, which allows him to be very effective in space and in the second and third levels. He's also got good instincts.
Check out some of these clips of Sewell in space.
It's pretty darn impressive for a man 6-foot-5 and 331 pounds who put up 30 reps on the bench.
20man: That's really the one question mark upfront along Detroit's offensive line heading into training camp.
Halapoulivaati Vaitai signed a big free-agent contract last offseason and was slated to start at right tackle before a foot injury suffered the last week of training camp prevented him from playing the first couple weeks. He was moved to guard when he got back, and switched between playing tackle and guard all of last season before ending up on IR.
Vaitai knows he'll be playing guard this year, which should allow him to prepare for the move all offseason and heading into camp. He's big and strong, and has playing with experience at guard. I think he's got to be the favorite.
Will the Lions allow Tyrell Crosby to compete there, or keep him in the swing tackle role? That will be something to watch heading into camp.
The Lions also have guards Logan Stenberg, Evan Heim, Drake Jackson and Tommy Kraemer on the roster, but I believe it's Vaitai's job to lose.
20man: A big impact. General manager Brad Holmes said as much in his post-draft press conference.
Dorsey has a really good eye for talent, and Holmes, as a first-time GM, was smart to tap into that knowledge and experience. Zero ego when it comes to Holmes. Dorsey was responsible for assembling a lot of the key pieces in Kansas City and Cleveland from his time in those organizations.
I ran into Dorsey at the Senior Bowl and he hit the pro-day circuit pretty hard as well. Lions draft picks Levi Onwuzurike, Derrick Barnes and Ifeatu Melifonwu were players Dorsey got an up-close look at in Mobile at the Senior Bowl.
Dorsey is very well respected around the league for his talent evaluations, and the Lions and Holmes surely benefitted from that leading up to the draft.
20man: We talked about the battle for the right guard spot above. I think another one that will be interesting to see how it shakes out is the competition at cornerback. Okudah and Amani Oruwariye return as starters on the outside from last year. The team drafted Melifonwu in the third round, and normally players drafted that high are expected to compete for playing time. Then there was the addition of veterans Corn Elder and Quinton Dunbar. Elder is expected to play inside, but who else might challenge Elder in the slot?
It's a good mix of young talent and veteran experience at corner in Detroit, and it will be interesting to see which players rise to the top in camp.
20man: Man, D'Andre Swift had to be one of the happiest players on the roster the last couple weeks seeing the team solidify their offensive line with the drafting of Sewell and then with the extension of center Frank Ragnow a couple days later. Detroit's expected to be pretty darn good upfront along their offensive line, and Swift should directly benefit from that.
Jamaal Williams is a really good complement to Swift in Detroit's backfield, and he's going to get his fair share of carries too. I think conservatively, the benchmark for Swift should be 1,500 total yards. That's very attainable with what he brings to the table from a pass-catching standpoint too.
20man: I think when it's all said and done at the end of the 2021 season, tight end T.J. Hockenson will lead the team in receptions. That's just my guess from where he's trending as a player.
In terms of the receiver corps, I think it will be a committee approach, but if I had to pick one player, Tyrell Williams' big-play ability and familiarity with OC Anthony Lynn makes him a good candidate to lead the receivers in receptions, if he stays healthy.
20man: The Lions currently have 87 players on the roster, which means there are three open spots to get to the roster limit of 90. Maybe a spot or two is taken by a tryout player at rookie minicamp this weekend, but the league has installed restrictions on how many tryout players can participate, so I doubt all three spots are filled that way.
I think Holmes will allow for some flexibility with veteran players who might be released this summer after June 1 or players still on the market heading into camp. There are still some productive free agents out there like WR Alshon Jeffery, DE Melvin Ingram, WR Golden Tate and WR Marqise Lee.
20man: I like Amon-Ra St. Brown as a player. I thought it was terrific value getting him in the fourth round. He's a terrific route runner and brings a toughness to the position. But I'd be a little surprised if he ends up with more targets and receptions than Ja'Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle or DeVonta Smith, the top three receivers taken in the draft. I think those guys come in as clear No. 1 guys for their teams.
Do you think Jared Goff can win the NFC north if Rodgers is out of GB? - cgravey
20man: I don't think the question is whether Jared Goff can win an Aaron Rodgers-less NFC North. I think the more important question is whether Detroit's defense can make the necessary leaps to get back to being competitive in the division.
I think most people expect the Lions to be pretty good offensively. Goff is one of only three active quarterbacks to throw for at least 3,800 yards and 20 touchdowns in each of the last four seasons. Detroit has a good offensive line and some talented skill weapons, and I expect that side of the ball to be pretty good.
What's held Detroit back over the years is an inability to play consistently on the other side of the ball. Detroit allowed the most points (499), most yards per game (419.8), third most passing yards per game (284.9) and the fifth most rushing yards per game (134.9) last season.
If the Lions are going to compete in the NFC North in 2021, with or without Rodgers, all four of those numbers have to see significant improvements.
