We’ve reached the portion of our countdown of the Detroit Lions’ full roster where we’re almost exclusively talking about starters. These are the players who will mean the difference between success and failure on Sundays (and on one Thursday).
For the most part, expectations are pretty high for this group. Sure, there are a few who will need to make a significant jump in play this year to justify their spot on this list, but there are reasons for that optimism for just about every one of the.
Looking back on last year’s list of the players ranked 20-11, the top half of the list was full of warranted names, but it also included guys like Quinton Dunbar, Tyrell Williams and Darren Fells, none of which remain with the Lions today.