24-year old WR Derrick Williams and 24-year old RB Aaron Brown will likely duke it out in training camp for the kickoff return job in 2010.  Williams played in 11 games for the Lions as a rookie last season and he returned 42 kickoffs for 931 yards (22.2 avg).  Brown played in 15 games as a rookie for the Lions last year and he returned 42 kickoffs for 951 yards (22.6 avg).  Both of these guys put up the same kind of numbers last season so they probably come to training camp on even ground.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE LIONS KICKOFF RETURNERS in 2010:  C-

The Lions didn’t bring in much help for the O-Line in 2010 but they should have.  LT Jeff Backus had one of the best years of his career in 2009 for the Lions.  He will be 33 in September so there might not be a lot of tread left on his tires.  He is a good run blocker and a decent pass blocker.  LG will belong to Rob Sims who is a solid run blocker but he doesn’t have a lot of range to make plays meaning he might need some help on passing plays.  Center will be manned by Dominic Raiola is a tough guy especially in the running game.  He makes all of the line calls and he has really helped Matt Stafford in his development.  Stephen Peterman will be the starting RG for the Lions in 2010 if he can stay healthy.  He missed the final seven games for the Lions last season and they can’t afford to be without him in 2010 for any length of time.  Like Rob Sims, Peterman is a mauler in the running game but a so-so pass blocker.  RT Gosder Cherilus is a player the Lions still have high hopes for but he needs to start showing more on the field.  He has issues with his pass blocking but he’s a solid run blocker.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE LIONS O-LINE in 2010:  C-

44-year old head coach Jim Schwartz took over a team coming off a 0-16 season and he improved them to 2-14 last year.  That might not sound like much progress but the Lions were in a lot of close games that they lost last year.  The Lions have tweaked the roster adding quite a bit of talent especially on offense.  With 2nd year QB Matt Stafford having more weapons I think the Lions have 5-6 wins in them in 2010.  Schwartz is the right guy for the Lions right now.

40-year old Jason Hanson will be the Lions’ placekicker once again in 2010.  He played in all 16 games for the Lions last season and he made 21 of 28 field goals (75%).  He also made all 25 of his extra points as he finished up last year with 88 points.  Hanson has now played in 287 games in his NFL career and he has made 427 of 522 field goals (81.8%).  He has also made 554 of 562 extra points during his career as he now has 1,835 points.  Hanson will likely be limited to kicking field goals and extra points to limit how many times he kicks this year.  Aaron Pettrey will likely be the Lions’ kickoff specialist in 2010.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE LIONS KICKERS in 2010:  C

This might be the season that 24-year old Calvin Johnson has a true breakout season for the Lions.  He played in 14 games (all starts) for the Lions last season and he caught 67 passes for 984 yards (14.7 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 7 times for 73 yards (10.4 ypc) last season.  Johnson has now played in 45 games (40 starts) in his three years with the Lions and he has caught 193 passes for 3,071 yards (15.9 avg) with 21 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 14 times for 124 yards (8.9 ypc) with 1 TD run in his career.  I really think this is the year that Johnson will make a Pro Bowl….if Matt Stafford stays healthy most of the year.

28-year old Nate Burleson will give Calvin Johnson a nice running partner for the first time in his career.  Burleson played in 13 games (12 starts) for the Seahawks last season and he caught 63 passes for 812 yards (12.9 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He has now played in 90 games (65 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 263 passes for 3,547 yards (13.5 avg) with 27 TD grabs.  Burleson will be a solid #2 WR for the Lions in 2010 and beyond.

29-year old Bryant Johnson will likely be the Lions #3 WR in 2010.  Johnson played in 16 games (all starts) for the Lions last season and he caught 35 passes for 417 yards (11.9 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He has now played in 109 games (67 starts) in his seven years in the NFL and he has caught 290 passes for 3,638 yards (12.5 avg) with 15 TD grabs.  Johnson will be a solid #3 guy for the Lions in 2010.

32-year old Dennis Northcutt gives the Lions a very deep WR corps for 2010.  He played in 16 games (2 starts) for the Lions last season and he caught 35 passes for 357 yards (10.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Northcutt has now played in 144 games (61 starts) in which he has caught 399 passes for 4,941 yards (12.4 avg) with 18 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 52 times for 366 yards (7.0 ypc) with 1 TD run in his career.

24-year old Derrick Williams didn’t show much as a rookie last season for the Lions.  He played in 12 games (11 starts) for the Lions last year and he caught 6 passes for 52 yards (8.7 avg).  He also carried the ball 1 time for 4 yards last season.  Williams will have to step up if he wants to keep getting paid to play football.

Rookie 7th round pick Tim Toone will have a hard time making the Lions’ roster.  He is only 5′10″, 185 pounds and he played his ball at Weber State so he will be behind the eight ball when training camp opens.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE LIONS WRs in 2010:  B