The NFL world will descend on Indianapolis this week for the annual scouting combine. Starting Monday, you’ll hear from NFL coaches and general managers, plus the players up for selection in April’s NFL Draft. We’ll gain insight into their personalities and see how they stack up in physical testing data.

Before we kick things off in Indianapolis, we’re previewing the offensive and defensive position groups and honing in one player at each position who could be a fit for the Detroit Lions.

Quarterback

The Lions are in a good position with their quarterback room, and while we’d never rule out any potential move by Holmes and Co., it seems highly unlikely they draft a quarterback before Round 6 or 7 — and even then, it’d be a bit of a surprise.

Hendon Hooker showed improvement in his first healthy NFL season — despite what some suggested when they signed Teddy Bridgewater to be the playoff backup — and is their backup quarterback of the future, barring a scenario where he’s involved as a trade chip in some sort of blockbuster (again, highly unlikely).

The Lions are trying to win right now, and moving the backup quarterback you spent two seasons developing just to start over in a weak quarterback class is a tough sell. But maybe a quarterback with high upside can be found late in Day 3.

At the top of the draft, you have Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward, who are both expected to go pretty high in the first round. Behind them are Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss), Jalen Milroe (Alabama), Quinn Ewers (Texas) and Will Howard (Ohio State), all of whom will likely be gone by the time Saturday rolls around.

Player to watch: Riley Leonard, Notre Dame

After transferring over from Duke last offseason, Leonard led the Fighting Irish to the College Football Playoff championship game. He showed a lot of impressive traits in the process, namely his dual-threat ability, competitiveness and leadership — all traits the Lions love. But he also showed some inconsistency as a passer, and scouts believe his lower-body mechanics need vast improvement, as does his work under center. Ultimately, he’s a guy with the right intangibles who could end up being a good value pick if he lasts until the last couple of rounds.

Running back

The Lions might very well take a running back in this year’s draft (Holmes is a bit unpredictable in that way) but it’s even more difficult to envision after they spent a fourth-round pick on Sione Vaki in 2024.

The tandem of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery is under contract in Detroit through at least 2027. Vakis is a Swiss Army Knife — he primarily played safety in college and was excellent on special teams in his rookie season — but the Lions made sure to indicate they were drafting him as a running back, and everything about his usage thus far would indicate that’s the position they eventually want him to play full-time. Never say never, but the Lions simply don’t appear to have enough room on the roster for another running back.

Still, this is considered a deep running back class and monitoring this position at the combine will be fun. Ashton Jeanty, the Heisman runner-up from Boise State, is as good of a prospect as you’ll find. Behind him, the hottest name is Omarion Hampton (North Carolina), who’s also a first-round candidate, and Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson. Ohio State is putting a pair of top running backs into the class with Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson and Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo leapfrogged into the top of the class with an impressive showing in the College Football Playoff.

Player to watch: Kalel Mullings, Michigan

The former Michigan linebacker now outranks his Wolverine teammate, former five-star Donovan Edwards, on most big boards entering the draft. Who would’ve thought? Mullings averaged 5.1 yards per carry and had 12 touchdowns in his first season with a major workload. He’s a decisive runner with impressive contact balance and carries positional versatility with his defensive background, making him a good fit for the Lions’ physical style.

Tight end

In a second-year season with some ups and downs (mostly due to injury), Sam LaPorta was once again one of the league’s best tight ends in 2024.

Detroit likes what it has behind him in Shane Zylstra and Brock Wright, but the tight end position presents an underrated opportunity for improvement.

Plenty of the league’s best offenses have two effective tight ends in the passing game, and though the Lions’ reserves do a fine job of doing what’s asked, it does feel like there’s an opportunity to add another explosive pass-catcher.

Even if it’s not a supreme need right now — Wright has two years remaining on an extension signed last season — tight end usually requires a longer acclimation period entering the NFL than most other positions, so there’s certainly a case for getting a high-upside player in the building this spring.

Penn State’s Tyler Warren is almost guaranteed to be a first-round pick, and Michigan’s Colston Loveland will also push for a Day 1 selection. Mason Taylor (LSU), Terrance Ferguson (Oregon), Gunnar Helm (Texas), Mitchell Evans (Notre Dame), Harold Fannin (Bowling Green) and Luke Lachey (Iowa) all have a chance to separate themselves in Indianapolis.

Player to watch: Elijah Arroyo, Miami

Arroyo had an excellent Senior Bowl and is looking to keep that momentum rolling into the biggest event of the draft cycle. We’ll save you the anticipation: With his explosive athletic traits, he’s sure to be a combine darling.

He entered the season with just 11 total catches and ended his college career with a bang, catching 35 passes for 590 yards and seven touchdowns.

He’s also a decent blocker, which is a bonus for his chance of being drafted by Detroit.

Wide receiver

The Lions were in the market for a wide receiver — specifically, an X receiver — entering last offseason but didn’t solve the hole in a strong receiving class. Though Tim Patrick came on as a viable option at that spot in 2024, he’ll turn 32 next season and isn’t a long-term solution. This year’s receiving class is considerably weaker (at least at the top), but there are still plenty of guys poised to make an impact as NFL players.

Two-way Colorado phenom and Heisman winner Travis Hunter headlines the class, though he’ll almost certainly be gone with a top-five selection. Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan (6-foot-5, 210 pounds) is an insane athlete who fits exactly what the Lions need but will probably be one of the first receivers off the board.

Rounding out the top of the receiving class are Luther Burden (Missouri), Emeka Egbuka (Ohio State), Jack Bech (TCU) and Matthew Golden (Texas). Ole Miss receiver Tre Harris is a sneaky good fit for the Lions at the end of the first round.

Player to watch: Jayden Higgins, Iowa State

Higgins was another Senior Bowl standout, and at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, he’s a perfect fit as a big-bodied X receiver complement to Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. Higgins is an extremely reliable target with great field awareness who averaged 18.5 yards per catch in 2023. In 2024, he caught 87 passes for 1,183 yards and nine touchdowns. He’d be an excellent Day 2 target as the Lions patch up their roster.

Offensive tackle

The Lions have signed both of their tackles to extensions in the last 12 months and drafted a project, Giovanni Manu, in the middle rounds last year, so they don’t appear to immediately be in the market for a top prospect at the position. Still, don’t ever rule out the possibility of Holmes adding to a position of strength.

There are four or five tackles who are candidates to go in the top 15 picks, starting with LSU’s Will Campbell and Ohio State’s Josh Simmons. Oregon tackle Josh Conerly was named the best offensive lineman at the Senior Bowl based on a vote from his peers, and he hopes to maintain that momentum going into the combine. Kelvin Banks Jr. (Texas) and Armand Membou (Missouri) could go in the top half of the first round, but they also could be available in the twenties as Detroit’s pick approaches.

Player to watch: Anthony Belton, NC State

Belton possesses size (6-foot-5, 345 pounds) and other measurables that could make him an intriguing, high-upside pick in the middle rounds. He has good power and base but lacks consistent fundamentals in some areas. Belton, along with Manu, Christian Mahogany and Colby Sorsdal, would present a good starting point for the future of Detroit’s offensive line.

Interior offensive line

All-Pro center Frank Ragnow might be the healthiest he’s ever been, but the Lions’ other two interior starters last year (Graham Glasgow and Kevin Zeitler) are getting up there in age. With Mahogany looking like he’ll compete for a job next year, the Lions’ need at offensive guard isn’t immense, but it does present one of their weaker spots on the roster long-term, especially if Zeitler leaves in free agency.

Alabama guard Tyler Booker was one of our picks for the Lions in our first mock draft, so he’s an obvious one to watch. Gray Zabel, the do-it-all man from North Dakota State, is another popular mock pick for Detroit after he popped off in Mobile at the Senior Bowl.

Georgia is sending a trio of high-end interior linemen to this year’s draft, including guards Dylan Ratledge and Tate Fairchild and center Jared Wilson. USC’s Jonah Monheim is another player who impressed during Senior Bowl practices.