Early Predictions for Detroit Lions' 2015 Training Camp Battles

The NFL never sleeps. Ever.

There's no stopping the machine, and we wouldn't have it any other way. Baseball is a fun distraction, but games 33 through 136 offer the type of redundancy usually reserved for government paperwork.

Sure, we could do yard work or even pay attention to what our boss is saying, but neither of those options is enticing.

Instead, let's pour some coffee, mix in some pre-workout and throw a couple chocolate-covered espresso beans in for good measure. We've got work to do. The Detroit Lions will be kicking off their OTAs shortly, and it's time to get a jump on five position battles that will help shape the 2015 season.

*Note: For a total breakdown of the OLB competition, click here.

Starting Running Back

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Let's start off with a bang to get your blood pumping in case that triple dose of caffeine didn't work.

Ameer Abdullah is the hot name in town right now. He has the quickness of a water bug, but he doesn't use it in the same way as his predecessor. He's much better at getting upfield in a hurry after a cut, whereas Reggie Bush could keep sidestepping until he ran out of bounds for no gain.

Additionally, Abdullah is a better receiver than Joique Bell. He didn't drop a pass in his last two seasons at Nebraska. Bell, meanwhile, had four last year alone, per Pro Football Focus. And while Bell has been a solid receiver, he lacks Abdullah's burstability.

The difference comes from reliability and durability. While Abdullah doesn't have an extensive injury history, he only checks in at 205, meaning Bell outweighs him by 24 pounds. Plus, Bell has proven to have a tough chain-moving style that is worthy of the majority of carries.

Lastly, David Dodds of FootballGuys.com points out one other critical factor:

"

Joique Bell is my early favorite to be on all my fantasy teams this year. He will hold off the rookie because of pass protection.

— David Dodds (@fbg_dodds) May 16, 2015"

Pass protection is an important responsibility for any back. For a team that will be breaking in two new linemen, it's imperative. Until Abdullah proves otherwise, this is Bell's job to lose.

Center

Duane Burleson/Associated Press

Apparently, Detroit's young center isn't too worried about Manny Ramirez's arrival:

"

Travis Swanson views Manny Ramirez as a veteran leader rather than a competitor to start at center for the Lions

— Bradley Mason (@bradthetruth) May 17, 2015"

You wouldn't expect anything less from a professional football player, although he isn't entirely correct. Travis Swanson will have to keep Ramirez at bay if he hopes to land the role he was drafted to fill.

Ramirez comes laden with experience. Unfortunately for him, not all of it has been great. He hasn't been able to replicate the success he found in 2013, when he finished as the fifth-best center after grading out at 17.2, per PFF.

Instead, Ramirez tumbled. He played center for the Broncos for 575 snaps and finished with a -7.1 grade. It's more likely that his 2013 season was an anomaly, much like Dominic Raiola's performance that year, considering Ramirez has never looked that good before or after.

Yet there's no way to measure Swanson's play against Ramirez. The former saw some spot duty here and there at center, where he saw 89 snaps and gave up two hurries. We can't extrapolate much from that. However, Justin Rogers of Mlive.com (h/t Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press) discussed an interesting point recently on Twitter:

"

It's why not buying Travis Swanson talk other than a motivational tool. All tie-breakers in the youngster's favor. https://t.co/V3JrmCbOYJ

— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) May 4, 2015"

This early in the game, you have to go with the safer bet. It would appear the odds favor the kid from Arkansas.

TIght End

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

There won't be a battle for the most polarizing Lion. Eric Ebron is the hands-down winner, and there isn't a stitch of competition on his radar.

His development, however, isn't nearly as certain. 

Ebron managed a measly 25 catches for 248 yards and one touchdown in 2014. While casual fans may see this and presume that's his ceiling, Alen Dumonjic dove deeper into the tape to pinpoint Ebron's issues. His findings revealed a young receiver struggling to put everything together:

"

He thought long about the route he ran and forgot about the pass. The thinking had slowed down one of the fastest players on the field and caused him to hesitate more and more as he ran routes. He started to look to where his routes would end opposed to how to set up defensive backs. That tipped defensive backs off to the endpoint and made it harder for Ebron to stay a step ahead.

The thinking affected Ebron’s catching too. He caught bullet passes with ease when running routes at short and intermediate depths. When touch passes floated toward him, however, they clanked against his hands.

"

Move tight ends, like Ebron, have to learn an incredible number of formations and route combinations. It smothers their natural talent. Another offseason in the same system should ease some of that burden.

Besides, his only real competition is Brandon Pettigrew, who caught a grand total of 10 passes in 2014. Pettigrew's strength was supposed to be his blocking. However, Ebron graded out five times better in half the snaps.

The only logical conclusion based on potential and production is Ebron.

Fourth Wide Receiver

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

The last offensive battle highlighted here is also the messiest. So much so that even the title is slightly convoluted.

Detroit will probably carry five or six receivers. However, it's highly unlikely that any of them are designated the "third receiver" since this role will be—or at least should be—occupied by Eric Ebron. That leaves a bevy of question marks in contention.

Veteran Lance Moore is coming off a slow Steelers season, but he has a deep knowledge of the offense and will be fighting for his career. 

Jeremy Ross and Corey Fuller each have one year with offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, and both combined for 38 catches and two scores. Meanwhile, Ryan Broyles and T.J. Jones are complete wild cards. The former played all of 35 snaps in 2014, while the latter never got off the PUP list.

It's a crapshoot at this point. Yet someone has to start at the top. Considering Ross (723) received the lion's share of snaps compared to Fuller (416), it's obvious that he had the coaches' trust at some point, especially over Broyles. Jones is a former sixth-rounder, which doesn't mean much at this point, and Moore will be 32 years old when the season starts.

It's a toss-up, but it's Ross.

Nickelback

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Then-fourth-rounder Nevin Lawson was the new hotshot in town this time last year. Bill Bentley beat him out for the starting nickelback spot. Now it appears it was for naught, per Kyle Meinke of Mlive.com:

"

I think the Lions like Nevin Lawson, which could mean Bill Bentley and Quandre Diggs enter camp vying for the same job

— Kyle Meinke (@kmeinke) May 2, 2015"

That wasn't the only opinion the Lions beat writer shared that day:

"

Lions say Diggs can play outside, but have to figure he's an inside guy. In which case: Consider Bill Bentley on notice.

— Kyle Meinke (@kmeinke) May 2, 2015"

It's a hard truth for the fourth-year player. The team couldn't count on him to stay healthy (18 games through three years). The influx of competition is warranted. Yet it's also entirely possible that he's the Week 1 starter.

Lawson is coming off a devastating dislocated foot. There's no telling how long it will take him to regain his explosion, even if he does return for OTAs. And as good as Quandre Diggs looks on film, he's still a rookie who will have to adjust to the professional game. He can ask new teammate Darius Slay how long that takes.

With it being so early in the process, I have to give a "veteran" with knowledge of the defense and a lesser degree of injury the early edge over the above pair and newcomer Josh Wilson. 

All combine statistics are sourced from NFL.com. All advanced stats, rankings and grades are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.