3 Detroit Lions Who Must Be Featured over Season's Final Three Weeks

The Detroit Lions should not "throw" any of their remaining games.

This isn't basketball. There are no surefire superstars that will instantly make a team a title contender, so tanking for draft position isn't worth the potential tradeoff of poisoning the locker room.

Yet it is a perfect time to give some young players extended playing time in an effort to make more informed decisions this offseason.

There's no reason the team can't play to win while determining the potential of its roster. Not taking this opportunity to feature the following three players would constitute the same type of negligence that has created a cycle of mediocrity in Detroit. 

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Linebacker Kyle Van Noy

Detroit has already made mistakes regarding its linebacking corps this year.

Tahir Whitehead, despite being one of the top two or three available linebackers all season, never played more than 20 snaps in the first five games, per Pro Football Focus. Coincidentally, when defensive coordinator Teryl Austin shifted him to the starting lineup for Week 10, the Lions held their next three opponents to under 20 points.

There were other reasons for the defensive improvement, but Whitehead's athleticism helped tremendously.

"

4 main defensive changes. 1. Tahir Whitehead in lineup. 2. Abdul-Quddus over Ihedigbo. 3. Healthy Ngata. 4. Lawson/Diggs handling business

— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) December 4, 2015"

The Lions need to continue looking for young athletes to pair with DeAndre Levy when he returns next year. Thus far, Kyle Van Noy hasn't been the answer in his 53 snaps this year, but before the Lions make a heavy investment in the position again, they need more tape on him.

Safety Isa Abdul-Quddus

Detroit's sometimes-starting strong safety doesn't have the draft pedigree of Van Noy, but Isa Abdul-Quddus has shown enough skill to become a long-term contributor.

And much like Whitehead, he was plugged into the starting lineup for Week 10 against the Green Bay Packers. He responded with four straight positively graded games and even led the team in tackles in two of those contests.

However, the Lions opted to start James Ihedigbo against the St. Louis Rams because of their "run-heavy" approach, per Tim Twentymen of DetroitLions.com.

"

James Ihedigbo played 32 snaps at SS yesterday, Isa Abdul-Quddus 24. From @PFF, Ihedigbo has 7 missed tackles & 5 run stops since Week 7

— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) December 14, 2015"

While the concept of playing Ihedigbo in an effort to win is debatable at best (he did miss two tackles), there is no need to sacrifice a younger player's development at this point. Abdul-Quddus is only 26 years old and set to be a free agent this summer. It's imperative that the next regime sees enough to determine whether he can be Glover Quin's running mate for the next few years.

Tight End Eric Ebron

There's no point in putting extra miles on Ameer Abdullah now. Running backs don't have a terribly long shelf life, so head coach Jim Caldwell should use him, but not excessively so.

And some will argue that perhaps T.J. Jones should be the last one noted here. However, he has the ceiling of a reliable possession receiver. That's a nice sixth-round pick, and if he ever advances past that, it'll be a pleasant surprise.

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

No, the last player who must be featured prominently in Detroit's game plan moving forward is controversial former first-rounder Eric Ebron.

The tight end was supposed to be the next big-time playmaker in a star-studded offense. While his touchdown number has swelled to four from one, he only has nine more receptions than he did during his rookie campaign.

With Calvin Johnson's prime slipping away, the Lions must start finding more explosive complements to the passing game. Ebron hasn't proved he can be that guy yet, and the Lions need to find out if he can complete the high-risk, high-reward plays.

Of course, quarterback Matthew Stafford should still look to find the open man instead of forcing the ball to Ebron. But there's nothing wrong with scheming some downfield shots for the young tight end.

After all, what do the Lions have to lose?

All advanced stats and grades are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter @BrandonAlisoglu.