Detroit Lions 53-man roster prediction after Hall of Fame game, multiple guys earned spots and mutliple guys lost spots

The Detroit Lions had their first preseason game of the year on Thursday night when they played against the Los Angeles Chargers in the Hall of Fame game. We learned a lot from this game, and maybe enough to take a first crack at the summer on this 53-man roster prediction. Here's what we think this thing looks like after Thursday.

Quarterback (2)

IN: Jared Goff, Kyle Allen
OUT: Hendon Hooker

There's no way around it, Thursday night was really bad for both guys, but at the end of the day, if I have to pick between the two of them after that game, I have to go with the guy who got some good passes on film, and that was Allen. It wasn't all bad for him. I can't go with 3-6 for 18 yards and an interception with Hooker right now.

Running back (4)

IN: Jahymr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Sione Vaki, Craig Reynolds
OUT: Jabari Small, Kye Robichaux, Jacob Saylors

There should be no shock that this is a pretty easy one to figure out. While Vaki didn't play, he's not in any danger, and Craig Reynolds has looked really good in camp and had a solid night on Thursday. Thought Jabari Small showed enough to put himself into contention for a practice squad spot. We'll see how he builds off of that. Interested to see more of Saylors in Week 2.

Wide Receiver (6)

IN: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa, Tim Patrick, Kalif Raymond, Dominic Lovett
OUT: Jackson Meeks, Ronnie Bell, Tom Kennedy, Jakobie Keeny-James, Malik Taylor

Another one that you don't have to really think about too much. The big question is, who is going to be that sixth receiver? Seventh-round pick Dominic Lovett has looked really good during the first two weeks of training camp, but he struggled a bit on Thursday night with drops or flat-out getting the ball ripped out of his hands. But nobody else really showed anything, so I'm going with him at that spot for now. The Lions at least showed something based on how many time she was targeted and much time he spent on the field.

Tight End (3)

IN: Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright, Zach Horton
Out: Shane Zylstra, Kenny Yeboah

Going into the game, I wanted to see what the Lions did with Zach Horton, and they wound up using him a lot. Not just as a tight end, but as a fullback too. He played pretty well in this game, and his run blocking looked great as well. Yeboah looked decent, too, but Horton just brings more to the table.

Offensive Line (8)

IN: Taylor Decker, Graham Glasgow, Christian, Mahogany, Tate Ratledge Penei Sewell, Giovanni Manu, Dan Skipper, Kayode Awosika
OUT: Kinglsley Eguakun, Colby Sorsdal, Jamarco Jones, Netane Muti, Michael Niese, Mason Miller, Tyrstan Colon, Justin Herron

PUP list: Miles Fraizer

I had high hopes for Kingsley Eguakun in this one, but he really struggled. The run blocking was bad, but the pass blocking was even worse. The guy who really stood out on the offensive line was Kayode Awosika. he had one of the best nights of any player on the field. We also know from experience that he can spot start during the regular season if the Lions need him to.

Defensive Line (10)

IN: Aidan Hutchinson, DJ Reader, Josh Pascal, Mekhi Wingo, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Roy Lopez, Tyleik Williams, Ahmed Hassanien, Marcus Davenport, Nate Lynn
OUT:  Brodric Martin, Myles Adams, Pat O'Connor, Chris Smith, Isaac Ukwu, Mitchell Agude, Keith Cooper Jr,

PUP list: Alim McNeill, Levi Onwuzurike 

Nate Lynn just keeps showing up. He had three pressures in this game and walked out with a tackle as well. Besides Ahmeda Hassanein, he was the best defensive lineman on this team on Thursday night. We saw some of this with Lynn last year, too, before he got hurt. He pricked right up where he left off. This play could net him a spot in the rotation.

Linebacker (6)

IN: Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes, Jack Campbell, Grant Stuard, Trevor Nowaske, Zach Cunningham
OUT: DaRon Gilbert, Anthony Pittman, Ezekiel Turner

PUP list: Malcolm Rodriguez

The jury is still out here. I was tempted to lean towards Anthony Pittman because he had a good game and brings special team value. But Cunningham is the vet, and he didn't have a bad night either. I'm going to be watching this one closely on Friday night.

Cornerback (6)

IN: D.J. Reed, Terrion Arnold, Ennis Rakestraw, Amik Robertson, Rock Ya-Sin, Khalil Dorsey
OUT: Nick Whiteside, DiCaprio Bootle, Tyson Russell

There's really no change here from our pre-camp prediction. Everything is as expected at this position. But a shout ot Rock Ya-Sin is in order because he balled out in that game.

Safety (5)

IN: Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch, Avonte Maddox, Ian Kennelly, Dan Jackson
OUT: Erik Hallet, Loren Strickland, Ian Kennelly

I was really impressed by Kennelly in this game. Especially since he was a game-time decision due to an injury. He went out there and made some plays and did some good things on defense and special teams. I'mnot ready to cement him into a spot on the roster yet, but he's in there this go around.

Special Teams (3)

IN: Jake Bates, Jack Fox, Hogan Hatten
Out:

Nothing is changing here at all.