Coming off a 10-victory season and a berth in the playoffs, the Detroit Lions have compelled some fans to believe they are capable of being one of the NFL's better teams for a few years.
Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times thinks so, too.
Jensen published in late December a list of 30 key NFC Central Divison players under the age of 30. The Green Bay Packers led the way with 11 names on the list. The Lions were next with eight.
The Lions who made Jensen's list, with the writer's ranking of each player in the division.
WR Calvin Johnson (2)
QB Matthew Stafford (pictured) (5)
DT Ndamukong Suh (7)
DE Cliff Avril (11)
CB Chris Houston (19)
TE Brandon Pettigrew (21)
LB Stephen Tulloch (22)
S Louis Delmas (30)
No. 1 on Jensen's list was Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The Chicago Bears had six players on his list, and Minnesota had five.