Josh Katzenstein ranks Lions' players in value

T Corey Robinson - Robinson filled in for an injured Reiff twice, holding his own and offering the Lions an option if they lose the veteran in free agency. Robinson also handled blocking tight end assignments well. GRADE: C+

52. DT Jermelle Cudjo: He struggled against the run and played just 128 snaps in his seven games. Cudjo finished with seven tackles.

51. DT Gabe Wright: He looked overmatched on many of his 135 defensive snaps, but had six tackles and one for loss. He was active just seven games.

50. RB George Winn: On four carries, he had just one yard, but he had four special teams tackles in just seven games.

49. WR Corey Fuller: He had just four catches for 76 yards and was inactive the final three games. He also had four penalties on special teams, and on the punt return unit, he really struggled blocking gunners.

48. QB Dan Orlovsky: He appeared in the two biggest blowout losses and completed 55 percent of his passes for 201 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

47. DT Khyri Thornton: He earned a role in six of the final seven games and had five tackles and two for loss.

46. OT Cornelius Lucas: He was fine as a sixth lineman the second half of the year, but hardly helped when he played right tackle, allowing 13 hurries and a sack. He also had four penalties.

45. CB Crezdon Butler: He played just 23 defensive snaps, but he had one of the most important plays of the season, breaking up a 2-point conversion pass to help the Lions win at Lambeau Field for the first time since 1991.

44. RB Zach Zenner: The undrafted rookie showed some promise in limited action before a season-ending chest injury in Week 6. He had 17 carries for 60 yards and two catches for 11 yards.

43. LB Kyle Van Noy: He played just 7.6 percent of defensive snaps, but had a sack and two tackles for loss. He really struggled in pass coverage, but was decent on special teams.

42. TE Tim Wright: He ended up playing 17.5 percent of snaps due to injuries ahead of him. He had nine catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns, but really struggled blocking.

41. LB Brandon Copeland: He played just 6.8 percent of defensive snaps and was decent at end when Jason Jones left in Week 16. He added five special-teams tackles.

40. WR TJ Jones: Jones took advantage of his opportunities, particularly when Lance Moore was out with injury. He had 10 catches for 132 yards and one touchdown, but showed an ability to make contested catches and return punts and kickoffs.

39. DT C.J. Wilson: He played just eight games for the Lions, but quickly became the No. 3 tackle. He had eight tackles and one sack.

38. LB Travis Lewis: Outside of a strong start against Seattle in Week 4, Lewis wasn’t much of a factor when he earned defensive snaps early in the year. He was second on the team with eight special-teams tackles.

37. DE Darryl Tapp: He was a steady option as the No. 4 end and had 26 tackles, five for loss, two sacks and two forced fumbles.

36. CB Josh Wilson: Wilson was solid as the primary nickel cornerback the first nine games. He had 31 tackles, three for loss and a half sack. However, he broke up just one pass.

35. TE Brandon Pettigrew: He played in just eight games and just 26 percent of the offensive snaps. When he was healthy, he provided decent blocking, but he remained a limited factor in the passing game with just seven catches for 67 yards.

34. S Don Carey: Carey’s 14 tackles on special teams led the NFL. He’d be higher if not for his four penalties.

33. WR Lance Moore: Moore had 29 catches for 337 yards and four touchdowns. Much of his value came in the trust he earned from the quarterback.

32. RB Joique Bell: He played much better after a rough start and sitting Weeks 4 through 6. Bell averaged just 3.5 yards per carry, but averaged 13 yards per reception and scored four touchdowns.

31. DT Tyrunn Walker: He was the best defensive tackle on the team the first four games, but a broken leg ended what looked like a promising season.

30. G/C Manny Ramirez: It’d be easy to argue Ramirez should’ve played more as he was decent in the first five games. With just seven starts for the season, though, it’s hard to rank him higher in terms of value.

29. C Travis Swanson: He started 14 games, played 88 percent of snaps and rarely had issues on the center-quarterback exchange, all of which are valuable. However, he was consistently the weak link on a bad line and allowed 24 hurries up the middle as good defensive tackles gave him problems.

28. RT Michael Ola: He started the final seven games, and the offensive line played its best with him in the lineup. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed 11 hurries and two sacks.

27. FB Michael Burton: The rookie played 22 percent of snaps and was successful as a blocker. He had just 10 touches, but scored a touchdown and converted four first downs.

26. CB Rashean Mathis: The 35-year-old didn’t look ready for the start of the season as the Chargers successfully picked on him in Week 1. After that, Mathis started to play well before a concussion in Week 7 forced him on injured reserve.

25. S James Ihedigbo: Ihedigbo remained productive, but he lost his starting job after looking slow in the first half of the year. He had 63 tackles, three forced fumbles, one sack and one interception, but he had 13 missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus.

24. CB Nevin Lawson: Teams targeted Lawson a lot when he started the final nine games, but he proved capable of handling the challenge. He gave up some plays, but with seven passes defensed in his starts, Lawson’s future looks promising.

23. DT Caraun Reid: He would’ve been better as the No. 3 tackle option instead of No. 2, but Reid still made massive strides in his second season, finishing with 29 tackles, seven for loss and two sacks.

22. LG Laken Tomlinson: The 2015 first-round pick improved over the course of the year, but he really has to improve his strength and quickness. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed 20 hurries and four sacks and had a bad run blocking grade.

21. CB Quandre Diggs: Diggs played really well for the most part after becoming the primary nickel cornerback in the final seven games. He had 35 tackles, two for loss, six pass break-ups, a forced fumble and a recovery playing 45 percent of snaps.

20. LB Stephen Tulloch: He was strong against the run as usual with a team-high 107 tackles, including nine for loss, but he was so bad against the pass that coaches took him off the field in passing situations. Whether it was his injury or age, his value diminished in 2015.

19. LB Josh Bynes: His 78 percent of snaps was third among defensive players as he had an extended opportunity to replace DeAndre Levy on the weak side. He had 80 tackles, including five for loss, and played well against the run, but struggled at times in coverage.

18. RG Larry Warford: An ankle injury led to Warford missing three early games and struggling in a couple others. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed 17 hurries and two sacks, but his run blocking wasn’t nearly as good as previous years.

17. S Isa Abdul-Quddus: The Lions were 7-1 when Abdul-Quddus started, and his speed certainly made an impact on a mostly slow defense. He had 57 tackles, one sack, a forced fumble and six pass break-ups.

16. LB Tahir Whitehead: His early-season benching is still a head-scratcher. Once Whitehead earned starter-level snaps in the second half of the year, the defense was significantly better. He had 50 tackles, seven for loss, six passes defensed, one interception and two sacks.

15. DE Jason Jones: With 4.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss, Jones remained a solid contributor in his 15 starts. He helps significantly in the run game, too, and his 31 tackles were his most since 2010.

14. LT Riley Reiff: He was the best and most reliable blocker on a poor line. He played 99.6 percent of snaps. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed 38 hurries and six sacks, but he held his own in the second half of the year.

13. DE Devin Taylor: Although he was a backup and a healthy scratch in Week 2, Taylor ended up playing the second-most snaps of any defensive end. And he played well with seven sacks and nine tackles for loss.

12. TE Eric Ebron: He was significantly better in his second season, finishing with 47 catches for 537 yards and five touchdowns. Ebron still has to improve his hands and blocking, but the future looks bright.

11. K Matt Prater: Prater bounced back in 2015 after a lackluster first year with the Lions. He made his first 17 field goals and finished 22 of 24, including a franchise-record 59-yarder in Week 17. He was 36-of-39 on extra points, but one was blocked.

10. RB/KR Ameer Abdullah: He led the Lions with 143 runs for 597 yards and finished with a 4.2-yard average. The rookie didn’t have the impact in the passing game people expected, but he ranked second in the NFL kickoff return average. He should’ve played more than 33 percent of offensive snaps, but his five fumbles were a problem.

9. P Sam Martin: He ranked fourth in the NFL with a 42-yard net average, and just three of his 80 punts were touchbacks. His kickoffs were good, too, as the Lions didn’t allow a special-teams touchdown.

8. DT Haloti Ngata: Ngata’s 24 tackles were a career low, but after a lousy first half, he was a major reason the defense improved in the second half, particularly against the run. He had just 2.5 sacks, but set up others for his teammates.

7. WR Golden Tate: He took a step back in 2015, but part of it was coaching as he was hardly targeted deep. Tate finished with 90 catches for 813 yards and six touchdowns, but he had the lowest yards-per-catch average of his career.

6. RB Theo Riddick: Considering he played just 44 percent of the offensive snaps, Riddick’s impact was incredible as he had 80 catches for 697 yards, both franchise records for a running back. He should’ve played more, but his 3.1-yard average on runs held him back. He was also the best pass-blocking back.

5. FS Glover Quin: This wasn’t Quin’s best season, but he had to deal with regularly changing personnel packages in the secondary as well as injuries. And he still had four interceptions, a touchdown, a forced fumble and 67 tackles.

4. CB Darius Slay: There’s an argument for Slay to be higher because he was so good that teams hardly threw at him in the final nine games. Don’t let a poor game against Denver in Week 3 overshadow what was one of the top performances by a cornerback in the NFL in 2015.

3. WR Calvin Johnson: With 88 catches for 1,214 yards and nine touchdowns, Johnson showed he still has a ton of value. He still has a huge impact on how defenses defend the Lions. His late fumble against the Seahawks and having consecutive one-catch games late in the season kept him from ranking second.

2. QB Matthew Stafford: When a quarterback plays well, he’s the most valuable player on the team, and Stafford was excellent in the second half of the year. Unfortunately, his poor play in the first half was a primary reason for the 1-7 start.