The Detroit Lions rookie minicamp starts on Friday with draft picks, undrafted rookie free agents and a few invitees. It’s not open to the public, but the media will be allowed to watch the early portion each day.

Here are five players I’ll be watching:

1. It appears tight end Eric Ebron (North Carolina) can handle the pressure of being a first-round pick. At least he was totally comfortable meeting the media the day after he was drafted. He’ll be catching passes from ...

2. Quarterback James Franklin (Missouri), who was signed as an undrafted free agent, threw for 6,962 yards and rushed for 1,729 yards in his career at Missouri. This is only the start, but he could be in competition for Kellen Moore for the No. 3 quarterback role.

3. Kyle Van Noy, the second-round pick from BYU, has a legitimate shot to the Lions’ rookie of the year. Will be interesting to see how he looks in linebacker drills.

4. Curious to see T.J. Jones, the sixth-round pick from Notre Dame. It’s a bit easier to watch wide receivers at camps like this than say defensive or offensive linemen since they’re not allowed to wear pads. 

5. Cornerback Nevin Lawson, the fourth-round pick from Utah State, will get a chance to show his matchup ability during drills. He was the only defensive back drafted by the Lions and will have a chance to make the 53-man roster.

 Starting on Tuesday the rookies will participate in OTAs (organized team activities) with the veterans. The mandatory minicamp June 10-12 will also mix both rookies and veterans. It will be the last practice until training camp starts in late July.

(Follow @PaulaPasche on Twitter for reports from rookie minicamp. Order her book,  “100 Things Lions Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die’’ here. It’s also available at bookstores.)