It’s never smart to judge an NFL draft class until at least a few seasons have passed. 

That said, the Detroit Lions’ 2015 draft class could provide five immediate starters. It's expected that the top picks should be ready to start, but there are also late-round picks who stood out in OTAs and minicamp.

It’s not a given, but here are five 2015 draftees who have a chance to start:

1. First-round pick Laken Tomlinson was penciled in as the starting left guard immediately after his name was called. He still has a chance to start but he’ll have to earn it in training camp by playing better than veteran Manny Ramirez.
   
   
2. Running back Ameer Abdullah, the second-round pick out of Nebraska, could not have looked much better in minicamp. The big test will come when they put on pads in training camp. But so far Abdullah has impressed running the ball and catching it too.
   
   
3. Cornerback Quandre Diggs has legitimate chance to start in the slot in the nickel package. He has football instincts with a high football IQ.
   
   
4. Defensive tackle Gabe Wright is not a favorite to start beside Haloti Ngata, but that vacancy left by the departure of Nick Fairley is still up in the air. He’s a longshot, but he’s in the running.
   
   
5. Cornerback Alex Carter got a late start missing time in OTAs because he was finishing classes at Stanford. He’s very much a longshot to start at outside cornerback. That is where he’s worked and Slay and Rashean Mathis seem to have the starting roles nailed down. We will see.
   
   

(Follow @PaulaPasche on Twitter. Pre-order her new book “Game of My Life Detroit Lions” which will be be published in October on Amazon.com. Also order her book,  “100 Things Lions Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die’’ here.)