The NFL scouting combine returns to Indianapolis this week, with on-field drills scheduled Thursday-Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Here are five storylines I’ll be watching in Indianapolis this week, as the Detroit Lions look to build off the momentum of their best season in 32 years.

NFL free agency chatter

As draft-centric an event as the combine is, some of the most important work goes on in restaurants and bars across the city, where agents and team officials meet to discuss the start of free agency coming March 13.

Lions general manager Brad Holmes has championed the draft, develop and re-sign approach, and even with a boatload of cap room he gave no indication that would change this offseason in an interview Monday on 97.1-FM. Some of the top free agents this spring – Brian Burns, Chris Jones, Josh Allen, Jaylon Johnson, La’Jarius Sneed, Christian Wilkins – would be good fits in Detroit, but the Lions seem more inclined to add starting-caliber depth players on short-term deals.

“It’s going to be the same approach that we’ve always had,” Holmes said in his radio interview. “I think I said in (my end-of-season) press conference, it’s easy to win the headline. It’s easy to win March. That’s easy to win, but, man, we’re trying to win December. And those are two different perspectives and that’s how you got to plan and I think that’s how you have to approach it.”

J.J. McCarthy fad

Three quarterbacks stand at the head of this year’s class: USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels. But there are many more quarterback-needy teams picking in the top 14, and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy is the player most likely to benefit from a run on QBs early.

McCarthy has a chance to cement himself as a top-half choice in Round 1 with his combine workout and in private meetings this week. He has done nothing but win for two seasons at Michigan, and he has an enticing skill set with his mobility and strong arm.

Michigan has a record 18 players invited to the combine, so McCarthy won’t be the only Wolverine in the spotlight. Linebacker Junior Colson and defensive back Mike Sainristil are other potential top-50 picks with the opportunity to shine in Indy.

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Who’s No. 2?

Marvin Harrison Jr. is widely considered one of the top overall prospects in the draft and expected to be the first wide receiver off the board, but there’s a debate about who’s No. 2.

LSU’s Malik Nabers and Washington’s Rome Odunze are both top-10 talents, and who goes where will be a matter of fit and preference. Nabers is an elite playmaker who averaged nearly 18 yards a catch this season. Odunze offers more size and polish.

The Athletic reported Nabers might not work out at the combine, and Odunze told Seattle sports radio he hopes to run a sub-4.4 40-yard dash at the combine. If he does, he’ll firm up his place as one of the first non-quarterbacks off the board.

Corner pocket

The Lions are entering the draft without a top-10 pick for the first time since 2018, and while that takes a whole class of players out of the evaluation mix, Holmes said he’s excited about the challenge.

“I feel when you’re looking at the top 10, it’s kind of hard to mess up, in my opinion,” Holmes said on 97.1. “You’ve got really good players and you’re trying to decide between Turks & Caicos and Grand Cayman. You’re probably not going to be mad at either one. But I think it’s a lot more excitement when you’re back there on the back end because you’ve got to deep dive on a lot more, you’ve got to really heavily scrutinize it and it’s a lot of fun.”

One position the Lions surely will be scrutinizing this week: Cornerback. Holmes has not taken a true outside cornerback in his three drafts as Lions GM, but the team desperately needs help at the position and there could be several tantalizing options available at No. 29 if they want to go that direction. NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah lists five cornerbacks among his top 32 players in the draft, with four ranked between 19 and 30.

NFC North watch

Thirty-nine head coaches and GMs are scheduled to speak Tuesday at the combine, including Lions coach Dan Campbell (10 a.m.) and Holmes (4 p.m.).

Decision makers from the Chicago Bears (head coach Matt Eberflus), Green Bay Packers (GM Brian Gutekunst) and Minnesota Vikings (coach Kevin O’Connell and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah) also will meet with reporters, who will be sniffing for hints about their offseason plans.

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The Bears have the No. 1 pick in the draft and a decision to make at quarterback (draft Williams or keep Justin Fields). The Vikings are in quarterback limbo, too, with Kirk Cousins ticketed for free agency. And the Packers should be the top challenger to the Lions in the North next season, though they’re moving to a 4-3 defense and could be in need of two new running backs (with Aaron Jones potentially elsewhere due to carrying a big cap number for 2024).

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him @davebirkett.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions free agency plans among 5 things to watch at NFL combine