They are two of 14 uncapped players in a 22-man squad to face Wales on Friday and have their sights set on a starting place.
Lyons, who was part of to a home-based Under-21s camp in 2019 but remains uncapped, believes competition for places in the new-look group will raise the standards among the players.
He said: “This squad will be very competitive and no-one will be guaranteed a starting spot and it’s for us to drive each other on to achieve a higher level.
“This week presents a chance for us all to put our front foot forward and get into the manager’s plans. Everyone will be hungry to get that starting spot.”
Devoy, who featured in a friendly against Denmark for Tom Mohan’s Under-19s in October 2019, says there is a greater incentive for players from the SSE Airtricity League to push for a place in the U21s.
He added: “When you see players making the leap from the Under-21s team to the senior team and you see the number of League of Ireland players included in the senior team it gives you that incentive to go on.
“This is a big step-up and once you’re in with the Under-21s the main thing is to stay in, so the hard work starts now.
“My aim is to push on and get as many minutes as possible.”
An appearance against Wales would be Lyons’ 15th for an Ireland underage team having represented the country for the U18s and U19s.
He says a competitive qualification campaign can capture the public’s imagination.
Lyons said: “The nation got behind the Under-21s in the last campaign and we know they will be willing us to do the same during this time. We have to remain competitive and the support can help us achieve that. For us this all starts on Friday against Wales.”
Fixture | Wales U21 vs Republic of Ireland U21
Date | Friday, March 26
Kick-Off | 1pm
Venue | Colliers Park, Wrexham, Wales
Where to watch | www.facebook.com/fawales and www.youtube.com/fawales