The Detroit Lions took running back Kerryon Johnson with the No. 43 overall pick on Friday. Free Press sports writer Ryan Ford takes a look at the pick: Wochit
The Detroit Lions are serious about upgrading their NFL-worst rushing game.
A day after they used their first-round pick on Arkansas center Frank Ragnow, the Lions traded up in the second round to take Auburn running back Kerryon Johnson.
Johnson ran for 1,391 yards and 18 touchdowns last season, stringing together seven 100-yard games during an eight-game stretch of the season as Auburn soared to the No. 2 ranking in the country.
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He missed time with shoulder, rib and hamstring injuries last season, but was viewed as one of the more complete running backs in a deep class.
Johnson, who made a pre-draft visit to the Lions earlier this month, was the sixth running back taken.
The Lions traded their second- and fourth-round picks to New England in this year's draft to move up.
Three running backs went in the first round Thursday: Penn State's Saquon Barkley to the New York Giants, San Diego State's Rashaad Penny to the Seattle Seahawks and Sony Michel to the New England Patriots.
In the second round, the Cleveland Browns took Georgia's Nick Chubb at Pick No. 35 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took USC's Ronald Jones at Pick No. 38 before the Lions traded their second- and fourth-round picks to the Patriots to move up eight spots.
"He's a really, really good player," NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said of Johnson during a teleconference earlier this month. "Right now I have him just outside my top 50. Really kind of a testament to just the overall depth of this class. I think he is a first-round-caliber player that's going to go in the second round."
The Lions averaged just 76.3 yards rushing per game last season, more than 9 yards fewer per game than any other team in the NFL.
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They return their top five running backs from last season, Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick, Zach Zenner, Tion Green and Dwayne Washington, and signed LeGarrette Blount in free agency, but haven't had a 100-yard rusher in more than four seasons.
Lions coach Matt Patricia said at the team’s annual member summit earlier this month that improving the running game would help “everything that (Matthew Stafford) does.”
Shawn Windsor, Dave Birkett and Carlos Monarrez debate Detroit Lions' surprising pick of Arkansas center Frank Ragnow at No. 20 in NFL draft April 26. Detroit Free Press staff, Detroit Free Press
“I think when you have that ability to threaten a team with the run game, to keep them off balance and have a balanced offense, to be able to use play-action passing game along with the dropback game, involve some different protection schemes that come off of the running game to incorporate that and build that in your offense is obviously what you’re trying to do to create balance,” Patricia said. “When I go into an opponent week in and week out, we’re always trying to stay balanced. But there are some teams that we’ll go in and say, ‘You know what, this is a week where we just got to run the ball. This is a week where we just got to throw the ball to win.’ We’re not going to be one way. We’re going to do whatever it takes to win that week. But the idea is we’re going to start balanced, we’re going to be a balanced team, build a balanced offense so that we can do both, so when we get to those situations where we need to run it, we can run it. When we need to throw it, we can throw it. And then take that pressure off the quarterback to always have to make the plays.”
Johnson could vie for the starting running back job immediately, and at a minimum should take over as the Lions' feature back in 2019.
Both Abdullah and Blount are playing this fall on expiring contracts, and Abdullah's future with the team now appears uncertain.
In taking Johnson, the Lions passed on LSU running Derrius Guice, who's had a dramatic fall from potential first-round pick.
They have just three picks left in the draft, including No. 82 in the third round later today, for which to address holes on the defensive line, at safety and tight end.
They also have picks in the fifth and seventh rounds on Saturday.
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