Detroit Lions: Running back options abound in free agency, draft

Running backs in the draft

Between 2004 and 2013 teams that finished the previous season outside the top 20 in rushing yards that took a running back in the first round saw an average improvement of 12 spots. A high pick at running back typically does result in a drastic improvement in a team’s running game. It is far from the only option though.

I do not believe that Saquon Barkley out of Penn State or Derrius Guice out of LSU will be available when the Lions pick at number 20 in the first round. If they were, I would be running to the phone to call the pick in. Either of those players would be an immediate impact player. They would change the complexion of the Detroit Lions offense from the moment they came to training camp.

Barkley has drawn comparisons to a 25 lbs heavier Barry Sanders. That is overstating what he is more than a little, but it’s not as insane as that comparison usually is. He makes people miss with almost supernatural agility but has games where he is contained. Guice is a more straight-ahead runner with more north-south to his game. He is shifty enough to avoid direct hits and create a lot of breakable arm tackles at full speed. They are the two “can’t miss” running backs of this draft.

The more likely player to be available at pick 20 is Ronald Jones Jr. He is a polished runner who could come into a locker room and play all three downs at a high level. He has great vision, speed, agility, and hands. His most endearing quality in terms of his fit with the Lions is that he possesses the calm of a Zen Buddhist monk when the blocking in front of him goes to hell. The knock on him going into 2017 was that he was too small, so he put on 15 pounds and played at an even higher level.

Later in the draft, there are also a large number of running backs that would bring traits to the table that the Lions current group are lacking. There is a description that fits half of the running backs in the draft. “Good size but uses agility to avoid solid hits rather than running through defenders. Has good enough hands to be a factor in the passing game. Needs to work on his pass blocking and route running. Could develop into an NFL three-down contributor.” That’s the 2018 running back class in a nutshell. Rashaad Penny, Sony Michel, Royce Freeman, and Kalen Ballage all fit that mold with a few differences between them and will all likely go between rounds two and four.

For true power backs, the draft is not plentiful. Nick Chubb will likely go in the third or fourth round. He has an injury history that has likely limited him to a between the tackles grinder at the NFL level. Bo Scarbrough has a much longer history with the medical profession but is the most powerful runner in the draft. If I were to pick a day three running back most likely to make a difference as a rookie it would be Scarbrough. If I were to pick a day three back to be out of the league within four years due to injury it would also be Scarbrough. He would be purely an augmentation to the existing group.

As part of a multi-year complete overhaul of the running back group, some scat backs could be factors late in the draft as well. Abdullah is in the last year of his current contract. Riddick will have a cap number of just under $4.4 million in 2019, the last year of his current deal. Drafting a player later in the draft to develop for that role in the future wouldn’t be a terrible idea. Kerryon Johnson, Nyheim Hynes, John Kelly and Jordan Wilkins; who is admittedly a bit big to be called a scat back but runs like one, are all players that hope to become passing game threats at the NFL level. I would be surprised if any of those players went before the third round.

Next: Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia will sink or swim together

Whether you want the team to revamp the running back group in free agency or the draft there are plenty of options. It will be an interesting offseason no matter which option Bob Quinn chooses.