Detroit Lions: Complete 7-round 2019 NFL Mock Draft 4.0

The Lions drafted running back Kerryon Johnson in the second round last year and went into the season thinking they had a good running back position group that contained Johnson, Theo Riddick, Zach Zenner, and LeGarrette Blount. The problem was that Blount was not nearly as effective with his carries as the team would have hoped and the Lions’ running game took a noticeable tumble when Johnson got hurt and had to miss the last quarter of the season.

Johnson has a history of injuries that goes back to his days as a college runner at Auburn. It can almost be guaranteed that Johnson will get injured at least once every year and the Lions will have to play a game or two without him. If it comes to that, the Lions are going to have to have a reliable option that can carry the load for a few games.

That’s where Harris comes in. Harris shared the load in college with multiple talented backs at Alabama. His wear and tear is relatively low and he has the skills to provide the Lions with the perfect guy to back up Johnson as the Lions’ number two guy.

In his last season at Alabama, Harris carried the ball 150 times for 876 yards and nine touchdowns. However, over his four years there, he averaged 3.4 (freshman year), 7.2, 7.4, and 5.8 yards per carry. Harris would be a good compliment to Kerryon and would provide more power than what Johnson has to offer, he also showed potential as a receiver out of the backfield as well, and displayed great ball carrier vision as he would rarely pick the wrong gap to attack as a runner.