Could the Detroit Lions draft the next Kareem Hunt?
Due to the injury history of their starting running back, the Detroit Lions could opt to find them some inexpensive insurance in the upcoming NFL draft.
The Detroit Lions running game had been a low priority for the organization for many years. The selection of Auburn’s Kerryon Johnson in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft seemed to change that. But entering his third season as a pro, Johnson’s been unable to stay healthy ruining any consistency Detroit could get from the position.
The Lions are surely hoping the combination of Johnson and power back Bo Scarbrough will become the one-two punch that will field an effective rushing attack in 2020. But Kerryon’s durability is a major concern having missed a total of 14 games in the past two seasons. It’s one of the main reasons Detroit could decide to buy themselves some insurance either in free agency this offseason or in the upcoming draft.
As for a possible direction the Lions could go at running back, according to Doug Farrar of USA Today, the Lions had a formal interview with Utah’s Zack Moss while at the NFL Scouting Combine. Moss rushed for three-straight 1,000-yard seasons for the Utes.
As a senior last season the 5-foot-10, 220-pound Moss posted 1,416 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns while averaging 6.0 yards per carry. He also racked up 28 receptions for 388 yards and two more scores in 13 games.
Here’s what Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus wrote recently when he compared Moss to Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt.
"“With everyone losing their minds about Zack Moss’ 4.65 40 at the combine, it’s easy to forget that Hunt only ran a 4.62 at seven pounds lighter than Moss. Both Moss and Hunt are built low to the Earth and put up incredible broken tackle numbers in college. Hunt broke 76 tackles on 261 carries his final year at Toledo, while Moss broke 89 tackles on 234 carries this past season.”"
A third-round selection out of Toledo back in 2017 by the Kansas City Chiefs, Hunt exploded onto the scene as a rookie. He posted 1,327 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground plus 53 receptions for 455 yards and three more scores through the air. Hunt earned his first and only Pro Bowl nomination and was named Rookie of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America.
dark. Next. Five Lions players who might be finished in Detroit
If Zack Moss could provide the Detroit Lions with the same sort of spark that Kareem Hunt displayed as a rookie, the Motor City would turn a new leaf. And considering the fact their franchise quarterback is coming off a back injury, any pressure the running game could take off of Matthew Stafford‘s shoulders would only result in good things for the Lions.