NFL reasserts run game, will Detroit Lions draft follow suit?

Detroit Lions draft picks

Detroit Lions are currently listed with the third-most salary cap, at almost $30 million dollars, via Spotrac’s salary cap tracker, here. While this may be a viable option, nine picks in the draft mean that there’s an opportunity to do more than putting a band-aid on the problem. The other obvious option is to acquire talent via the draft.

With that in mind, here’s a list of the Detroit Lions picks and where they fall in the draft, via the Tankathon website. The Lions are back to having picks in every round of the draft, with multiple picks in rounds three and five, thanks to several trades including the trade that sent Darius Slay to the Philadelphia Eagles. We hold (9) picks- 3, 35, 67, 85, 109, 149, 167, 183, and 236.

Bob Quinn has never spent huge resources on running backs, only drafting three since 2016. But the Lions have also never had a potent running game, either.

That has always been a calling card of offensive coordinator, Darrell Bevell’s offenses, though. Kerryon Johnson, the highest-drafted runner of the Quinn era, has not been able to stay on the field in his first two seasons and no running back has played a full complement of games during Quinn’s tenure.

In fact, it’s been since 2013 that any running back surpassed the 1,000-yard mark when Reggie Bush accomplished the feat with 1,006 yards (missing only two games), the Football Database has the list.