Did the Detroit Lions draft reveal plan to fix more than the run game?

The Detroit Lions used more than expected numbers of draft picks on offense. What we need to look at is did it show a plan to fix the offense?

The NFL draft has come and gone with the Detroit Lions fielding a promising class of prospects with at least three to four starters and other depth players coming on board. The most-watched draft in the history of television was being scrutinized by every wannabe draft expert alive and the entire OnePride Nation.

What we saw, that we wanted to see, was the Detroit Lions finding help for the perennial running game woes that have held back offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell’s offense from truly succeeding but did the draft demonstrate a plan to fix more?

Vice president-general manager Bob Quinn started off true to script and drafted a cornerback for his defense, Jeff Okudah from Ohio State. In the second stanza, though, he diverged from that script to select Georgia running back, D’Andre Swift, perhaps the best of the 2020 class of runners. Swift was the second back to be selected after Clyde Edwards-Helaire was taken by the world champion Kansas City Chiefs with the last pick in round one.

Rookies Swift and Jason Huntley, fifth-round, will now compete with Kerryon Johnson, Ty Johnson, and Bo Scarbrough for carries and hopefully, the unit will elevate the run game. Many do still question the use of high draft picks on running backs because runners are often only as good as the line in front of them. Combined with the low career expectancy of a running back due to wear and tear, it is often wiser to select a lineman or other player who is more likely to play effectively longer.

Also, a large chunk of the NFL doesn’t rely upon one runner but on a committee approach which usually alleviates the need to have a bell-cow running back, eliminating the need for spending high draft picks. The San Francisco 49ers were a team that rode this philosophy to the Super Bowl last year, using three or more runners depending upon the game and situation.