Sione Vaki earns rave reviews for work at running back in preseason opener

The Detroit Lions didn't have many offensive bright spots during a 14-3 loss to their New York Giants Thursday, but rookie running back Sione Vaki was certainly one.

In the second quarter Vaki did some good work, totaling 29 yards on four carries. A 15-yard run particularly stood out.

Vaki primarily played safety in college at Utah, but the Lions have made it clear from the start they view him as a running back first and foremost. A productive run at running back when pressed into action there last season, primarily over back-to-back games against Cal and USC, showed his raw potential as a running back.

Analyst Marcus Mosher acknowledged the potential Vaki has.

Dan Campbell impressed with Sione Vaki, but knows run game must improve

Detroit's ground game only produced 118 yards Thursday night, with 63 yards coming from Vaki and quarterback Hendon Hooker. Backups playing and rainy weather complicated things.

Head coach Dan Campbell didn't make any excuses for the run game's struggles against the Giants, and he was certainly impressed with Vaki.

"(Sione) Vaki had some good runs, absolutely. The hard thing was offensively, you get this kind of weather, it's not an excuse, but you got to get the run game going. We weren't quite able to really turn it over. That doesn't help with the pass game especially in this weather. If you're a little bit inaccurate or not quite on, it's hard to get your pass game going so really, it started with the run game and I know we can be better there."

Vaki is clearly still learning the nuances of playing running back, and we can caveat his performance with it coming against backups, but he was clearly the best running back the Lions had in the preseason opener. His roster spot has never been in question, but Vaki could make a legit run at the No. 3 running back spot and Thursday night was a great start.