Even with a diminished role coming to a head as last season went along, David Montgomery was a notable piece of the Detroit Lions' offense during all three of his seasons with the team. Trading him to the Houston Texans, at his clear request, leaves a vod that's hard to fill.
As interesting as Isiah Pacheco is as the replacement for Montgomery, he's only on a one-year deal and running back could be somewhere on the Lions' draft radar with an eye beyond next season. Jahmyr Gibbs obviously isn't going anywhere as the RB1, but someone who can ease his workload like Montgomery did, and Pacheco hopefully will, is in play some time in the mid-to-late rounds.
With that in mind, upon naming a developmental draft fit for each team, Justin Melo of SI.com has pointed to a Montgomery replacement for the Lions.
"The Detroit Lions traded running back David Montgomery to the Houston Texans. If they're looking for a change-of-pace runner to pair with the dynamic Jahmyr Gibbs, Nebraska's Emmett Johnson would be a terrific fit. Johnson is a tough between-the-tackles runner with an early-down and goal-to-go skill set."
Drafting a RB would spell the end for a Lions' experiment that never really started
After three non-descript seasons at Nebraska, Johnson had a breakout season in 2025, rushing for 1,451 yards with 15 total touchdowns (12 rushing) and 46 receptions. He is not the biggest (5-foot-10, 202 pounds) or the fastest back (4.56 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine), but he is hard-charging runner with passing game chops (85 receptions over his last two years at Nebraska).
If the Lions draft Johnson, or any other running back, one thing will become clear.
Since Brad Holmes traded up to get in him the third round of the 2024 draft, Sione Vaki has been a core special teamer with just six carries over two seasons. Trading Montgomery seemingly cleared room for him to have a bigger role in the Lions' offense moving forward, but the path to that remains cloudy.
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Signing Pacheco altered the idea Vaki would take on a bigger offensive role next season. But if the Lions draft a running back, that would be a strong signal they have no plans to ever have Vaki become a key piece of the offense. So again, future draft capital was surrended for a special teamer.
It's definitely possible Vaki has not developed as a running back the way the Lions thought he would. But with a total of 27 regular season offensive snaps and 15 preseason carries thus far, they can't truly know what he is, or isn't, capable of.
Some of Holmes' draft decisions over the last couple years have drawn worthy ire. Trading up for Vaki is below the radar on that front, but a full acknowledgement of a mistake may be lurking on the horizon.