Andy Richardson
It looks certain that Detroit will select a running back in the first or second round of the April draft. Offensive coordinator Jim Colletto says he believes it will be a running back.
Check out Nicholas J. Cotsonika's article in the Detroit Free Press
Colletto is further down in the pecking order than GM Matt Millen or coach Rod Marinelli, so he might be more inclined to simply answer the question honestly, rather than calculating which answer might be of most benefit to the team.
The Lions are picking 15th, so they’ll definitely be able to land a top running back prospect there. They might be able to drop down a number of spots and still get the running back they want. The team is also looking for offensive line help.
Darren McFadden will be a top-10 choice, but some or all of the other three other top running back prospects might slide towards the end of round one – one or more may slipping all the way into the second round. There aren’t a lot of teams looking for running backs this year. Probably no need to use the 15th pick on Rashard Mendenhall, Jonathan Stewart (coming off a toe surgery) or Felix Jones.
Four years ago Detroit traded up into the bottom of round one to select Kevin Jones at No. 30 overall. A similar strategy might be employed this year, only with hopefully better results.
Colletto’s comments are also evidence that despite all the nice things the coaches said about Tatum Bell last week, he’s seen as more of a possibility for some carries in the backfield, rather than a player the team is counting on to fill a big role.
--Ian Allan
- Comments [0]
Readers' Comments
Add a Comment
Already a registered user? Please sign in to add comments.
To add comments, you must become a registered user of our site. To register, please click here.
