The Detroit Lions may have walked out of day two of the 2020 NFL Draft with potentially three new starters, and while some of those picks were very well received by the national media, others did not fare as well.
D’Andre Swift grades
Starting with the Lions first selection, Georgia running back D’Andre Swift, Yahoo! Sports was a big fan of the selection, giving it an “A-“:
The Lions wanted to add juice to the offense, and Swift is exactly that. Can he stay healthy? My only concern. Swift isn’t built to be a workhorse but can be a great complement to Kerryon Johnson and a 15-touch-per-game weapon right away.
Sports Illustrated also gave the pick an “A-.” SI believes that Swift can “do wonders” for the Lions offense:
Try, try again. That’s what the Lions have been doing at running back ever since Barry Sanders’s unexpected retirement 21 years ago. Swift was a highly refined zone runner at Georgia and will operate mainly out of those designs in coordinator Darrell Bevell’s offense. He has the lateral agility to create his own space, and his potential explosiveness as a receiver could do wonders for a Lions offense that must regain some aerial balance after becoming heavily skewed toward vertical throws in 2019. With sustaining third-year back Kerryon Johnson aboard, expect Swift to fill an Alvin Kamara type role.
USA Today Draft Wire wasn’t quite as bullish on the Swift pick, but the “B+” grade still looks good on the report card:
A bit of a surprise here, but it’s hard to complain about the value the Lions are getting here. The Lions spent a second-round pick two years ago on Kerryon Johnson, but durability has been an issue.
Swift is a first-round talent with a complete skill set who can make big plays on all three downs. He’s a physical runner with fantastic quickness and vision, with the explosiveness to hit paydirt on every touch.
There were bigger needs elsewhere on both sides of the ball in Detroit, but Swift gives them an immediate upgrade in the backfield, and he’s a bargain outside the first round.
On the more negative side of the equation, Pro Football Focus was not nearly as happy – even though Swift was the site’s top-rated running back:
And there goes our string of picks we love to start out Day 2. We all know 35th overall is way too early in PFF’s eyes for a running back — there’s just not enough value there. While the value is incredibly poor, the Lions did get PFF’s RB1 and one who can get the job done in the receiving game, which we like in running backs. Swift can route routes from any alignment and has sure-fire hands with only three drops on 76 career catchable targets. Still, this doesn’t remotely justify the pick this early.
Bleacher Report also was not thrilled with the pick, giving it a poor “C” grade:
Swift is a prototypical NFL running back. He’s a tough downhill runner with devastating one-cut ability, the power to finish runs and the receiving chops to be useful on passing downs. Having shared touches with the likes of Chubb and Elijah Holyfield, he also isn’t as worn down as other collegiate workhorses.
Swift has Todd Gurley-esque potential. That makes him an incredible value in the second round. The Lions will get his best years at a relatively low salary and worry about wear and tear (or let his next employer worry about it) later. And the Lions have a need at running back after last season’s injury rash. With that said, the Lions have needs at much harder-to-fill positions like edge-rusher, making this a questionable selection.