Vaki ran for 22 yards on six carries and caught four passes for 60 yards on four targets in Saturday's preseason game against Kansas City. The rookie fourth-round pick out of Utah seemingly played in the rotation following Craig Reynolds, who took the first touch at running back with Jahmyr Gibbs (hamstring) and David Montgomery left out of the game. The Lions plan to run often and are expected to keep all four running backs on the roster, and whatever the depth chart placement might be between Vaki and Reynolds at the moment could change over the course of the year. Vaki's pass-catching upside stands out, not just because of his strong showing Saturday but even more so because Vaki turned 14 targets into 11 catches for 203 yards and three touchdowns for Utah last year.
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Vaki ran for 22 yards on six carries and caught four passes for 60 yards on four targets in Saturday's preseason game against Kansas City. The rookie fourth-round pick out of Utah seemingly played in the rotation following Craig Reynolds, who took the first touch at running back with Jahmyr Gibbs (hamstring) and David Montgomery left out of the game. The Lions plan to run often and are expected to keep all four running backs on the roster, and whatever the depth chart placement might be between Vaki and Reynolds at the moment could change over the course of the year. Vaki's pass-catching upside stands out, not just because of his strong showing Saturday but even more so because Vaki turned 14 targets into 11 catches for 203 yards and three touchdowns for Utah last year.
Vaki rushed four times for 29 yards and wasn't targeted in Thursday's 14-3 preseason loss to the Giants. He also recovered a fumble. All four of Vaki's carries came on one drive late in the first half, and he also showed good awareness for a rookie by recovering a fumble committed by a Giants defender on an interception return. The versatile fourth-round pick played both safety and running back at Utah, but the Lions have had Vaki concentrate on the latter position to begin his NFL career. He appears to be no higher than fourth on the depth chart behind Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery and Craig Reynolds, who started Thursday's game. Detroit's second preseason game will be next Saturday in Kansas City.
Vaki returned to practice Friday, and Lion's head coach Dan Campbell stated Vaki's shoulder problem is "nothing long term," Jeff Risdon of USA Today and John Maakaron of Sports Illustrated reports. Vaki left practice early on Thursday with shoulder problems, but it appears the injury won't be a problem moving forward as he returned to practice just a day later. The rookie running back will need as many reps as he can get ahead of Detroit's season, as he focuses solely on the offensive side of the ball after playing both running back and safety in his collegiate career with Utah.
Vaki left practice early Thursday with a shoulder injury, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports. Vaki played safety and running back at Utah last season, before being selected by the Lions in the fourth round of the 2024 Draft. However, the 23-year-old was expected to be used exclusively on offense in Detroit. Any potential missed time during training camp could make it difficult for Vaki to push past Craig Reynolds for snaps at running back and make it difficult for the rookie to carve out a role with the team.