Getty Jason Huntley running the ball for New Mexico Statel
After landing D’Andre Swift on Friday, the Detroit Lions seemingly didn’t need to address the running back position in the 5th round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but they did so anyway with the selection of Jason Huntley.
Huntley, out of New Mexico State, is a little-known running back that hasn’t been on many scouting radars to this point, but the youngster packs a punch as well as some rubber, electric legs he uses to his advantage in order to create some big plays. As the highlights say, Huntley might be the fastest player in the draft that nobody’s ever heard of.
In college, Huntley put up some excellent stats, piling up 3,316 total yards and 25 touchdowns, He can be as good a receiver as a runner, and is also a potential special teams ace in waiting given 5 career kickoff returns for touchdowns and 1,521 yards as a special teams player. That leads some to call him one of the most exciting college players around.
If the Lions can figure out how to use Huntley, he could end up being one of the best players to rack up big plays in the draft.
Lions Draft Picks Day 3
During the day session of the draft, the Lions started with 4 picks in each of the last 4 rounds of the draft to work with. Detroit holds pick No. 109 but dealt back to 121 in round 4. In round 5, the Lions picked 166th and 172nd. Round 6 will bring them pick No. 197. Finally, in round 7, the Lions finish things out with pick No. 235. Obviously, the Lions can move up or down for those slots to add or subtract picks.
Detroit needs to find more players in the second half of their drafts in order to round out their roster. Last year, they scored cornerback Amani Oruwariye in round 5. They will be looking for similar depth and value plays for their offense and defense on this day.
Lucky for the Lions, the team should have many good players left on the board to select from that fit the roster to finish things out, so that is good news on the draft’s final day.
Lions Need Running Backs
Detroit has a solid player on their team currently in Kerryon Johnson that they are developing. Johnson, however, has run into a few issues with injuries the last few years, so the team is looking for someone else that can be a solid running mate for Johnson moving forward. On the roster, Bo Scarbrough showed late last season that he could be a potential answer for the team, but if the Lions are looking for someone else to build around, they may want to target the draft, which is where Dobbins comes in. The team could also look to free agency for a veteran running back, or could make drafting a runner a bigger priority than a mid-round selection.
Adding another running back in the draft would allow the Lions to enter the 2020 season with much better depth, and be covered if something were to happen on the roster, as has been the case in the last few years.
Obviously, they hare thrilled to have Swift in the mix and also ready for Huntley to make a big impression.
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