Getty Barry Sanders during the Super Bowl at radio row.
The Detroit Lions selected running back D’Andre Swift in the 2020 NFL Draft and it’s clear the player’s best fit could be just where he landed.
Not only was Swift a big fan of Lions legend Barry Sanders growing up, the team needs depth and stability at running back. Those are a few elements he should bring to the mix almost immediately. Interestingly enough, Sanders knows Swift’s game on the field fairly deeply as well.
In a piece by ESPN’s Michael Rothstein, Sanders is asked about Swift’s future and explains what he will contribute to the team’s rushing attack right away. As the legend says, it’s the big plays and big runs that caught his attention during Swift’s time in college.
“He’s a big-play kid, you know, and it’ll be interesting just to see how much he is able to come into the system that he is in with the Lions and have an impact,” Sanders said. “We’ve got some pretty good running backs already. Will he come in and distinguish himself as the guy?
“I don’t know what their thinking is as far as that, but just as far as the talent, he’s right up there with the kid from Wisconsin, Jonathan Taylor. He’s slippery. He’s made a lot of big runs. He breaks tackles well and has good speed.”
Detroit’s offense has been missing these elements from their running game consistently in the least few years, so if Swift can bring those to the mix immediately he will be doing well. It’s not a stretch to say putting Swift in Detroit was a great decision due to the fact that he will have Sanders to lean on.
D’Andre Swift Loves Barry Sanders
After Swift was selected, he admitted that Sanders is his favorite running back to watch growing up. Whether that’s a case of knowing his audience or not, it’s still an important admission. Multiple decades after his retirement, it’s clear Sanders is still influencing the younger generation of runners.
D’Andre Swift said the first thing that comes to mind about the Lions is Barry Sanders. Said it’s his favorite running back.
D’Andre Swift was born three weeks or so after Sanders played his last game for the Lions.
The good news? Sanders appears to like Swift just as much. Appearing on the Draft-a-Thon special, Sanders reacted in real time to his selection to the Lions, and said he liked the move.
“I’ve known that we had our eye on him, one of the best running backs in the draft,” he said. “A guy that can get it done. he can get up and down the field. He had a great career at Georgia. One person that’s really celebrating is Matthew Stafford getting a solid piece at running back. So that’s a ver nice addition to the team.”
Now, the duo can connect when Swift gets to Detroit, and given how excited he was about Sanders, it’s likely to happen eventually.
D’Andre Swift Stats
Arguably the best runner on the board and a player who many figured would go off the board in the first round, Swift is a hard charging back out of Georgia who was tough in his career playing in the SEC. With 2,885 yards and 20 touchdowns in his career, there is little doubting how well Swift would do at toting the rock and fitting in well within Detroit’s backfield situation.
Swift coming from the SEC will be huge for him in terms of being able to fit in seamlessly to the team. Georgia has put a lot of great runners into the league lately, and the hope for Swift is that he can join the squad and become the next runner that follows in the footsteps of players like Todd Gurley, Sony Michel and Nick Chubb. All of them have become great, and Swift could be next.
If he’s able to provide big things for the ground game, it will be huge for Detroit.
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