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The Detroit Lions lucked into D’Andre Swift early in the 2020 NFL Draft, and their good fortune could soon show itself in big ways on the football field.
Swift hasn’t been in pads for the Lions long, but already he’s begun to open some eyes around training camp. In drills, Swift has been getting fed the ball as a receiver to show off his skills. That’s been easy for him to do, and he’s caught the attention of the assembled media in the process.
As Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press aptly put it while watching a practice, Swift is going to be a problem in the NFL in terms of his pass catching out of the backfield.
The Athletic’s Chris Burke took it a step further with his analysis, saying Swift was eating up linebackers in the pass catching drills.
In college, Swift was more than a capable receiver, racking up 666 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns during his career. If Swift can be a receiving threat out of the backfield, it might allow the Lions to feature multiple back sets and work both he and Kerryon Johnson on the field at the same time. It might also allow the team to be more deceptive in their looks on the field and in turn break more big plays.
Regardless, Swift has certainly been as advertised early on in terms of what he can do. It’s certainly a shame there will be no preseason games to watch him perform and show his stuff against the opposition. For now, fans can only wait for September and the start of the season.
This year, Swift might prove to be well worth that wait when all is said and done.
D’Andre Swift Pegged for Huge Role Early
In Detroit, the answer can be summed up with picks No. 1 and No. 2 according to Nate Burleson. On a recent segment of Good Morning Football, the former wideout was asked which Lions rookies would need to perform for the team most of all. As he said, the answer was as simple as Jeff Okudah and D’Andre Swift.
Burleson explained:
“It’s simple, we all knew they were going to address a couple of positions and they addressed the cornerback position so I’m looking at Jeff Okudah. We know what Darius Slay meant to this defense, and he was a true shut down corner and Pro Bowl guy. But Jeff Okudah can do it all. He can cover, he’ll come down hill and hit you. He’s quiet but he plays bigger than what he looks like. For me, it is about Jeff Okudah coming in and filling a place. It’s not that difficult to come in and fill the cornerback spot as it might be to fill what Calvin Johnson left behind. I’m not saying it’s easy, a rookie cornerback, teams will pick on you but I do want to see him be a success. Another guy is D’Andre Swift. If you haven’t paid attention to him in college, this guy was nasty. I guarantee he’s going to come in right away and help this offense. Those 2 rookies right there, immediate impact for the Lions.”
It’s safe to say the team is feeling the pressure of having those players play a significant role, and if Burleson is right, it could be a huge shot in the arm for the entire team getting a top flight player on offense and defense early from the last draft to play a big role right off the bat.
Swift could easily play this role for the team as he has begun to show already.
D’Andre Swift Called Rookie of the Year Candidate
Recently, NFL.com took a look at projecting some of the top contenders for the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Writer Lance Zierlein placed Swift in the No. 3 position entering the season just behind the likes of Joe Burrow and Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
Zierlein wrote:
“Swift deserved more run in conversations about the top offensive players in the 2020 draft. He ultimately slipped to Round 2, where the Lions nabbed him with the 35th overall pick. While Matthew Stafford has filled up stat sheets on a consistent basis during his 11 seasons, Detroit hasn’t won a playoff game since the 1991 campaign, and the team’s running-game woes have been a main culprit for that drought in the past two decades. Swift enters the NFL with plenty of tread still on the tires. He features outstanding vision and change-of-direction efficiency to make the most of what is blocked for him. His team might not win as many games as Edwards-Helaire’s this season, but his numbers could look similar.”
The Lions haven’t had a running back in the conversation for such an elite award in seemingly ever, so if Swift can deliver right off the bat, that would be a huge thing for the team’s offense.
Swift is getting a ton of buzz coming into the 2020 season, and if he starts off fast, the team will benefit. Obviously, Swift will have huge competition for such an award, but there is a chance he will be in play for it as this analyst predicts.
If he catches the ball well and is a dual threat, it might only give him a better chance in the end.
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