Kerryon Johnson Will Lead the Team in Rushing and be a Rookie of the Year Candidate

Incoming second-round draft pick Kerryon Johnson is the key to the Lions’ playoff hopes. His versatility is shining in the early weeks of camp. Coming into the draft, Johnson was listed at 6-feet, 213 pounds, and he’s packed on plenty of muscle since the Combine. Johnson carried a heavy workload with Auburn last season, finishing with 1,391 yards and 18 touchdowns. He’s an all-around back that can run between the tackles or extend plays to the outside. Detroit needed that kind of workhorse mentality in its backfield.

It’s impressive how much speed, agility and acceleration Johnson displays, but what’s more impressive is Johnson’s abilities at different speeds. He shifts gears like an Aston Martin. NFL.com compared Johnson to Tevin Coleman, but the Lions’ rookie has a dash of Le’Veon Bell in his game as well. Johnson has always shown an unprecedented amount of patience as a play develops, then hits the hole with a tremendous burst.

Johnson landed in the perfect situation for his skill set. He’s certainly a rookie breakout candidate that could flash the type of success that Jordan Howard found in Chicago as a rookie. At 21-years-old, Johnson gets to play alongside and learn from one of the game’s best power backs in LeGarrette Blount, who is already teaching Johnson how to stay low as a runner. Johnson will grow alongside a pair of dynamic, change-of-pace backs in Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick. With their abilities in the passing game, pairing Johnson with either pass-catching back will help open the running game up and give the rookie a chance to thrive.

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