Heading into the offseason, most believed Kerryon Johnson was the clear No. 1 running back on the Detroit Lions. Though Johnson may still be No. 1 on most projected depth charts, he now has some competition.
That competition is D’Andre Swift, who the Lions selected in the 2nd Round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
On Wednesday, Kerryon spoke to the media and he said that he “wasn’t tripping at all,” when the Lions selected Swift.
“Look, I knew we were going to draft another running back eventually. I think we got, in my opinion, definitely one of the top two (in this draft class). I love having a running mate, I love winning games, and I think he can help us do that, so I wasn’t tripping at all.”
Johnson said that he is excited to have Swift with him in the Lions running backs room.
“I’m excited, he’s a phenomenal player,” Johnson said. “I remember playing against him in college and I hated seeing him — every time. We played against Nick Chubb and Sony (Michel), and I’m telling you when that kid (Swift) stepped on the field, he’s lightning in a bottle. He’s threatening to go 80-yards, 70-, 60-, every time he touched it.
“So, I’m excited. I can learn from him, he can learn from me, we can all learn from each other and we can all get better and win some games.”
Johnson also noted that just because the Lions selected Swift with their 2nd Round pick does not necessarily mean there will be a direct competition between the two of them.
“Obviously we are two different people. He’s a lot more elusive — I think everybody would agree to that. But just having multiple running backs that are capable of running the ball at an efficient level, — whether the style is different or the style is the same — it just takes the stress off one another.”
–Quotes via Erik Schlitt, Lions Wire– LINK
