D'Andre Swift for NFL Offensive Rookie of Year? Last Lions winner was Barry Sanders
Detroit made Georgia's D'Andre Swift the second running back off the board in the 2020 NFL Draft.
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The Detroit Lions have never played in a Super Bowl, which is a story for another day, but they have had quite a bit of success in finding terrific rookie running backs. The first-ever winner of the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award was Lions tailback Mel Farr in 1967. Billy Sims won the award in 1980 and all-time great Barry Sanders did in 1989. No Lion has won the award since, but second-round running back D'Andre Swift is among the favorites on the moneyline odds at William Hill sportsbook priced at +1800.
Georgia's Swift was the betting favorite to be the first running back chosen in the 2020 draft, but that honor went to LSU's Clyde Edwards-Helaire with the final pick of the first round by the Kansas City Chiefs. He's the +600 second-favorite for this award behind No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow (+225) of the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Lions took Swift at No. 35 overall, choosing him with Wisconsin record-setting running back Jonathan Taylor (went No. 41 to Indianapolis) still on the board. The CBS Sports Big Board ranked Taylor as the top running back in the Class of 2020 with Swift second. Sanders was impressed with Swift on tape, saying: "He's slippery. He's made a lot of big runs. He breaks tackles well and has good speed."
Last season with the Dawgs in the ultra-tough SEC, Swift rushed for 1,218 yards and seven scores on 196 carries and caught 24 passes for 216 yards and a score. Swift had "only" 423 carries in his three years in school so he should be relatively fresh in terms of his body taking a beating. By comparison, Taylor carried the ball 852 times in his three years.
The Lions haven't had great success with the past four running backs they have taken in the first or second round: Kerryon Johnson, Ameer Abdullah, Mikel Leshoure and Jahvid Best. Detroit hasn't had a 1,000-yard rusher since Reggie Bush in 2013.
Johnson is still on the roster and could share time with Swift; Johnson's a good player but hasn't been able to stay healthy in the NFL. The Lions also have Bo Scarbrough competing for touches. Detroit opens Sept. 13 as a 1.5-point home favorite on the NFL odds vs. Chicago.
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