Lions like running back depth in this year’s draft


By Nicholas J. Cotsonika
Detroit Free Press
Posted Apr 22, 2008 @ 09:25 PM
Detroit —

Mike Martz is gone. The days of six, seven or eight rushing attempts are over. The Lions want to run the ball more now with Jim Colletto as offensive coordinator.

And after cutting Kevin Jones, a first-round pick in 2004, the Lions are down to Tatum Bell, Brian Calhoun and Aveion Cason at running back entering the NFL draft.

The Lions will almost certainly draft a running back this weekend. The question is when. They could use the 15th overall pick on one, or they could wait as late as the third round, when they have an extra pick.

That’s how deep this draft is in good running backs, according to multiple NFL coaches and executives, including Lions coach Rod Marinelli.

“There’s that front-end group in the first round, but then there’s a big second-round group that’s really good,” Marinelli said March 30 at the NFL owners’ meetings. “I think it goes into the third round, to be honest with you.”

Oregon’s Jonathan Stewart and Illinois’ Rashard Mendenhall are possibilities at No. 15. Both have size and speed. Stewart is 5-feet-11, 235 pounds and runs a 4.48 -second 40-yard dash. Mendenhall is 5-foot-11, 210, and runs a 4.45 40.

Stewart is recovering from toe surgery; Mendenhall has a lot of tread on his tires, having played extensively for only one college season.

At the NFL scouting combine in February, Stewart said he compares himself to Jamal Lewis, who put up staggering numbers — and won a Super Bowl — with Baltimore while Colletto was the Ravens’ offensive line coach. Stewart called himself “just a big back who can move.”

Asked to describe his running style, Stewart said: “I would describe it as pretty rare. You don’t really see a player my size at this position being able to do the things I can do. I’m explosive. I have good lateral movement as well. I have great speed as well. Put those things together, and it can be something great.”

Mendenhall doesn’t lack confidence, either.

“I definitely feel like I am up toward the top,” Mendenhall said at the combine. “I feel like I am a complete back — a guy that can make you miss and a guy that can take it the distance as well, a big guy and a third-down back.”

But Stewart and Mendenhall might not be available at No. 15, or the Lions might choose to address needs at positions that aren’t as deep as running back — defensive end and linebacker — or take an offensive tackle.

“We’re looking in the draft at offensive linemen and running backs,” Colletto said March 24. “It all depends on what pops up at the time we pick. But I also know from my trials and tribulations as a head coach, you better be good on defense first, and I think that’s the orientation we’re going in. ...

“We have, I think, two picks in the third round. So we think the guys we’re interested in — and as you know, it changes at a moment’s notice — might be there when the time comes.”

After Stewart and Mendenhall, the options include Arkansas’ Felix Jones, East Carolina’s Chris Johnson, Rutgers’ Ray Rice, Central Florida’s Kevin Smith, Texas’ Jamaal Charles and Tulane’s Matt Forte.

Colletto is installing a zone running scheme, and the Lions will be looking for someone with excellent vision who cuts quickly and takes off.

Smith seems like a good fit. He has the skill set of a zone runner. He led Division I in rushing with 2,567 yards — 61 yards short of the record set by Lions Hall of Famer Barry Sanders at Oklahoma State — and 29 touchdowns.

Marinelli loves football character, and he must love how Smith handles questions about not coming from a big-name program. He tells people to watch the film.

“If you have game, you have game,” Smith said at the combine. “I’m not one to try to hide it. I’m not trying to boost any attributes of myself. I play the game of football. Everyone who watches me, you either like it or you don’t. I play running back, and I’m very good at playing running back.”