With the 35th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Lions select Georgia running back D’Andre Swift …
D’Andre Swift Career Statistics
| Year | Age | RuAtt | Tm% | RuYd | Team % | RuTD | Rec | ReYd | ReTD | Yd/Tch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 19 | 81 | 12.46% | 618 | 15.78% | 3 | 17 | 153 | 1 | 7.87 |
| 2018 | 20 | 163 | 29.79% | 1049 | 30.89% | 10 | 32 | 297 | 3 | 6.9 |
| 2019 | 21 | 196 | 38.81% | 1218 | 45.93% | 7 | 24 | 216 | 1 | 6.52 |
Swift is the next Georgia back up in a recent run of highly drafted backs the program has put into the NFL. He started his career off with 771 yards on 98 touches as a true freshman at age 19 playing behind Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. The next season, he led the team with 195 touches for 1,346 yards while also conceding 164 touches to Elijah Holyfield. This past season, he once again took a step forward, garnering 220 touches for 1,434 yards.
All in all, he does not have the production score like some other backs in this class, but he shared work and Georgia was smart with his deployment in early-season blowouts. To start 2019, Swift only had 34 touches through three weeks as Georgia won those games by a combined score of 148-23. Swift then has a shoulder injury to close the season, getting just six touches over the final two games of the season.
As a receiver, Swift caught 1.7 passes per game, which ranks fourth in this class while averaging 9.1 yards per catch. He also closed 2019 with a positive run rate in both inside and outside runs while averaging a broken tackle once every four touches.
The Lions were expected to add more insurance or a compliment to Kerryon Johnson. Johnson enters his third season missing six and eight games over his first two seasons. Behind Johnson, their depth chart was exposed last season. Bo Scarborough (4.2 yards per touch and a minuscule 1.3 yards per target in the passing game), Ty Johnson (4.4 yards per touch and 3.5 yards per target), and Carson (2.8 yards per touch) proved to all be replaceable commodities at the position. Swift doesn’t get a runway to be a lead back out of the box. Matt Patricia has never been shy about preferring a tuning back committee and last season the Lions were left with a group of subpar options. Swift and Johnson heading into a timeshare and RB3 status for fantasy to begin the 2020 season.
