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The Detroit Lions finished the 2022 season on a high note, winning five of their last six games for their first winning season since 2017. The team has the 18th pick in the 2023 draft and could go in any direction, and ESPN's Marcus Spears talked about who coach Dan Campbell should draft.
On "NFL Live," Spears said that the team should go offense, more specifically taking University of Texas running back Bijan Robinson:
“I couldn't love it enough. When you think about Detroit and the identity that Dan Campbell has built, especially offensively, that run game was one of the most terrifying things in football and the play action. Coincidentally, Jared Goff had one of his better years at quarterback.
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"You add another dynamic runner in the backfield and remember Williams left in free agency, so, Jamaal Williams left in free agency. I think Bijan Robinson is a top-three football player in this draft and if Detroit can get him at 18, he's an immediate impact.
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"The offensive line is intact, the system is intact and we saw multiple running backs have success in this game. He just brings another thing to the table, and that's his elusiveness run in between the tackles and on the outside of the perimeter.”
Bijan Robinson is easily the top running back in the draft and could go early to mid-first round as he's coveted by many teams. For the Detroit Lions, he could complement David Montgomery, who they signed this offseason. Taking the Longhorns star could make D'Andre Swift the odd man out in the backfield.
The Lions are no stranger to taking a RB in the first round of the NFL draft
If Robinson falls to Detroit, it wouldn't be the first time that the franchise has gone running back in the first round. The team took Oklahoma State star Barry Sanders with the third pick in the 1989 draft.
Sanders took the NFL by storm in his rookie season, rushing for 1,470 yards and 14 touchdowns. He overwhelmingly won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award that season. In his 10-year career, he rushed for 1,000 yards and made the Pro Bowl every season.
Sanders led the league in rushing four times, including 2,053 yards in the 1997 season, winning MVP. He retired at the age of 30 with 15,269 yards and 99 touchdowns. His yards are the fourth-most in NFL history, and he is 10th in touchdowns.
Let's see if the Lions think that Robinson can have a career like Sanders and try to take him in the coming weeks.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit NFL Live and H/T Sportskeeda.
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