Lions Select Nebraska Running Back Ameer Abdullah With Second-Round Pick
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
ALLEN PARK - With the 54th overall pick of the 2015 NFL draft, the Detroit Lions selected Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah.
"He's a guy we're going to give a look in the backfield, obviously, but also on returns as a kickoff and punt return guy," Lions general manager Martin Mayhew said Friday. "He did punt returns his first couple years in college, so he's a guy who will get a real good look in a lot of different areas for us."
Abdullah rushed for 1,611 yards and 19 touchdowns on 264 attempts as a senior. He averaged 6.1 yards per rush. Abdullah also returned 14 kickoffs for a total of 392 yards last year.
"He's definitely an exciting guy in space," Mayhew said. "He can take it the distance, so he's definitely a very quality player who can make a big play for you."
The Lions' running game ranked 28th in the league in 2014, and Detroit released veteran Reggie Bush after the season. Abdullah will compete for snaps with Joique Bell and Theo Riddick.
One knock on Abdullah has been fumbles, but Mayhew considered the recent, lower numbers in that category as a reason not to worry about that area too much.
"The thing about the fumbles is he really has improved in that area," Mayhew said. "I think he had nine his first couple years on special teams. He only had three fumbles last year, so you might want to check some of the other backs, how many fumbles they had last year. He had three, so he's worked really hard on that, apparently, because he's improved in that area every single year, so that's something that we think he'll continue to work on and he'll just keep getting better at it."
The Lions shored up their offensive line on the first day of the draft, selecting Duke guard Laken Tomlinson with the 28th overall pick and acquiring veteran guard Manny Ramirez from the Denver Broncos by trading back from the 23rd spot.
With the offensive line strengthened, many expected the Lions would go for a defensive tackle, running back or cornerback on the second day of the draft. Bringing in a wide receiver also seemed like a possibility, particularly if that player could challenge Jeremy Ross for return duties.