Reggie Bush: Theo Riddick is Detroit Lions' sleeper at running back

Second-year Detroit Lions running back Theo Riddick seems to be turning a lot of heads recently, and that includes his running back mate, veteran Reggie Bush, who recently sung the praises of the Notre Dame product.

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“I think he’s going to be a sleeper for us,” Bush said, via Kyle Meinke at mlive.com. “He’s going to be a huge part of our offense and what we’re able to do this year. He’s hard to guard one-on-one, so that’s going to be good for us to have an extra piece of the puzzle.”

Riddick sits behind a crowded backfield with Joique Bell and Reggie Bush. But, it’s one that tends to clear out with injury, too.

Even despite that, Riddick only played 49 snaps with 13 touches for 51 yards in his rookie season; though with some changes on offense this offseason, Riddick could figure into what could be a three-headed monster in Detroit’s backfield.

He is no stranger to sharing touches. In college he split carried with Cierre Wood, who now plays for the Ravens. During his senior year, Riddick amassed 917 yards on 190 carries (4.8 avg) and five touchdowns. He also recorded 36 receptions for 370 yards and two touchdowns.

Riddick has great hands and shiftiness to his game — so much so he played slot receiver during 2010 at Notre Dame under Brian Kelley. That versatility figures into the Lions plans.

Kyle Meinke writes:

"“The Lions are implementing a new offensive system under first-year coordinator Joe Lombardi, and that scheme is expected to strongly resemble the one used in New Orleans, where Lombardi has been an offensive assistant the past seven years.And New Orleans likes to use an array of tailbacks”"

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Reggie Bush: Theo Riddick is Detroit Lions’ sleeper at running back

By Henry McKenna | Jun 13, 2014