Detroit Lions
While the passing attack of new offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter help get the Detroit Lions back to respectability after a 1-7 start to 2015, the Lions still were not a strong running game and haven’t really been that since Barry Sanders’ retirement.
Not that Derrick Henry would serve as the heir apparent to Sanders in Motown as he isn’t anywhere as shifty as Sanders was in his prime, but Henry could help the Lions offense become more balanced in 2016 and going forward.
The Lions were the worst rushing team in the NFL in 2015, accumulating only 1,335 yards on the ground as a team. While they already have former Nebraska star running back Ameer Abdullah on their roster, this is an era of the NFL where it will take more than one tailback (unless it’s Adrian Peterson…) to have an effective ground game.
Abdullah and Henry could play off each other with contrasting running styles. Being that the Lions play in the northern part of the country, running the football is a great strategy for Detroit when they have to go on the road and play in places like Lambeau Field or Soldier Field.
The Lions have the No. 16 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Taking Henry there wouldn’t be reaching and it could make sense for what the club could get value-wise there in the mid-teens.
Next: Houston Texans