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With their second pick in the 2015 NFL Draft and the 54th overall selection, the Detroit Lions have selected Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah.
Clearly the Lions put an emphasis on improving their running game in this draft. They took Duke offensive guard Laken Tomlinson in the first round, and now they have a new running back by taking Abdullah in the second round. Running back became a position of need with the Lions releasing Reggie Bush earlier in the offseason, and I would imagine Abdullah will fill the Bush role in Detroit's offense.
At Nebraska, Abdullah put up some monster numbers. He had 4,588 yards rushing (at 5.6 yards per carry) and 39 rushing touchdowns over four years. Also, he caught 73 passes for 690 yards and seven touchdowns during his career, and he also served as Nebraska's kick and punt returner at times in college.
One really concerning thing about Abdullah is that he put the ball on the ground a lot. Over four years, he had a whopping 23 total fumbles, 16 of which resulted in turnovers. After dealing with some fumble issues with Bush, ball security will be an area where Abdullah has to improve in order to stay on the field.
In any case, the Lions have now addressed their need at running back. In the third round, there's a very good chance they will flip over to the other side of the ball and go with either a defensive tackle or a cornerback.
What are your thoughts on this pick?