What You Need to Know:

• Swift was the 35th overall pick of this spring’s draft after averaging 6.6 yards per carry and 9.1 yards per catch over 3 seasons at Georgia.
• He joins a backfield alongside Kerryon Johnson and a few others under a HC who’s talked openly about preferring a committee.
• There are some questions on Detroit's offensive line after offseason departures of G Graham Glasgow and OT Rick Wagner.

The situation

The good news: He got strong draft capital. Swift was the 35th overall pick and the 2nd RB off the board in this year’s draft.

The bad news: He landed with the Lions.

There are a few problems with the spot. At the highest level, it’s been a subpar offense in 2 seasons since HC Matt Patricia arrived. The 2018 Lions ranked 24th in total yards, 25th in points and 23rd in rushing yards. Last year, OC Darrell Bevell’s 1st with the team, they finished 17th in yards, 18th in points and 21st in rushing yards. Detroit was better in QB Matt Stafford’s 8 games, averaging 391 total yards and 25.5 points vs. 302 yards and 17.1 points in 8 games without him. The rushing yards per game actually climbed without Stafford, though, from 96 to 110 per game.

Then there’s Patricia’s proclivity for deploying a committee backfield. He hails from New England, where the Patriots have almost always used multiple backs.

“It's a position-specific thing where those guys take a lot of hits,” Patricia said in April 2019. “They're in those situations a lot where their bodies are taking a pounding. You want to be conscious of how many plays they're getting.”

Detroit certainly has the personnel to go with a committee backfield this season. Beyond Swift, they also spent a 5th-round pick this spring on scatback Jason Huntley. Kerryon Johnson, who the Lions spent a 2nd-round pick on just 2 years ago, is still in the mix. And Bo Scarbrough and Ty Johnson are also hanging around.

Then there’s the offen…