Kerryon Johnson is headed to the Motor City.

The former Auburn running back was selected by the Detroit Lions, who traded up with the New England Patriots to take Johnson with the No. 43 overall pick in the second round of the NFL Draft.

Johnson took the call surrounded by family, friends and several Auburn teammates in downtown Auburn Friday night.

"You get the phone call, you're still trying to process what's really going on," Johnson said. "This is what you worked for for 20 years: Getting that one moment, somebody taking that one chance on you. I thank them for doing that and now it's my turn to hold up my end. Got to get up there and go to work."

Kerryon Johnson is headed to the Motor City pic.twitter.com/WM6yT8B0Fp — James Crepea (@JamesCrepea) April 27, 2018

Johnson, who had 1,391 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns, 24 receptions for 194 yards and two scores and a passing touchdown last season, was the second Auburn player chosen in this year's draft, joining Braden Smith, and they were later joined by Carlton Davis.

He was the sixth running back drafted this year, the third Auburn running back drafted during Gus Malzahn's tenure as head coach and the highest a former Tigers back was selected since Ronnie Brown and Carnell Williams went second and fifth overall in 2005.

"I'm very thankful for the spot that I went in," Johnson said. "It could be way later, it could be way earlier, who cares. I went in this spot and that's where I was meant to go and that's where I went. Props to those guys that got drafted just like I did. We're all equally happy, I promise you that."

Detroit was among the teams Johnson visited during the pre-draft process and he left feeling great about his time meeting with new coach Matt Patricia and offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter.

"It was an awesome visit," Johnson said. "I feel like they want to put an emphasis on the run game, drafting an O-lineman (former Arkansas center Frank Ragnow) and a running back in the same draft and coach Patricia coming in and changing that kind of mold and mindset of the team, I think it favors my position and the O-line position."

Johnson's four-year contract is projected to be worth $6.52 million with a more than $2.8 million signing bonus, according to OverTheCap.com.

Most analysts projected Johnson, who dealt with multiple shoulder surgeries, hand surgery, ankle and hamstring injuries during the course of his career, to come off the board in the second or third round.

Lions general manager Bob Quinn said there were "no issues" with Johnson's durability and his patient running style, acceleration, speed and ability to get yards after contact were what set him apart.

"Our physical came back good on Kerryon," Quinn said. "We saw him at the Combine, our doctors looked at him, like they did at every player at the Combine. He was a player that we visited here at three weeks ago, put him through another physical. You draft players out of the SEC, they're going to be a little bit banged up but he's good to go. ... He'll hold up. He's a guy that they run inside the tackles primarily in that offense. If you know Gus Malzahn's offense, they basically tun between the guards. I think this guy is very versatile that he can run inside, but I think we'll probably use him more to run outside as well."

According to Pro Football Focus, Johnson had 826 yards after contact, which was fifth among running backs in this year's draft.

Johnson joins a Lions team that finished last in the league in rushing (76.3 yards per game) last season and a running back room that includes Ameer Abdullah and LaGarrette Blount.

"Being in the same room with those guys, we're in the same boat now - it sounds crazy to say," Johnson said. "I was just watching (Blount) with the Eagles last year in the Super Bowl, now I'm going to be sharing a room with him. But that gives you guys to learn from, it gives you guys to get tips from and learn how to do this thing and gives you guys to look up to."

The SEC Offensive Player of the Year performed well in some of the physical tests at the Combine. Johnson's 40-inch vertical tied for second among running backs at the Combine this year and tied for 15th among all running backs to attend the Combine since 2006. His 10-foot-6-inch broad jump was third among running backs. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.54 seconds at Auburn's pro day.

He now joins an organization where Barry Sanders used to line up in the backfield.

"When you watch Barry Sanders, what's not to like? I mean, he's a fantastic running back, a fantastic guy," Johnson said. "He's extremely exciting to watch, extremely hard to tackle. I mean, it was a pleasure. I wish I was alive during that time to really get to watch him in person. He's a fantastic, fantastic running back. And just going to the same organization as him is awesome, it's like a dream come true. So, I'm just looking forward to doing the best I can do and giving it my all and seeing where I end up."

James Crepea is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @JamesCrepea.