How Kerryon Johnson could transform Detroit Lions' backfield

For all of the great runs he had, and in leading Auburn to last year's SEC championship game there were many, the one image that Auburn running backs coach Tim Horton will never forget about Kerryon Johnson — the picture that tells more about the player the Detroit Lions traded up to get in last week's NFL draft than anything — came after the team's Sugar Bowl loss to Oklahoma last January.

Johnson was a sophomore at the time, a backup to Kamryn Pettway who was patiently waiting his turn to lead Auburn's offense, and yet he took the loss as personal as anyone.

After the game, a 35-19 Oklahoma win in which Johnson's biggest contribution was a jump-pass touchdown as time expired, Johnson sat in front of his locker mourning the result.

"I’ll always have that image of Kerryon Johnson, he’s sitting at his locker and he’s wiping tears away," Horton said. "And it just, hey, it really meant something to him to get beat. It really hurt him to get beat.

"And no disrespect to our other teammates, we didn’t have a whole lot of guys in there that were shedding a tear in there about losing a football game. And you may have done that back when you were 7, but you don’t see a lot of 18-, 19-year-olds doing that. And he was one of our main players, but he wasn’t the star player and it wasn't his senior year or something like that. But he’s just so competitive and wants to win so bad that that’s an image I’ll always carry with K.J."

Johnson used the fuel from that defeat to turn in one of the finer seasons in college football last year.

He led the SEC in rushing at 115.9 yards per game, he was named conference Offensive Player of the Year, and when last week's draft rolled around the Lions targeted him early in the second round to improve their NFL-worst rushing game.

Lions general manager Bob Quinn touted Johnson's patience and versatility after the draft, and Horton, whose NFL proteges include Darren McFadden, Felix Jones and Tre Mason, said Friday there are other traits that make Johnson one of the best running backs he's ever coached.

"They each have their own style and hey, this one might be a little better in the open field and this one might be a little better between the tackles and this one’s a better pass protector and this is a better pass receiver," Horton said. "But when you look at the complete game, I can’t sit here and say, 'Hey, this one’s better than K.J.' He’s as good as I’ve ever had the chance to coach, particularly when you encompass the player and for sure when you encompass the whole person and player."

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Johnson logged an SEC-high 285 carries last season and scored 18 rushing touchdowns, but Horton said those numbers don't begin to paint the full picture of all Johnson can do.

Though Johnson never had more than 24 catches in a season at Auburn, Horton said he has "A ball skills" and is a good enough pass catcher that "he could actually probably have played an inside slot receiver for us just because he’s got such good adjustability to bad throws."

As a blocker, Johnson is more willing than most backs coming out of college to throw his body in front of a blitzing linebacker. He has long arms that help him in pass protection and the football intelligence to pick up NFL schemes.

"All you got to do is look at last year’s Iron Bowl," Horton said. "Alabama, once we got ahead of them, they really started bringing the heat with different players, whether it was a safety, a linebacker, a corner, whoever it is, and he was A-plus. I bet there was eight or 10 times where he’s got to pick up a rusher or we’re in trouble, and Kerryon Johnson picks up the rusher."

Johnson was a dominant short-yardage back at Auburn — "It wasn’t we felt comfortable (giving him the ball in those situations), it was get the ball to K.J. cause he’s going to get us the first down," Horton said — and served as a kick returner early in his college career.

Quinn said the Lions will "probably use (Johnson) more to run outside" in the NFL, and Horton doesn't foresee that being an issue.

"You can throw bubbles to him and get the ball to him in space on the perimeter," Horton said. "We maybe didn’t do that a whole lot, but that’s something he could have done. So you’re getting someone, he’s proven — very, very proven from tackle to tackle — but I think on the perimeter I don’t know that we tapped that maybe as much as we could have. But I think he’s very, very capable of doing that in the NFL."

Johnson does have a length injury history, with multiple shoulder surgeries dating back to high school plus hamstring, ankle and rib injuries in college, but Horton pointed out that Johnson missed just one of 25 SEC games in his Auburn career.

That's no guarantee injuries won't be a problem in the NFL, or that Johnson can be the Lions' most consistent rushing threat since Barry Sanders.

But knowing Horton said he likes Johnson's chances.

"Whether it’s Darren McFadden or Felix Jones or Tre Mason or whoever, I mean, we’ve had some good ones go on and do well in the NFL and have nice careers," Horton said. "But I expect when we look back eight, 10 years from now, K.J.’ll be as good we’ve had."

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Download our Lions Xtra app for free on Apple and Android!