From time to time this offseason Tim Twentyman will answer 10 good questions from his Twitter account @ttwentyman in a feature we call "10 Questions with Twentyman."
20man: Good question. The Lions are obviously hoping both players have a huge impact, but the simple fact that Johnson is expected to be a featured part of a revamped run game means he's likely to get quite a bit more touches than Golladay. For that simple reason, I'll say Johnson.
GM Bob Quin was determined to fix Detroit's rushing attack this offseason, and drafting Johnson was part of the answer. I expect him to have a big impact on the offense as a rookie.
20man: That's yet to be determined, but if the open OTA and minicamp practices were any indication, it might be a big role. Tabor played opposite Darius Slay with the first-team defense for most of the open periods. He made some splash plays along the way.
The Lions have a deep and talented group at cornerback, which will make for terrific training camp competition, but given Tabor's draft status (second round last year), his high football IQ, and his length and instincts, I'd say he has a terrific chance to win the starting spot. If he doesn't, he could still play a role in sub packages.
20man: I expect him to be the No. 1 option in short-yardage and goal line situations, but he won't be limited to just that role. He's only a couple seasons removed from a 1,161-yard season with 18 touchdowns for the Patriots. New head coach Matt Patricia had an up-close view for all of it.
He probably won't get the 299 carries he had in that 2016 season because he'll split time with other running backs, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see him get 10-12 carries a game, at least early on.
20man: I wouldn't be surprised if the Lions and Tate work out an extension at some point, but if they don't, Riddick can certainly move into the slot and be effective, but he's not the same player as Tate.
Both players are lightning quick and find themselves among the NFL leaders in yards after the catch every year, but Tate is a much more explosive player than Riddick, in my opinion.
Tate has 10 career receptions of 50-plus yards. He's so good in the short, run-after-the-catch situations, that we sometimes forget he's been a good down field threat for this team as well. He has more speed to go along with his quickness than Riddick does.
Riddick has the ability to play the slot, but I'm guessing Detroit would miss Tate's consistent level of production and playmaking ability there.
20man: So far I've only seem him running without pads with little to no contact.
That being said, the one thing that's stood out to me is how patient of a runner he is, which I think is somewhat rare for a young back. He allows blocks to set up in front of him, and then when he sees it, he goes. He also gets into high gear fast. There were multiple times in the spring where I saw him literally put his hand on a blocker's back and run right off of him.
I'll wait to form any meaningful opinions until defenders are trying to get him onto the ground, but the patience is something that really stood out to me. I can't wait to see that style of runner in this offense when the pads come on.
20man: This is an interesting one.
Offense – Left tackle Taylor Decker: If this offense is able to run the ball more consistently, and it really takes off, Decker will play a big role in that, and could be rewarded for it.
Defense – Middle linebacker Jarrad Davis: This is a linebacker-friendly scheme in Detroit, and Davis could be in a position to make a lot of tackles and a lot of plays within it.
20man: I'd go beyond that and say coaches really look for reliability in the run game. A two-yard run on 2nd and 2 is a good run by coaching standards.
I'd agree that the team total is the more important number to look at. The average per run is even more of an important number. Teams usually like to see an average of 4.0 per attempt or better. A 4.0 average last year put teams in the Top 20 in rushing, which I'm guessing the Lions would be much happier with, based off their rushing totals the last few seasons.
It's been a long time since the Lions had a 100-yard rusher (2013), so it's a headline until they get one, but I agree with you that the team rushing total and the average per rush are the more important numbers to look at.
20man: Again, it's hard to come to any real conclusions about a young player when all I've seen so far is them running around in shorts. But I can say that Hand was part of a pretty steady rotation of players upfront, and I expect that to be the norm in this multiple-front scheme the Lions are expected to deploy.
Hand has familiarity playing in a gap-control scheme at Alabama, and offers Detroit some versatility because of his athleticism. The team lists him as a defensive lineman on the roster.
I believe he can be part of the rotation upfront early on, and if he is, I'd expect him to make plays. Be sure to ask me again about Hand in the middle of training camp, when I've seen him in live contact.
20man: Tight end Eric Ebron is no longer in Detroit, and that's opened up 86 targets that went his way last season to be distributed elsewhere. Willson, Michael Roberts and others will be competing in camp to get a portion of those targets.
Willson strikes me as a player very eager to prove his worth after playing behind Jimmy Graham in Seattle the last three years. He has a fresh start coming to Detroit to play for his favorite team growing up.
Willson started 10 games in 2014 in Seattle, and caught 22 passes on 40 targets for 362 yards and three touchdowns. Then Graham arrived, and he was the No. 2 guy. He didn't reach 20 catches in any of the last three seasons.
He has a big frame, he's athletic, and he looks like he can get down the field in the seam, at least he showed that ability in the spring.
I believe 11 personnel (one back, one tight end and three receivers) is Detroit's best offensive package. The tight end in that package is going to see a ton of single coverage with the ability to make plays.
I think it's a great season for Willson if he can double up those numbers from 2014 or come close to doubling them.
20man: A lot of factors will play into that, including injury, but I can tell you that the UDFA that most caught my eye in OTAs and minicamp was wide receiver Teo Redding. He has good length at 6-foot-1, and his 38.5-inch vertical was on full display a couple of times. He can really go up and get the football. If the Lions decide to keep five receivers on the initial 53-man roster, he could be in the mix.
