Detroit Lions Draft Countdown: Making the Case for Tevin Coleman

Tevin Coleman is a first-round running back with a second-round "grade." The nitpicking and hole-poking pundits are wary to elevate him too high, but the Detroit Lions can't hesitate if Coleman is there in the second round.

As a matter of course, few running backs—if any—warrant a first-day selection because of the devaluation of the position, and you won't find that argument here. You will, however, find a three-legged case that neither waffles nor wobbles in the slightest.

Running Back Is a Bigger Need than Advertised

Granted, general manager Martin Mayhew is a disciple of the "best player available" gospel, but this article isn't aimed at him. You are the judge, jury and general manager here, and you care about what this team needs.

And the Lions absolutely need a running back.

Year	Attempts	Yards	Average	Touchdowns
2011	356	1,523	4.3	9
2012	391	1,613	4.1	17
2013	445	1,792	4.0	15
2014	396	1,422	3.6	11

Coincidentally, the two years the franchise made the playoffs doubled as the two worst rushing years included, but none of those seasons yielded a playoff win. This team needs to regain its ability to attack by air and land to help a defense that may need to find its feet in the early going.

The current running backs on the roster are not be capable of that. Theo Riddick has proven himself to be an excellent receiver out of the backfield, but his ground game was weak (2.6 career yards per carry), both figuratively and literally. He doesn't have the pop needed to be a key cog in a rushing committee.

Joique Bell is a junkyard dog that can help move the chains. However, he doesn't have the burst to threaten defenses with long runs. Even his 57-yarder last season was more of a meandering float down a lazy river rather than an explosion upfield. Plus, Detroit had its lowest rushing total of the last four years with Bell featured as the lead back:

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Joique Bell had over 56% of the team's total carries. 64% of their RB carries. Good for 7th highest in the NFL. #LionsRBBC

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 29, 2015"

So it's clear that Detroit is still in need of someone who can stress a defense and lead a rushing attack. 

Coleman Is Capable of Causing Problems

In a draft that will be remembered for its running backs as much as any other position, Coleman has a legitimate shot of the largest legacy. He's exactly the type of player who will cause defensive coordinators to consider loading up the box despite Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate on the outside.

And it's because the former Hoosier is a threat to break a big play on every down.

In 2014 alone, he had eight runs that went for 60 or more yards, per Bob Sturm of The Dallas Morning News, on his way to 2,036 rushing yards. And NFL.com's Gil Brandt reports that he ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at his pro day, meaning that foot (discussed below) seems to be doing just fine, and nobody will be tracking him down once he hits the open field.

Coleman is also a devastatingly quick back who can make a cut and burst into the second level. Once there, he already knows where to go because his vision allows him to see the field for what it will be instead of focusing on what's in front of him.

He has been knocked for not being tough enough between the tackles. Some of that is probably due to the scheme, which featured a lot of the outside zone runs that Detroit offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi favors, but the notion seems far-fetched.

The Michigan tape (included here) shows a back willing to turn it upfield, put his head down and pick up the tough yards when the home run isn't there. He also consistently delivers the hit or falls forward. While the ball security in the early moments of the video are concerning, he only lost three fumbles in 270 carries last season. 

The Mental Meets the Physical

The Lions have taken their hits when challenged with questionable characters in the past. Nick Fairley had a lack of motivation, Aaron Berry had a lack of common sense, and Titus Young displayed deeper issues. None of those apply to Coleman.

After playing with a broken sesamoid bone in his foot for four weeks without doing anything about the injury, an aggravation occurred against Penn State forced him to get fitted with a walking boot. The foot aggravation happened during a losing streak that challenged the measure of Coleman's character. It was a test he passed with ease, per a great piece from Bleacher Report's Mike Tanier that can be read here:

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"Man, the mood was pretty terrible after we lost our quarterback," Coleman said. "Even for me, it was tough just playing so hard and not getting wins. I had to get myself in check, so I had to get my team back to working hard.

"I just picked them up, told them, 'We can still do this. We can still win games.'"

Coleman practiced what he preached as he practiced through the foot fracture.

"Tevin is more of a leader by actions," McCullough said. "Just by his personality, he's not a vocal guy. But he became a little bit more vocal. He just went out and practiced hard, played hard. He showed guys that if you go out, take coaching and apply coaching, great things can happen."

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That's the mark of a leader whose toughness is beyond question. Coleman will be a natural fit in head coach Jim Caldwell's locker room.

And the kid's drive to be the best will have a Pavlovian effect on front offices and coaching staffs alike. In the same Tanier piece, his college position coach tells the story of him taking extra reps after practice "to learn how to catch kickoffs with his hand in a cast" despite being buried on the backfield depth chart as a freshman.

The Lions—like all teams—have made a lot mistakes in prior drafts. The first round might be too long of a stretch for Coleman, but if Detroit gets the chance with the 54th overall pick, there can be no debate. Coleman is the right fit, the best player available and the best selection this team could make.

All combine statistics are courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced stats, grades and rankings are sourced from Pro Football Focus and require a subscription.

Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.