Kevin Smith

Smith didn’t see a single touch from Week 10 in 2010 to Week 10 in 2011, but he impressed in his return. After getting his feet wet in his debut, Smith broke out in Week 11, totaling 201 yards with three touchdowns on just 20 touches in one of the best performances in the NFL all season. He followed that up by totaling 57 yards in one quarter of action on Thanksgiving against the Packers until an ankle injury ended his day. Of course, injuries have been the biggest plague on Smith throughout his career. Ultimately, he finished with a 4.9 YPC mark and seven touchdowns over seven games, proving to be plenty dangerous as a receiver as well. He’s highly effective when on the field, but staying there is the real issue. Smith re-signed with Detroit during the offseason, and while he’ll have to contend with Jahvid Best and Mikel Leshoure for touches, it’s not as if they’re paragons of durability, either. Expect a rotation in Detroit’s backfield throughout 2012.

Thanks to his contribution as a receiver, Smith totaled 1,162 yards over 13 games last season, though that was accompanied by only five touchdowns and a paltry 3.4 YPC mark. He suffered a separated left shoulder in Week 3 (after gaining 119 yards in just over one half). It was impressive that he played through an injury that has placed others on IR, but Smith never gained more than 75 yards rushing over the rest of the year and eventually suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Week 15. The lateseason injury was considered quite serious with possible nerve damage that may affect the rest of his career, so his status for 2010 is in question. Even if he beats the odds and makes a full recovery, he’ll be backing up rookie Jahvid Best this season.

While 4.1 YPC doesn’t impress at first glance, it’s probably equivalent to 5.0 when you consider it came behind a porous line on the first team in NFL history to finish 0-16. Smith perplexingly started the year as a backup to Rudi Johnson, but ultimately, that should be considered a plus, as he was coming off a 450-carry season in college, and he should enter 2009 fresh as a result. During Smith’s 12 starts, he totaled 1,006 yards and six scores. Smith isn’t an exceptional back and won’t break many long runs, but he has few weaknesses. He’s a patient runner who fits in well with Detroit’s zone-blocking scheme, which new offensive coordinator Scott Linehan will continue to implement, and he’s also a good receiver. Smith converted just four of his 15 goal-line carries, and while that’s not a great success rate, he should still get the bulk of the work from in close, especially since he converted a remarkable eight of 10 rushes for first downs on third and less-than-three. Smith also got stronger as the game progressed last season, averaging an NFC-best 5.2 YPC after surpassing 20 carries in a game. It remains to be seen how Matthew Stafford will fare as a rookie, but with him and/or a motivated Daunte Culpepper under center, it’s safe to assume Detroit’s quarterback play can only improve from last year. Calvin Johnson is already one of the NFL’s best wide receivers, so opposing defenses will need to focus their attention on him above all else. Maurice Morris was signed during the offseason, but he’ll act only as a backup. Smith is hardly in an ideal situation, but he should dominate the Lions’ carries both in between the 20s and at the goal line while also contributing in the passing game.

The Lions traded up to select Smith with the 64th pick of the draft, and the 2,809 total yards and 30 touchdowns he racked up in 2007 make it easy to see why. But that production came on a staggering 450 carries, which broke the singleseason record by nearly 50. That heavy workload is a red flag for 2008, but there's no denying the production. Originally projected as a safety, Smith has quick feet with good speed and major big-play potential. He's 6-1, 211 and ran his 40 in the 4.4s at the combine. Best of all is the lack of quality competition for touches in Detroit, where Smith has to outperform only the uninspiring Tatum Bell and the undersized Brian Calhoun. With offensive coordinator Mike Martz out and Jim Colletto in, the Lions should have a more balanced attack offensively. Moreover, Colletto's one-cut zone scheme is the same system Smith thrived in at UCF, so the learning curve shouldn't be steep.