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Lions RB D'Andre Swift missing practice with injury

Tim Verghese (1)by:Tim Verghese08/10/21

TimVerghese

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Nic Antaya / Getty Images

Former Georgia running back D’Andre Swift has been very limited in his second training camp in Detroit.

Swift has missed extensive practice time while nursing a groin injury according to Kyle Meinke of Mlive.com and Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.

As a rookie, D’Andre Swift appeared in 13 games and started four. He rushed for 521 yards and eight touchdowns. Swift contributed in the passing game with 357 receiving yards and two touchdowns. All in all, he averaged 5.5 yards per touch.

Heading into his sophomore campaign, Swift and former Packers running back Jamaal Williams are expected to make up a formidable 1-2 punch for the Lions. If Swift’s injury lingers, Williams will be expected to take up a bigger role while former Oregon State running back Jermar Jefferson and former Nebraska running back Dedrick Mills could also see a bigger role in the rotation.

Under new head coach Dan Campbell, the Lions offense will look to win by creating mismatches, essentially putting “our best on your worst”, as Campbell worded it in his introductory press conference, as previously covered in this piece by Sports Illustrated’s John Maakaron. A versatile player like Swift could be an asset in creating mismatches through the air and on the ground.

Swift tale of the tape

As a recruit, D’Andre Swift was a five-star coming out of St. Joseph’s (PA.). In his high school career he had 4273 rushing yards, 1645 receiving yards and a total of 70 touchdowns. Swift committed to Georgia in the fall of 2016.

Swift cracked the running back rotation as a freshman behind Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. Even behind two 1000-yard rushers, Swift managed to rush for 618 rushing yards and 153 receiving yards.

Over his sophomore and junior years, Swift stepped into a bigger role. He combined for 2,267 rushing yards, 513 receiving yards and 21 total touchdowns. As a junior, he received First Team All-SEC honors.

Swift was drafted with the third pick of the second round in the 2020 NFL Draft.