Jahvid Best Rookie Football Card
The Lions may have the steal of the draft getting Best so late in the first round. When he ends up being the next Barry Sanders you’ll be glad you got bought a Javid Best Rookie Card. Since Barry Sanders left the Detroit Lions after the 1998 season the Lions have been in desperate need for a quality running back. They though they found the right man in Kevin Smith when they took him in the third round of the 2008 draft. However, while at times he looked good in his rookie season he did not impress anyone in 2009. Hence the Detroit Lions picking Jahvid Best with the 30th pick in the first round of the 2010 draft.
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Detroit wanted someone that could run hard and had a good track record of success and got just that in Best. While at Cal he set a number of school records including most rushing yards in a single game (311 against Washington on December 6, 2008), most all-purpose yards in a single season (2247 in 2008), and most touchdowns in a single game during the modern era (five).
He is not a particularly big back standing just 5’ 10” tall and weighing right around 200 pounds, but he makes up for it with blinding speed. He had the fastest 40-yard dash time at the NFL combine in Indianapolis and the third fastest overall (4.35 seconds).
Anyone will tell you that the 40-yard dash does not matter and you can’t take too much stock into yardage totals when trying to judge how well a back can do at the next level. However, there is one statistic that stands out for Jahvid Best that gives fans of the Lions reason for hope. Throughout his college career he maintained an average per carry of 7.3 yards. Holding that kind of number in a single game is impressive but not unheard. To do so for a season would be amazing, but to do so over two seasons (since he only had 29 carries his first year) is beyond belief.
A lot of parallels can be drawn between Best and the last great Detroit back, Barry Sanders. Both were small in stature with both about the same weight, but with Best two inches taller. When Sanders won the Heisman trophy in 1988 he averaged 7.6 yards a carry. If Best is able to transfer his skill set over to the NFL as well as Sanders did then the Lions might have greatness on their hands once again.
The good thing is they will not have to force him into service and play him before he may be ready with Kevin Smith still slated to be the starting running back in 2010. Detroit will undoubtedly work in both backs throughout the season, however it would not be surprising to see Best get more and more carries as the season goes on.