D’Andre Swift - Pro Football Rumors

Lions Select D’Andre Swift At No. 35

April 24th, 2020 at 6:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

With Kerryon Johnson suffering injuries in his first two seasons, the Lions are adding a high-end reinforcement. They took D’Andre Swift with their second-round pick — No. 35 overall.

Mocked by many as a first-round pick and viewed as one of the top skill-position prospects in this draft, Swift will be a prime candidate to contribute immediately.

Nearly as important as Swift’s college resume — two 1,000-yard rushing seasons, each featuring more than six yards per carry — is the Georgia product’s 513 career touches. That is a rather light load for a running back and could well allow Swift to enjoy a longer NFL career. He will follow the likes of Todd Gurley, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel into the league and follows Chubb as an early-second-round pick.

The Lions have struggled on the ground for most of this century, continually deploying sub-average rushing attacks. Detroit has not ranked in the top half of the league in rushing since Barry Sanders‘ 1999 retirement. Johnson, the No. 43 overall pick in 2018, saw his yards-per-carry average plummet from 5.4 as a rookie to 3.6 last season. Johnson has missed 14 games in his first two seasons.

This marks the fourth time since 2011 the Lions have used a second-round pick on a running back. Before Johnson, they drafted Mikel Leshoure in 2011 and Ameer Abdullah in 2015.

NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Georgia RB D’Andre Swift

April 18th, 2020 at 7:14pm CST by Zachary Links

You’ve heard the draft gurus gush over this year’s lethal class of wide receivers. You’ve also heard the usual refrain about the top quarterbacks, even though some appear to be greener than the grass they play on. Meanwhile, there’s a lot less chatter about running backs in the early going.

[NFL Draft Profile: Oregon QB Justin Herbert]

Most mock drafts don’t have a running back going in the first round, but Vegas oddsmakers seem to disagree. And, with a surname to fit his skillset, Georgia’s D’Andre Swift could be the running back to break through.

Swift’s agility was on full display last year as he dodged and juked defenders with ease. He finished out 2019 with more than 1,200 yards on the ground and seven rushing touchdowns. Long before the season wrapped, everyone sensed that Swift was ready to move on to the pros.

“Give [Georgia] credit— D’Andre Swift is an impressive player. I just gave him a ‘congratulations’ after the game and wished him ‘goodbye,’ because he needs to go to the NFL,” said Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops in October, after Swift torched the Wildcats for 179 yards. “He’s an elite player.”

As a freshman at UGA, Swift shared the load with Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, who both opted to play out their senior seasons. Swift didn’t see much reason to wait – he’s averaged 6.6 yards per carry over the last two years, showing that he’s ready for an even bigger challenge.

Swift’s pass-catching totals weren’t as gaudy, but the highlight reel shows that he’s an extremely capable pass-catcher. And, even though his 72-inch wingspan ranked near the bottom of the RB group at the combine, he’s got a surprisingly strong catch radius. Even when the ball doesn’t hit him in the chest, and even when he has a defender bearing down on him, Swift can still find a way to come away with the rock.

He’ll have to hold the ball tighter and run with more authority at the next level, but the general consensus is that Swift is the most NFL-ready of this year’s top RBs. There’s also a belief that his blocking ability will allow him to thrive as an every-down back.

The No. 14 pick might be too early for the Buccaneers to take Swift – especially since they need to beef up the line in front of Tom Brady – but their chances of Swift falling all the way to their next pick at No. 45 aren’t great either. The Dolphins, with RB somewhere on their to-do list and three first-round picks, could also have Swift on their radar. If Miami can come out of Day 1 with their QB of the future, a strong left tackle to protect said QB, and Swift, the future will look a whole lot brighter in South Beach.

Dolphins Eyeing RBs In NFL Draft

April 12th, 2020 at 4:40pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins’ recent track record on early-round running backs leaves much to be desired. Since 2000, the Dolphins have selected just two running backs in the first two rounds. Neither one panned out – they picked Ronnie Brown in 2005 when Aaron Rodgers was still available and went with Daniel Thomas over DeMarco Murray in 2011. This year, the Dolphins may look to buck the trend.

The Dolphins are likely to select a running back in the first two days of the draft, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. That may include their No. 26 pick towards the back of the first round or the No. 56 pick in the second.

One team official has been telling people that Georgia’s D’Andre Swift is high on their list. And, per a source who spoke with Jackson, he was set to visit in Miami before the league put the kibosh on travel. Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins left his visit (pre-kibosh) feeling like the Dolphins were infatuated with him. There’s also Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor, who went to dinner with RB coach Eric Studesville. Plus, they’ve been in contact with FSU’s Cam Akers. Dobbins and Swift could be in the mix at No. 26, Jackson hears, while Taylor, Akers, and LSU’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire seem to be candidates at No. 56.

If the Dolphins want Swift or Dobbins, they’ll probably have to pounce on them in the first round. Swift has been on the NFL radar since his freshman season, when he averaged 7.6 yards per carry. The noise around him is still substantial after he ran for 1,218 yards and seven touchdowns. Dobbins, meanwhile, is coming off of a 2,000-yard campaign, his third straight season past the century mark.

D’Andre Swift Declares For Draft

January 3rd, 2020 at 4:52pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

One of the top skill position players in college football is foregoing his final year of college eligibility and entering the draft. Georgia running back D’Andre Swift is leaving school early, he announced on Twitter.

Judging from recent mock drafts and projections, Swift has a good chance to hear his name called in the first round, and he is also viewed by many analysts as the top running back prospect in the 2020 draft. He might be competing with fellow recent early entrant J.K. Dobbins to be the first runner off the board. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report tweeted soon after the news broke that he has Swift as a first-rounder on his board.

Swift averaged a ridiculous 7.6 yards per carry as a freshman in 2017, and has dominated in each of his three collegiate seasons. This past year he rushed for 1,218 yards and seven touchdowns while adding 24 catches for an additional 216 yards through the air. He earned all sorts of accolades during his college career, and was recently named a first-team All-SEC selection.

NFL Draft Notes: Swift, Jeudy, Diggs, OL

December 17th, 2019 at 6:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

D’Andre Swift would be in the running to be the first running back taken in the 2020 draft, and a report surfaced Tuesday indicating the junior Georgia back will leave school early. But Swift, taking to Twitter, denied that report and indicated he has yet to make a decision. Swift said he will not decide his draft status until after the Bulldogs’ Sugar Bowl game. The modern norm has been for running backs to declare early to conserve mileage for the NFL, so it remains a good bet Swift will try to become a first-round pick rather than return to Athens next season. Swift has rushed for a career-high 1,216 yards this season and has averaged north of six yards per carry in each of his three years. Recent Georgia ball-carriers Todd Gurley and Sony Michel were first-round picks; Todd McShay’s initial 2020 mock draft has Swift going 21st overall.

Here is the latest from the draft world:

Despite neither being seniors, Georgia is in line to lose both of its starting tackles. Shortly after left tackle Andrew Thomas declared for the draft, Bulldogs right tackle Isaiah Wilson revealed (via Twitter) he will leave school early as well. Wilson is just a sophomore but was Georgia’s starting right tackle for two seasons. Both Bulldogs will skip the Sugar Bowl. A five-star recruit in 2017, the 6-foot-7 Wilson stands to be an early- to mid-round draft pick.
Long projected to be a top-10 pick, Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy may be seeing his stock dip a bit. Due to his size (listed by Alabama as 6-1 and 192 pounds) and the depth of the receiver pool four months ahead of the draft, Albert Breer of SI.com notes Jeudy may no longer be a top-10 lock. Both Clemson’s Tee Higgins and Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb are now threats to become the first receiver taken, per Breer. For what it’s worth, McShay mocks Jeudy at No. 3 overall. The junior Crimson Tide playmaker’s yards-per-catch figure dropped by five-plus yards this season, to 13.5.
Alabama defensive back Trevon Diggs is not participating in pre-Citrus Bowl practices and looks set to head to the NFL. The younger brother of Stefon Diggs slots as Scouts Inc.’s No. 39 overall prospect. He intercepted three passes, taking one back for a touchdown, as a junior this season.
Miami wide receiver Jeff Thomas will leave school early, the junior announced (via Instagram). The 5-10 wideout did not surpass 600 yards in any of his three Hurricanes seasons and is not rated as a top-150 prospect, per Scouts Inc.