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Looking for Sanders' successor
Posted: Thursday April 13, 2000 02:23 AM
NEW YORK (AP) -- Nearly a year after Barry Sanders shocked the football world by retiring, the Detroit Lions are still wondering what to do about it. Maybe they'll find the answer in the NFL draft this weekend. Running backs Greg Hill and Ron Rivers helped the Lions to an 8-8 finish and a wild-card playoff berth last season. But they were let go after the season and Jacksonville free agent James Stewart was signed for $25 million. Stewart is a decent runner. He rushed for 931 yards and 13 touchdowns on 249 carries for the Jaguars last season. But he doesn't have the big-play capability Sanders had -- nobody does -- and the Lions certainly don't want to place the load of a full season on Stewart's shoulders. So, they'll likely draft another running back if one is still available when the Lions get their first pick. Still, because Detroit has the 20th pick in the first round, the best prospects might already be gone. "This draft is not filled with dominating players," said Ron Hughes, the Lions' vice president of player personnel. "It's filled with a lot of good players." The top prospects at running back are Thomas Jones of Virginia, Shaun Alexander of Alabama, Ron Dayne of Wisconsin and Jamal Lewis of Tennessee. Baltimore is seeking a running back and chooses fifth. Arizona (seventh), Chicago (ninth) and the New York Giants (11th) all select before the Lions and are interested in the position. The Ravens pick again at No. 15. Kansas City, selecting one spot behind Detroit, is eager to get Dayne and might trade ahead of the Lions to do so. If Dayne were still on the board, the Lions might very well take him. Detroit coach Bobby Ross has always liked big players, one reason he took Wisconsin offensive tackle Aaron Gibson in last year's draft. The 6-foot-4, 380-pound Gibson -- who cleared the way for 259-pound Dayne in college -- missed the 1999 NFL season with a shoulder injury, but he is expected to be ready for 2000. If none of the top four running backs remain, the Lions might be interested in J.R. Redmond of Arizona State in a lower round. Detroit has the 19th pick in the second round, 19th in the third, but no pick in the fourth round. Jones figures to be the first runner to go. The top four choices seem certain, although the order is not. Cleveland has the top spot and has narrowed its focus on Penn State defenders Courtney Brown and LaVar Arrington. Washington will take whichever Nittany Lions player doesn't go to the Browns, plus, it appears, tackle Chris Samuels of Alabama with the Nos. 2 and 3 selections. Next up are the Bengals, and Peter Warrick should fall to them. Running back is considered one of the stronger positions in the draft, so the Lions won't have to search too hard in any round to find one. Other possibilities, although not in the opening round, would be Miami (Ohio) tailback Travis Prentice, Arizona's Trung Canidate, Oregon's Reuben Droughns and James Madison's Curtis Keaton.
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