Ameer Abdullah was drafted in the second round of the draft. Many pundits said that there were better running backs available. After all, highly touted running backs Duke Johnson of Miami and Tevin Coleman of Indiana were still available. Unlike previous drafts, Lions GM Martin Mayhew addressed needs rather than his previous BPA (best player available) draft priority. On the first day of rookie mini camp, Abdullah has already demonstrated his value by returning kicks in drills.
"Pretty good day,” Abdullah said. “Didn't have much live reps. I’m looking forward to getting more acclimated back there again. It’s different rules in the NFL and better punters. So I’m just looking forward to continue to do it.”
Abdullah had 31 punt returns for 316 yards and a touchdown during his first two years at Nebraska, averaging 10.2 yards per return. He also returned at least four kicks in every season with Nebraska, making 61 returns for 1,592 yards and one touchdown.
The Lions need all of the help that they can get in the return game. In 2014, Jeremy Ross had an incredibly modest year. Ross returned 32 punts for 284 yards, giving him an average of 8.9 yards. He also returned 23 kicks for 584 yards, averaging 25.4 yards per return. Jeremy Ross led the league in punt fair catches with 37. Part of that is due to poor coverage by special teams, but the majority falls on the shoulders of Ross
Lions coach Jim Caldwell, never a coach offering instant praise, likes what Abdullah has to offer. "I'm not going to give you an evaluation of seeing somebody one day, a few hours," Caldwell said. "But he's an athlete and he works hard, so if a guy works hard I think he's got a chance to continue to improve."
The return job seems to be up for grabs after Ross had a lackluster 2014 campaign in which he made a couple of late season mistakes.