Lions RB Ameer Abdullah has gotten plenty of reps with Joique Bell being out and he's looked good in the open OTA practices.
Lombardi is already impressed with how polished of a receiver Abdullah is turning out to be, and his quickness and elusiveness as a runner has shown in practice.
He’s a balanced runner -- low to the ground and he can stop and change directions on a dime. It never seems like defenders are able to square him up.
We’ll see what he looks like as a returner in training camp, but so far, it’s safe to say the Lions are impressed with their rookie running back.
Most scouts seem to agree that Abdullah doesn’t project to be an every-down back, so Joique Bell’s between-the-tackles role should be safe, at least for this season. On the other hand, Theo Riddick’s role as the Lions’ third-down back is in serious jeopardy. If things break his way and he sees significant time on passing downs, Abdullah could ultimately post top 25 numbers in PPR formats.