ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- After focusing on rebuilding their interior offensive line during the first day of the NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions tried to bolster another aspect of their dismal running game.
The Lions selected Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah Friday night in the second round with the 54th pick overall.
In the third round, the Lions then addressed their secondary needs by taking Stanford cornerback Alex Carter.
To get Carter, Detroit made a trade with divisional rival Minnesota to move up eight spots, swapping the 88th pick overall for the 80th. The Lions tossed in a fifth-round pick (No. 143), which had been acquired in another trade the previous night.
Abdullah, who has breakaway speed, rushed for more than 1,600 yards in both of the last two years, but there's one major flaw: He has been extremely fumble-prone.
He coughed it up 24 times during his four-year college career, partly because he has such small hands.
In a league where turnover margin is so crucial, that's a dangerous negative to add to an offense.
The Lions, however, were encouraged that only four of those fumbles came as a senior, two of which resulted in turnovers.
"The thing about the fumbles is he really has improved in that area," general manager Martin Mayhew said. "I think he had nine his first couple years on special teams. He only had (four) fumbles last year. You might want to check some of the other backs, how many fumbles they had last year.
"He's worked really hard on that apparently because he's improved in that area every single year. That's something that we think he'll continue to work on and he'll just keep getting better at it."
Abdullah, who has an aunt who lives near Ford Field in Detroit, said that his ball-security is all about "being conscientious with the ball."
"It all starts with great focus," he said. "A lot of times you're trying to do too much."
The Lions were in search of someone to help replace Reggie Bush, who was released after an injury-plagued 2014 season. The team's other top two running backs are Joique Bell and Theo Riddick.
"He's definitely an exciting guy in space," Mayhew said of Abdullah. "He can take it the distance."
During their 11-win, playoff season, the Lions ranked 28th in rushing with an average of 88.9 yards per game and 3.6 per carry.
On Thursday, Detroit added two interior linemen in first-round pick Laken Tomlinson, a guard, and veteran Manny Ramirez, a center/guard who was acquired in a trade from Denver.
As for whether they've improved the run game with these moves the last two days, coach Jim Caldwell said, "We'll see. You can talk about it all you want. The proof is in the pudding."
Caldwell indicated that Abdullah, who is 5-foot-9, 200 pounds, also could be used on kick and punt returns. He will compete with Jeremy Ross, the Lions' top return specialist the last two seasons, for that role.
"He's a real determined individual," Caldwell said of Abdullah. "It doesn't take you very long to get a sense of what this game means to him. He's really committed to what he does in every single phase."
Carter, meanwhile, is the son of a former first-round draft pick, Tom Carter, whom Mayhew has known for about two decades.
Alex Carter left school after three seasons and is only 20 years old.
"He's got a lot of development that he can still do," Mayhew said. "We like him as a player. We like what's there as far as the raw material to improve."
At 6-foot, 202 pounds, Carter has enough size that some have speculated he could move to safety in the NFL, but the Lions plan to use him at corner, at least for now.
One of Detroit's starting cornerbacks, Rashean Mathis, is entering his 13th season in the league
"He's a physical player," Caldwell said of Carter. "He's certainly got the size to match up with some of the big receivers you'll see in our division. He's smart. He's a student of the game. He's got all the makings to be a true pro."
In 40 games at Stanford, Carter made only two interceptions.
"But he's around the ball," Caldwell said.
The coach then added with a grin, "All we have to do is teach him how to catch it."
