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In this series I’ll be going over who I think will be the top 20 impact players for the Lions in 2018, next up is LeGarrette Blount.

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There were a few things I hated last season when it came to the Lions. The thing I hated the most was when it was 3rd and short and I saw the ball being handed off to Ameer Abdullah, I just knew that the play was going to fail. Those worries should go away with LeGarrette Blount now on the roster. I was really hoping we’d pick him up last season as a much needed power back option but better late than never as they say!

This will be the first time the Lions have had a back who thrives on short yardage situations for a long time. They can rely on LeGarrette Blount to keep the chains moving rather than having to design a bubble screen for short yardage situations or risking handing off to a back that won’t run between the tackles to get the tough yards. He’s done this for his whole career and winning three superbowls out of the last four proves his worth on teams. Bringing that winning mentality with him will also be a huge boost to the locker room. It will help rookies a huge amount to have a veteran on the roster who knows how to win.

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Keeping drives going has been a huge obstacle for the Lions in previous years but having a reliable 3rd & one or 3rd & two back will keep drives going for longer. This could lead to more comfortable victories or giving the defense more time to rest. Rather than slinging the rock downfield to score a more methodical approach can be taken simply due to the addition of LeGarrette Blount to the roster

List so far:

Rick Wagner – #20

Jamal Agnew – #19

Kerry Hyder – #18

Da’Shawn Hand – #17

Taylor Decker – #16

Frank Ragnow – #15

Matt Prater – #14

Thanks for checking out the article everyone. Go Lions! Let me know what you think on Twitter @Alex_Watt_Lions and be sure to join the community on the Detroit Lions subreddit.