It hasn’t taken former Auburn RB Kerryon Johnson long to turn heads in Detroit’s training camp.

The Lions are looking for their next great running back, and Johnson has shown some flash already that gives them hope he’s that guy.

Reggie Bush was the last Lions back to rush for 1,000 yards in a season (2013), and running the football with Matt Stafford at QB hasn’t been that big of a priority. But Johnson could help change that and give the team balance on offense.

According to DetroitLions.com’s Tim Twentyman and Mike OHara, Johnson is earning some strong reviews already from two-time Pro Bowler TJ Lang.

Play of the day: Belongs to rookie running back Kerryon Johnson, who during a goal line team period, saw that a play designed to run left was bottled up by the defense, so he stopped on a dime and reversed direction all the way across the field to the right for a touchdown. Even veteran guard T.J. Lang was impressed by the play after practice.

“He saw it quick, put two feet in the ground and was headed back the other direction in a hurry and he’s made a lot of really nice plays so far this camp,” Lang said. “You can see the patience he has and the vision he runs with and today was a pretty good example of that.” – Tim Twentyman

Johnson likely won’t start as the feature back, though. The team signed veteran LeGarrette Blount this off-season, and he’s just two seasons removed from rushing for over 1,100 yards and 18 TDs.

The former Auburn Tigers’ back had a big year in 2017, rushing for 1,391 yards and 18 TDs. Detroit drafted Johnson in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.