Kerryon Johnson drafted as Detroit Lions running back

Auburn running back Kerryon Johnson was drafted by the Detroit Lions with the 43rd overall pick in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft Friday. Johnson’s becomes the second Auburn player taken in the second round after the Indianapolis Colts’ took offensive guard Braden Smith.

Johnson was the sixth running back taken in this year’s draft.

Johnson enters the NFL after a three-year stint at Auburn during which he rushed for 2,494 yards and posted 3,625 all-purpose yards. He rushed for a career-high 1,391 yards and 18 touchdowns as a junior, ultimately leading the SEC in rushing yards per game, scoring and all-purpose yards.

Johnson’s efforts earned him SEC Offensive Player of the Year as well as first team All-SEC and second team All-America honors from a number of outlets. He was also a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award and finished ninth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Johnson becomes the first Auburn running back selected since Cameron Artis-Payne was taken by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2015 draft.

This story was originally published April 27, 2018 at 8:09 PM with the headline "Kerryon Johnson drafted as Detroit Lions running back."