Rookie RB Vaki comfortable in space, focused on being better with 'dirty runs'

Detroit Lions running back Sione Vaki leaps over a pad tossed in his path during at drill at the the team’s practice facility in Allen Park. (Justin Rogers | Detroit Football Network)

Allen Park — Sione Vaki was on the field more than 1,300 plays during his two seasons at the University of Utah, but fewer than 6% of them came on offense.

Regardless, those limited snaps revealed enough playmaking potential that the Detroit Lions drafted the safety to play running back. And the glimpses of potential from last week’s preseason opener against the New York Giants suggest it was the right decision.

Vaki lined up in the backfield for the first time late in the opening half, running into a gap-plugging linebacker his first carry, resulting in a modest 1-yard gain on the 2nd-and-4 play. After a Giants penalty gave the Lions a fresh set of downs, they went back to the rookie, tossing him the ball heading left, allowing him to showcase his impressive feel for navigating through traffic for a 9-yard pickup.

But it was his next run that left more than a few mouths agape.

Taking a shotgun handoff, Vaki was blessed with a massive lane, sealed open by center Kingsley Eguakun and guard Ike Boettger. Shooting into the second level, Vaki angled left around two Giants linebackers before expertly slicing upfield, behind a block from slot receiver Tom Kennedy.

The 15-yard gain looked so smooth, start to finish, you wouldn’t believe Vaki registered a meager 42 carries in college.

This is a man who came to his pre-draft meeting with the Lions not knowing what to call many of the basic concepts of the running back position, instead utilizing diagrams he drew to help communicate explanations to the staff. That old-school approach wowed position coach Scottie Montgomery.

All rookies go through a crash course when they arrive to the NFL, and most are overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information put on their plates. For Vaki, it’s been so much more. He’s not only learning a new scheme, he’s essentially learning a position from scratch. That includes reading blocks, running routes and protecting the quarterback.

And, frankly, given where he’s beginning, he’s off to a strong start.

“Scottie’s doing a great job with him,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “A lot of it is, man, your landmarks in the run game, inside runs, tackle-to-tackle, vision inside, the feel of it, and he just need a lot of reps at that The perimeter stuff? He’s got a feel and he’s grown. Protection, he’s starting to figure it out.”

Even though Vaki hasn’t had a chance to display the skillset in games, the receiving component is coming easiest. He’s always been comfortable running routes and catching passes, dating back to playing receiver in high school.

Where Vaki is focused on growing is the touches where he doesn’t get the ball in space or have a wide and obvious lane. Those are the “dirty runs,” short-yardage and goal-line carries, where you have to abandon patience, lower your pads and try to power through for the 2 or 3 yards needed.

“Yeah, just going, not stuttering or stopping, things like that, shooting it straight on,” Vaki said. “That's what I need to work on the most.”

In terms of protection, it’s usually one of the last things rookies pick up, mostly because they didn’t have to do it often in college. It goes without saying that was the case for Vaki. But the way it’s taught by Montgomery, where he wants his backs to be the aggressors — being the first to deliver the hit — it plays to Vaki’s background as a defensive player.

“We still want to be the ones delivering the hit,” Vaki said. “We don't want to sit back and wait for that physicality to come to us. Coach Montgomery helps with taking up all the space, taking up all the grass, getting in the gap and meeting them. You get to them before they make their move, where you catch them off the guard.”

While Vaki navigates the nuances of the running back position, the Lions expect special teams to be his early-career calling card. He was exceptional in those roles at Utah, and the skillset appears to be porting over, at least on the practice field.

Within that, both sides are still trying to figure out his best role in the revamped kickoff format, with serving as a return man still an option.

There’s unquestionable value in special teams, especially in Detroit, where its emphasized by Campbell. But Vaki’s ceiling exists in his ability to contribute on offense, as well. Even with these preseason flashes, he knows they’re happening against defenders unlikely to make their respective teams’ 53-man roster.

Campbell likes to talk about things in terms of college class level. Vaki is still in 101, and probably will be for a while. When does he realistically think he’ll be ready to graduate, reaching a point where he won’t be overthinking every time he gets the play call in the huddle?

“Yeah, maybe three years, or four,” he said with a smile.

If that 15-yard run is indicative of his future, it has the potential to be worth the wait.