The Detroit Lions decided that they needed to punch teams in the mouth, even harder, after their NFC Championship Game loss. As such, they didn’t do much in the way of fantasy football prospects. They drafted just one offensive weapon, Sione Vaki, and even he plays a bit of safety, as well. After locking up Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell, they went hard on the defensive side of the ball. So, let’s dive into Sione Vaki, shall we?
FULL 2024 DETROIT LIONS DRAFT RESULTS
| Rd | Pick | Player | Pos | College |
| 1 | 24 | Terrion Arnold | DB | Alabama |
| 2 | 61 | Ennis Rakestraw Jr. | CB | Missouri |
| 4 | 108 | Khyree Jackson | CB | Oregon |
| 4 | 126 | Giovanni Manu | OT | British Columbia |
| 4 | 132 | Sione Vaki | RB/S | Utah |
| 6 | 189 | Mekhi Wingo | DT | LSU |
| 6 | 210 | Christian Mahogany | OG | Boston College |
Round 4, Pick 132 Overall: Sione Vaki, Running Back/Safety, Utah (6’0” 189 lbs)
Talent:
Sione Vaki reminds me of that old baseball adage, where if you have to play a lot of positions, it’s because you’re not particularly great at one. That’s how it feels with Vaki and his Running Back/Safety designation. He’s an athletic freak, and if you get him a lane, he’s going to take the ball a long way. Unfortunately, he doesn’t do a whole helluva lot to make his own space while running the ball. He has almost no moves, his vision is lackluster, and he mostly gets by on knowing the game of football and being very fast on the field. He’s a lot of fun to watch, but he feels more like a complementary piece in an offense than anything else. He reminds me a lot of when the 49ers tried out Jarryd Hayne, an Australian rugby star (and human piece of garbage), he just goes by instinct and feel, and not any sort of technical ability.
2024 Opportunity:
The Lions are already talking about two things with Vaki: special teams and being an “offensive weapon.” Vaki is probably going to be my favorite running back to watch who has exactly zero fantasy appeal on a week-to-week basis. The Lions aren’t coming close to talking about him in a way that will mean any sort of substantive, consistent touches, and with Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Sam LaPorta all on the offense, they won’t need him to get any sort of substantive and consistent touches.
2024 Fantasy Football Outlook:
The Lions don’t have Vaki in their plans for 2024, at least not consistently, and neither should you.
