To Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew, the running back position is critical. But the status of Lions running back Jahvid Best, who missed 11 games last season because of concussions, is still unclear.
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"I saw (Best) in the meeting room, but I haven't seen him working out," Mayhew told MLive.com on Thursday. "From what I understand, he's been doing everything, as far as conditioning and working out with everybody."
Best suffered a season-ending concussion against the San Francisco 49ers last season. Before getting injured, Best started six games for the Lions and carried the ball 84 times for 390 yards and one touchdown.
"I think it's a critical position," Mayhew said Thursday during a pre-draft news conference. "I think careers are shorter, obviously, but I think it's a really important position on your football team. We felt that way and we drafted that way in the past."
"The running back position has been kind of de-valued lately; people don't really view the running back as a key position the way they used to," Mayhew said.