Nick Bawden vs. Isaac Nauta: Breaking Down the Fullback Room
Perhaps one of the more underrated camp battles on the Detroit Lions roster is at the fullback position.
Currently, there are two true fullbacks that Detroit offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell has at his disposal: third-year pro Nick Bawden and undrafted rookie free agent Luke Sellers.
However, there is another wrinkle that could potentially muddy the water -- the H-back.
Despite the H-back and fullback taking on similar roles, there are some nuances to their game.
Typically, the H-back is a position that is more versatile than its fullback counterpart, with the ability to line up as a tight end on certain formations.
At the end of last season, the Lions utilized tight end Isaac Nauta in the hybrid H-back role instead of deploying a full-time fullback.
Nauta lined up both in-line and in the backfield.
Once Nauta was called up from the practice squad, he played a total of 41 offensive snaps in a span of five weeks -- 34 snaps coming out of the backfield, six as a tight end and one out wide as a receiver.
However, the Georgia product was used more sparingly than Bawden at fullback.
Bawden frequently saw double-digit snaps per game, while Nauta only saw more than 10 offensive plays once.
One similarity is that both predominantly saw the field on running downs. While Bawden run-blocked on 65 percent of his snaps, Nauta run-blocked on 74 percent of his plays.
Unfortunately, Bawden has not been able to stay on the field due to knee injuries his first two years in the league.
One of Bawden’s best attributes coming out of San Diego State was his ability to run block and catch the football.
Neither trait has necessarily shown up at the NFL level.
In terms of pass-catching, Bawden has four career catches for 17 yards.
It doesn’t help that he isn’t often featured in that regard.
I will add that he demonstrated some nice athleticism with his impressive hurdling of a defender against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3 last season.
If Nauta's combine numbers are any indication, Bawden is the superior athlete of the two from a pure measurements standpoint.
On the blocking front, Bawden was the worst-graded run-blocking fullback in the NFL, and Nauta wasn’t a whole lot better.
Pass-blocking was a different story.
Bawden only stayed in to block nine times with the quarterback dropping back. But, his 87.1 Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade was the highest on the team in 2019, and it was top five for all NFL tight ends and backs.
Again, in a very limited sample size, however.
Not to completely count out Sellers from the competition, but he is definitely on the outside looking in to make the roster.
In a limited offseason with not a ton of contact, it could be really tough to make his physical presence known.
The battle ultimately comes down to Bawden and Nauta.
Considering that the Lions have two fullbacks and Bevell is known for using the position quite often, it would make sense that the Lions would keep at least one fullback.
If Bevell was fine only using an H-back at the end of last season, you can't rule out that trend continuing into the future.
Yes, there has only been one day of training camp so far, but Nauta wasn’t noticed lining up in the backfield.
The whole H-back vs. fullback role is an interesting one, and it's something to keep an eye on moving forward.
In the end, it could come down to roster construction and which position provides the most value.
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