Lions roster preview: Sione Vaki’s journey to 1,000 reps, special teams dominance

Sione Vaki became one of the league’s best special teamers as a rookie, but how close is he to seeing the field on offense?

Whenever Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell or general manager Brad Holmes are asked for their evaluation of a player or what traits they look for in a specific position, they will both inevitably bring up that they’re looking for “football players.” For the Lions, that means a player who loves and respects the game, is willing to put the team first, will grind out each and every assignment, and possesses the intangible traits that will make the team better.

As we head toward training camp, running back Sione Vaki enters his second year as one of the best “football players” on the Lions roster.

Previous previews: Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta, Aidan Hutchinson, Brodric Martin, Jake Bates

Sione Vaki

Expectations heading into 2024

At Utah, Vaki earned a starting safety role as a redshirt freshman, then expanded his contributions to offense as a redshirt sophomore, continuing to start in the secondary and taking on a running back role for the final six games of the season. When he attended the NFL Combine, he participated with the safety group but also took part in running back drills, demonstrating his positional versatility. While Vaki plays with a safety’s attacking mentality, his natural skill set on offense is so appealing that, despite his limited experience, the Lions drafted him to play running back in the NFL.

Offense

On offense, Vaki entered his rookie season very raw. With just 56 offensive touches in college—along with slot receiver experience in high school—Vaki knew he had a lot of work to do before he would see the field as a running back.

“Coach (Scottie) Montgomery tells me all the time that I just need a thousand reps of it,” Vaki told Pride of Detroit during 2024 training camp. “Looking at it on paper versus actually going through it are two different things—or even seeing it on film. So, I’m just taking it rep-by-rep and just getting better every rep, (especially) on the finer details.”

During the pre-season, Vaki gained confidence through experience, and his on-field production improved with each game played. While his first NFL touches (against the Giants in the preseason) showed off his rushing instincts, Vaki showcased his hands the following week against the Chiefs, securing four receptions for 60 yards (hello, Texas route) during a two-minute drill. His offensive talent is clearly appealing, but Vaki acknowledged that at this stage of his development, he still had a lot of fundamental coaching to absorb.

“It’s still really early. I’m still young in the process,” Vaki told Pride of Detroit during the preseason. “Definitely, not close to 1,000 (reps) at all. But these preseason games, and especially joint practices, helped a lot. It’s just great to go against another team with other talent, and then in the game itself, being able to apply what you’ve been coached to do—you’ve really got to be able to put it all together. And I’m glad we have the right coaches to do that.”

Vaki did not participate in Detroit’s third preseason game against the Steelers—the Lions prefer not to risk key players to injury in the final game—but it wasn’t because of his contributions on offense; it was because he was already a four-phase special teams starter.

Special teams

Vaki certainly has several appealing offensive traits, but the Lions traded up in the fourth round to draft him because they felt he was the best special teams player in his draft class. His experience as a safety and running back gives him a unique perspective on the game, and those positional skills were expected to translate immediately to the NFL’s new special teams rules.

“With the kickoff rule being so new, I’m really trying to sit back and learn from Kalif (Raymond),” Vaki told Pride of Detroit during training camp. “He’s so poised when it comes to returning the ball, just the way he sees the holes, and he sees the (run) fits, he only has to make one cut and he’s gone, man. I wish I had speed like him, that would certainly help—but I’m definitely trying to learn a lot from him.”

While Raymond helped Vaki with tips on being a returner, the rookie also mentioned how much he appreciated the advice he was getting from core special teamers like Craig Reynolds, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Malcolm Rodriguez, and Brock Wright for blocking and pursuit assignments.

Vaki didn’t play every phase of special teams at Utah, which created a bit of a learning curve for him in the NFL, but once again, his “football player” instincts helped accelerate his acclimation—something we saw early in the 2024 regular season.

Actual role in 2024

Note: Stats are regular season only unless otherwise stated

16 games (0 starts on offense, 16 starts on special teams)
Stats: Six rushes, 14 yards; three catches on three targets for 37 yards; eight tackles, a forced fumble, and two kick returns for 55 yards
PFF offensive grade: 66.9 (28 offensive snaps)
PFF rushing grade: 60.1 (Six rushing attempts)
PFF receiving grade: 81.7 (Three receptions)
PFF pass blocking grade: Did not qualify
PFF run blocking grade: 53.7 (Six run blocking snaps)
PFF special teams grade: 90.5 (Seventh out of 580 players who played 100+ snaps – Vaki: 332 snaps)

Despite both Campbell and then-offensive coordinator Ben Johnson saying they would like to install situation-specific packages for Vaki, that didn’t come to fruition until late in the season. All six of Vaki’s carries came in clean-up duties (blow-out leads over Dallas and Jacksonville), while two of his three receptions came in Week 16 against Chicago, when Vaki was the Lions’ two-minute back at the end of the half.

Vaki’s other reception came in Week 2 against Tampa Bay, but that came on special teams, when he and punter Jack Fox connected on a beautiful fourth-down fake punt conversion deep in their own territory.

“Man, it was scary. I’m not going to lie,” Vaki told Pride of Detroit following the win over the Bucs. “I was expecting to go out there and get a regular punt in, you know, go down the field. But, coach Fipp has always had such confidence in the play—so shout out to the (coaches)—but he called it. We were walking out of the huddle, and I didn’t want to be too obvious, because you know my nerves were up, but I just didn’t want to mess up. (It was great) being able to go out there and create another opportunity for our offense to go put some points on the board.”

The conversion wasn’t Vaki’s only highlight reel special teams play of the season, as he also left us with this gem in Week 10 during the Lions’ comeback win over the Houston Texans.

Being able to control and shed your block with one arm while simultaneously making a tackle with the other is truly fun stuff on special teams. But it wasn’t just highlights for Vaki, as both Campbell and Fipp routinely and unpromptedly brought up Vaki’s positive play on special teams, crediting him for his coverage skills, or sealing his block during an onside kick, and things of that nature.

“I think Vaki’s done a great job for us,” Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp said. “He’s got a good skillset. Obviously, his college experience probably helps. He was a defensive player and an offensive player in college, so he can play coverage aspects on special teams and return. He obviously has the catch for us on the fake; that’s a big play there. He’s done a good job in protection on punt, and really on all four phases, I feel like he’s done a good job.”

Outlook for 2025

Vaki finished the 2024 season as one of the best special teams players in the NFL, and there’s little reason to think that he won’t be one of the best in the league again in 2025. His versatile skill set, team-first mentality, and aggressive nature on the football field make him ideally suited for today’s special teams units. Expect him to be a fixture in the third phase of the game for the Lions over the next several seasons.

On offense, Vaki enters training camp as RB4 behind co-starters Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, as well as Craig Reynolds, who has been the Lions’ RB3 the last three seasons. Vaki’s elite hands and high developmental ceiling will give him a chance to challenge for the RB3 role, but Reynolds is currently a far more consistent runner, which is why he remains higher on the depth chart for the time being.

With a year under his belt, Vaki has earned his coach’s trust, and his reliable receiving skills should, at the very least, enable him to be utilized in specific situations, such as the two-minute drill. But for Vaki to fully pass Reynolds on the depth chart, he’ll need to prove that he can be a consistent contributor with the ball in his hands, and that will take time.

We’ll find out how far along he is on his path to 1,000 reps in training camp.