Sione

Vaki

Vaki has missed each of the Lions’ first four games with a groin injury. He did not practice this week and does not appear to be close to returning.

Vaki got in three limited practices this week, but looks unlikely to be available. When healthy, he’s debatably the RB3 on the team, in a heat with Craig Reynolds.

Vaki is dealing with a hamstring issue and was ruled out on the final injury report. The Lions are fairly healthy heading into Week 1.

Vaki has been dealing with a hamstring injury for the better part of the preseason. The Lions’ fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Vaki serves as the RB4 and contributes on special teams. The 24-year-old running back isn’t expected to go on injured reserve, according to Birkett, but could miss Week 1 against the Packers.

Vaki originally signed with the Utes as a three-star 2019 safety and departed for a LDS mission in Tonga for the next three years. He joined the team in 2022 spending most of his reps in the slot with 41 tackles, 3.5 TFL and three PBU before taking on a full-time starting role in 2023. With half his snaps coming at free safety, Vaki was asked to take on more deep-half responsibilities and rose to the challenge by recording nine pressures, 17 stops and 8.5 TFL to go with Second Team All-American recognition. In a testament to his versatility, Vaki was asked to play running back for a brief spell this year after injuries struck and was a natural. He ran for 158 yards against Cal one week, then caught five passes for 149 yards against USC the next week before moving back to a primarily defensive role for the remainder of the year. It will be interesting to see if the Lions use Vaki in the backfield during training camp and the preseason. He’ll most likely be a rotational defensive or special teams player.

Vaki (6'0/190) is also kicking around a possible trip to USC. Regardless of where the Brentwood, California, native eventually signs, we won’t be seeing him until the 2021 season, as he plans on heading out on an LDS mission for the next two years. On the 247Sports composite board, Vaki ranks as the No. 91 prospect in the state of California for the 2019 cycle.