It took a day longer than he hoped. But Georgia running back D'Andre Swift found his NFL home Friday night, when the Detroit Lions took the Philadelphia native with the 35th pick in the second round.

Swift had hoped to go in Friday night's first round, but the Miami Dolphins passed with the 30th pick, while Kansas City went with former LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire with pick No 32.

Instead, he'll join former Bulldog, quarterback Matt Stafford, who was taken with the first overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.

"The first thing that comes to mind is Barry Sanders," Swift said on a conference call to reporters. "One of my favorite backs of all time.

"Everybody always talked about (Sanders). I started watching film, watching highlights, and just looking at stats and they were remarkable, unbelievable. As I got older I tried to (change) my game to be like his in any way possible. I love watching him."

According to DetroitLions.com, Swift said he wasn't surprised that the Lions made the call, after having more pre-draft conversation with Detroit than most teams in the league.

Ironically, Swift was taken in the exact same spot in the second round as Nick Chubb to Cleveland, two years ago.

Arguably the most versatile running back in the entire draft, Smith gets props not only for his ability as a runner, but also for his receiving and pass protection—proof why many teams saw the Philadelphia native as a three-down back in the NFL.

A member of the Coaches All-SEC First Team, Swift was voted one of Georgia's permanent team captains for 2018 after leading the Bulldogs in rushing with 196 carries for 1,218 yards and seven touchdowns, while catching 24 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns.

Swift, who became the fifth Georgia back to rush for over 1,000 yards in back-to-back years, also had nine career games of over 100 yards rushing.

As a junior, Swift rushed for 1,049 yards and 10 touchdowns, including a career-best 186 yards against Auburn, the same team he helped beat in the 2017 SEC Championship with a 64-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

That same year saw Swift receive extensive playing time as a freshman behind Michel and Chubb. Swift played in all 15 games for the Bulldogs that year, finishing as the Bulldogs’ third-leading rushers with 618 yards.

Unfortunately for Swift, his final season with the Bulldogs ended on a sour note after he injured his shoulder against Georgia Tech, severely limiting his availability to a total of just three carries in the SEC Championship against LSU and the Sugar Bowl nearly a month later against Baylor.

Fortunately, the injury did not keep Swift from taking part in the NFL Combine and joining Nick Chubb and Sony Michel as Georgia running backs drafted in the last three years.