Central Michigan's Lew Nichols drafted by Packers in Round 7 of NFL Draft

From maroon and gold to green and gold — Lew Nichols is going to be a Packer.

The Central Michigan running back was drafted by Green Bay on Saturday in the seventh round with pick No. 235, becoming the first — and possibly the only — Central Michigan product to be taken in the NFL Draft this year.

Nichols was a three-star recruit when Central recruited him out of Cass Tech High School in Detroit. After redshirting his freshman year in 2019, Nichols was MAC Freshman of the Year in 2020 before exploding as a redshirt sophomore. He led FBS in all-purpose yards in 2021, rushing for 1,848 yards and 16 touchdowns and being named MAC Offensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-MAC.

A toe injury forced him to miss three games in 2022 and appeared to be a limitation for much of the season. He ran for 616 yards and six touchdowns on 176 carries (3.5 yards per carry).

Nichols joins a running back room in Green Bay led by former Pro-Bowler Aaron Jones and fourth-year back A.J. Dillon.

With only a few selections left in the draft, two of Nichols' Chippewas teammates — edge defender Thomas Incoom and outside linebacker Joel Wilson — were still on the board.

nbianchi@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @nolanbianchi