Running backs are back en vogue in the NFL after a about five years of being undervalued, especially in the draft. The resurgence began when the then St. Louis Rams took Todd Gurley in 2015 and was solidified last year when Ezekiel Elliott burst onto the scene with the Dallas Cowboys.
Like every other position, there are guys who can play and there are superstars. For a while, most NFL teams were content with just picking guys who could play. It didn’t help that for a while, that was all that seemed to be coming out of the NCAA. When the stud back returned to college football, miraculously he returned to the NFL as well and we have a nice little selection coming up in April’s NFL Draft.
Here are my Top Five running back prospects for the NFL.
5. Joe Mixon, Oklahoma (6-1, 226)
2016: 187 carries, 1,274 yards, 10 touchdowns, 37 catches, 538 yards, five touchdowns
Just in case NFL scouts didn’t realize Mixon was fast, he laid down a 4.43 40-yard dash at his pro day to settle any trouble minds on that. Mixon comes with a little baggage after punching a woman who was harassing him with racial slurs and spit on him as part of a larger drunken group. And while I don’t condone what he did in that moment, I can’t justify holding it against him forever.
Other than a non-physical altercation with a parking attendant, Mixon has kept his nose clean off the field. On the field, he’s shown everything anyone needs to see to prove he’s a potential elite running back at the NFL level. Mixon has the rare combination of speed, size and elusiveness. He can make open-field cuts and put his head down to bowl over defenders too. His receiving skills and ability to pass block should make him a three-down back in the NFL.
Ideal situation: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers
4. Christian McCaffrey, Stanford (5-11, 202)
2016: 253 carries, 1.603 yards, 13 touchdowns, 37 catches, 310 yards, three touchdowns
McCaffrey delivered on all the biggest stages except his last one, deciding to get ready for the NFL combine and heal up instead of playing in the Sun Bowl with Stanford. As impressive as McCaffrey’s stats and film are, it’s important to realize he wasn’t really healthy all season. What could he do when he’s 100 percent? Some NFL team is about to find out.
McCaffrey, maybe more than anyone on this list, is one cut away anytime he touches the ball to making a big play. He’s an elite runner and receiver, and should be able to play all three downs right out of the gate for the NFL team that drafts him, not to mention return kicks and punts if the team wants to risk it.
Ideal situation: Indianapolis Colts, Washington Redskins, New York Giants, Green Bay Packers
3. Wayne Gallman, Clemson (6-0, 215)
2016: 232 carries, 1,133 yards, 17 touchdowns, 20 catches, 152 yards
Of all the reasons to roll your eyes at over-inflating the exercising done at the NFL Combine, Gallman’s obvious drop in status is a big one. His production against elite-level defenses and defensive players speaks for itself, but when you watch Gallman’s film his ability to run through trash, wrench free from defenders, and make pinpoint cuts should be obvious. Even to an NFL scout with his trust tape measure and stop watch.
All Gallman’s 4.60 40-yard dash shows is he’s not going to be the home run threat a guy like McCaffrey or Mixon are. What he does is gain big chunks of yards at a time, through the scrum and knows where the end zone is. No running back in this group can do more with less in front of him. He has the best vision of any running back in the group.
Ideal situation: New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks
2. Dalvin Cook, Florida State (5-10, 210)
2016: 288 carries, 1,765 yards, 19 touchdowns, 33 catches, 488 yards, one touchdown
I know I’ve got Cook at No. 2, but really he and Fournette are 1a and 1b. I have no issues at all with anyone putting Cook as their top running back in this draft. The man has all the tools you want out of an elite back and any comparison to Ezekiel Elliott is valid and will probably make Cook the first runner taken in the draft.
Cook has a knack for slipping out of arm tackles because he keeps his center of gravity low and his feet under him. He takes on tacklers that do get him and can pick up extra yards by bowling a guy over. As a runner in a pro style offense at FSU, Cook should come in knowing how to pass block and his abilities as a receiver have been on display for years.
Ideal situation: New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles
1. Leonard Fournette, LSU (6-0, 240)
2016: 129 carries, 843 yards, eight touchdowns, 15 catches, 146 yards
So why Fournette over Cook? You have to understand the historic shittiness of the offense Fournette played in at LSU over his career. With NFL reject Cam Cameron calling plays, the Tigers were slogging and predictable and were generally running a high school level gameplan. In that gameplan when he was fully healthy, Fournette ran for 1.953 yards and 22 touchdowns and caught 19 passes for 253 yards and a touchdown in 2015. Against SEC talent on defense when everyone in the stadium knew he was getting the ball, Fournette laid those kind of numbers down.
And while you can look at the seven games he played in 2016 as a negative, if you look at his numbers, even hurt, his yards per carry was exactly the same (6.5). Not only that, but he improved as a receiver. He still ran for over 120 yards per game.
Fournette’s combination of speed, strength and power are rare. He was called the best running back in the history of LSU for a reason and you could make a 20 minute highlight film of his stiff arm alone.
Ideal situation: Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens
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