Running Backs
The were 18 RBs selected in the 2023 draft, as follows:
Round 1 - Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs
Round 2 - Zach Charbonnet
Round 3 - Kendre Miller, Tyjae Spears, Devon Achane, Tank Bigsby
Round 4 - Roschon Johnson
Round 5 - Israel Abanikanda, Chase Brown, Eric Gray, Evan Hull
Round 6 - Chris Rodriguez, Deuce Vaughn, Zach Evans
Round 7 - DeWayne McBride, Lew Nicholls, Kenny McIntosh
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As we've seen, last year's haul of RBs has proven to be very solid. 2024 has some potential of its own, but doesn't look like it'll come close in terms of starter, plus talent. The current odds suggest that they're won't be any 1st-rounders here, with as little as four RBs taken across Rounds 2 and 3. In as a much, some steals could occur with a few guys sliding further down than their talent merits.
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1) Trey Benson | 6'0 | 216 | RB | Florida State
Benson is a workhorse with great size, has proven to be tough to get on the ground. He has speed, coupled with good enough bounce and wiggle to make defenders whiff, or at least not get a clean hit on him. He's reliable to dangerous, as he takes care of the ball and can decimate a defense when fed the ball. Despite being a 'workhorse' he only had 156 carries this past season, keeping valuable tread on his tires.
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9/2 - LSU - Benson had limited opportunities with just 12 carries, but he ran hard and looked for holes behind marginal run blocking. He did display some good functional speed and grit.
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2) Jonathon Brooks | 6'0 | 207 | RB | Texas
Brooks sadly tore his ACL against TCU late in the year, but had performed excellently up to that point. He runs with speed and power, has proven that he can tote the rock 20+ times a game and produce. While not called upon to do so too regularly, he can catch the ball out of the backfield as needed.
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3) MarShawn Lloyd | 5'9 | 220 | RB | USC
The best word to describe Lloyd might be explosive. While he doesn't carry a huge frame, he gets up to speed quickly and then converts that speed into open field power. He'll make you miss, and still runs with power with wiggle. He's adept at fining creases within the defense, exploits them. The biggest knock on him is his issue with ball security. He had four fumbles this past year, something he simply has to improve upon if he wants to be a feature RB in any offense.
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10/14 - Notre Dame - Had just 8 carries on the day, but took them for 46 yards, 1 TD. He ran with good speed and wiggle, was limited against great defensive play.
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4) Blake Corum | 5'8 | 205 | RB | Michigan
Corum is a compact runner with nifty feet, vision and very good functional speed. After suffering a knee injury last season, he bounced back very well, showing no ill effects. He picks through the fray at the LOS well, showing patience before gashing through holes. He's not asked to catch the ball much, but has shown he's capable of doing so throughout his career. He's another tough, 20+ carry kid. He has 2 fumbles in his last 3 games, but ball security isn't seen as being an overarching issue.
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10/7 - Minnesota - While he didn't look great at any one thing, he was very solid at everything. He ran with good vision, strength and speed, going 9/69 with 1 TD. He looked the part overall, capable of doing far more.
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5) Jaylen Wright | 5'11 | 210 | RB | Tennessee
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6) Will Shipley | 5'10 | 210 | RB | Clemson
Shipley is a gutsy kid who runs like he has something to prove. He has vision, finds holes well. He's gotten bigger over the years, putting some good weight on his frame to be a feature RB. He has the speed and wiggle to beat defenders run north/south, or east/west. He can take a hit and keep going, with receiving capabilities. He can have ball security issues at times, but is generally solid in this department.
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9/4 - Duke - Shipley had a great game, showing off his versatility as a runner and receiver. He showed off a nice blend of speed and toughness, worked through the fray to get plus yardage. The offense ran off of him tonight, as they did little downfield.
10/7 - Wake Forest - Had limited help up front, but he read holes well and showed off some good burst. He had 19 touches for 97 yards.
10/21 - Miami - His fumble hurt, but Shipley was otherwise solid. He ran with good speed and power, finding holes where they existed. He had 15 carries for 44 yards, didn't have much to work with.
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7) Braelon Allen | 6'2 | 245 | RB | Wisconsin
Allen boasts a huge frame and has enough speed when he gets going to get yards after contact. Because of his size, he's been a workhorse over the past three years, amassing just shy of 600 carries in said time. While productive this season, he didn't seem as explosive, looked a step slower. While his long speed is functional, he needs more time to kick it into gear than is also permissible.
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9/9 - Washington State - Allen had a very mediocre game. While his O-line didn't give him much help at times, he looked a step slow at times, not able to work free of run coverage. He got just 20 yards on his 7 carries.
10/14 - Iowa - Had 18 carries for 87 yards. He showed some power at the LOS coupled with a nice burst when given some room, but wasn't dynamic in any regard.
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8) Bucky Irving | 5'10 | 195 | RB | Oregon
Irving is an electric runner with very good speed, quickness and burst. He finds creases in the defense and works through them very well. He's a prolific receiver, capable of beating a team in multiple ways. The knock on him is his lack of size. He runs hard and tough, but may not be looked upon as a feature bell cow until he adds 10+ pounds to his frame.
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9/9 - Texas Tech - Irving had a good outing, ran with a very good blend of speed, quickness, and toughness. He wasn't easy to bring down, due to his elusiveness and no quit running style. If not for his teammate Whittington getting carries, his production would've been much higher.
10/14 - Washington - Had a great game, was used heavily in both the run and pass game. He had 22 carries for 127 yards, 1 TD, used like a workhorse despite his smaller size. He also caught 6 balls for 34 yards, flashing great versatility.
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9) Dylan Laube | 5'11 | 207 | RB | New Hampshire
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10) Audric Estime | 5'11 | 221 | RB | Notre Dame
Estime exploded this season, exceeded most everyone's expectations. He was very productive last year, but made an even bigger impact nationally in his 2023 contests. Blessed with great size, he uses it well to take on tacklers and plow through them. While big, he has speed to press the perimeter and outpace defenders down the field for sizeable runs. He can be called upon to carry the rock 20+ times, showing no signs of wear or ball security issues.
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9/9 - North Carolina State - Estime surprised me in this one, namely because of his 80-yard TD jaunt. While I never painted him as slow, I didn't expect him to pull away from the Wolfpack defense and take it to the house. Outside of this, he ran hard, not much wiggle, but was a load.
9/23 - Ohio State - Had 14 carries for 770 yards, showed some solid ability to break through the LOS and run with surprising speed.
10/14 - USC - Had another strong outing, went 22/95 with 2 TDs. He ran very hard, got the tough yards with some burst shown.
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11) Ray Davis | 5'10 | 216 | RB | Kentucky
10/14 - Missouri - Davis had another very good outing. He ran with speed, power and some nice wiggle with no wasted movement. He had 20 carries for 128 yards.
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12) Tyrone Tracy | 5'11 | 209 | RB | Purdue
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13) Isaiah Davis | 6'1 | 220 | RB | South Dakota State
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14) Isaac Guerendo | 6'0 | 221 | RB | Louisville
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15) Emani Bailey | 5'9 | 207 | RB | TCU
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16) Kimani Vidal | 5'8 | 215 | RB | Troy
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17) George Holani | 5'11 | 210 | RB | Boise State
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18) Dillon Johnson | 6'0 | 218 | RB | Washington
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19) Cody Schrader | 5'9 | 214 | RB | Missouri
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20) Carson Steele | 6'1 | 225 | RB | UCLA
10/14 - Oregon State - Had a very solid game. While he didn't get the best blocking up front, he ran very hard with good burst. He had 22 carries for 110 yards, 1 TD.
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21) Blake Watson | 5'9 | 189 | RB | Memphis
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22) Rasheen Ali | 6'1 | 209 | RB | Marshall
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23) Jawhar Jordan | 5'10 | 185 | RB | Louisville
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999) TreVeyon Henderson | 5'10 | 212 | RB | Ohio State
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999) Chez Mellusi | 5'11 | 212 | RB | Wisconsin
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999) Donovan Edwards | 6'1 | 210 | RB | Michigan
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999) Jo'Quavious Marks | 5'10 | 210 | RB | USC
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999) Phil Mafah | 6'1 | 230 | RB | Clemson
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999) Devin Neal | 5'11 | 210 | RB | Kansas
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999) Montrell Johnson | 5'10 | 215 | RB | Florida
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999) Leshon Williams | 5'10 | 208 | RB | Iowa
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999) Treshaun Ward | 5'10 | 195 | RB | Boston College
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999) Raheim Sanders | 6'2 | 225 | RB | South Carolina
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