Welcome to draft season! This is the second of 11 positional breakdowns leading up to the NFL draft (April 27-April 29). Here are my top 10 running backs:
— 1. Bijan Robinson (Jr., Texas, 5-foot-11, 215 pounds)
The unanimous All-American and Doak Walker Award-winner might be the only running back selected in the first round, but positional bias will likely keep him from going as high as he should. He's an all-around threat who is light on his feet considering his size and features home-run ability. He led the FBS with 104 forced missed tackles in 2022. Projected: Round 1
— 2. Jahmyr Gibbs (Jr., Alabama, 5-9, 199)
There's dual-threat potential in Gibbs, with shades of Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Charles in his game. He features electric speed with pass-catching ability and has mastered an advanced route tree. In three years between Georgia Tech and Tuscaloosa, he had 104 receptions for 1,217 yards and eight touchdowns out of the backfield. Projected: Rounds 1-2
— 3. Zach Charbonnet (Sr., UCLA, 6-0, 214)
Charbonnet features the size, balance, vision and instincts to thrive in a zone-based run scheme at the next level. He's progressed as a receiver out of the backfield since transferring from Michigan and will need to continue his development in pass protection — there's three-down potential here. He answered all relevant questions surrounding his athleticism at the combine. Projected: Rounds 2-3
— 4. Devon Achane (Jr., Texas A&M, 5-8, 188)
Achane is small, but fearless between the tackles and features sprinter speed (he was named an All-American in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 4x100-meter relay for the Aggies). He's far from a gadget guy. If he were a few inches taller and 10-15 pounds heavier, he'd go much higher in this draft. Projected: Rounds 2-3
— 5. Tyjae Spears (Jr., Tulane, 5-9, 201)
Spears bounced back from a torn ACL in 2020 to score 21 TDs last season for the Green Wave, including four against USC in the Cotton Bowl, where he was clearly the most dominant player in a game that featured Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. Spears is capable of making defenders miss or creating yards after contact and has seen his draft stock rise significantly after an impressive week in Mobile at the Senior Bowl. Projected: Rounds 2-3
— 6. Roschon Johnson (Sr., Texas, 6-0, 219)
Johnson was the No. 6 dual-threat quarterback in the 2019 recruiting class, but switched positions a week before his freshman season began. He would have ended up a bell-cow had he attended almost any other school. He's a physical runner who's allergic to arm tackles and features a punishing stiff-arm. Johnson is also one of the better blocking backs in this draft class and could be a core special teamer. He played on all four coverages for the Longhorns, leading them in special teams tackles (seven) in 2022. Projected: Rounds 3-5
— 7. Israel Abanikanda (Jr., Pittsburgh, 5-10, 216)
"Izzy" had a breakout season in 2022 with 100-plus rushing yards in nine of 11 games and 21 total TDs (best in FBS). This included a school-record 320 yards and six TDs vs. Virginia Tech (broke Tony Dorsett's single-game record). He isn't a bulldozer, he's a home run-hitter who uses his speed and angles to get around defenders. According to Pro Football Focus, Abanikanda's 782 yards before contact were the second most in the Power Five while his 19 percent forced missed tackle rate ranked tied for 64th. He'll only be 20 years old when the 2023 NFL season kicks off so there's upside here. Projected: Rounds 3-4
— 8. Tank Bigsby (Jr., Auburn, 5-11, 210)
Bigsby is a three-year starter who is both explosive and elusive (he led the SEC with eight carries of 30-plus yards in 2022). As any Jedi Master would recommend, he needs to learn patience, because he can get ahead of his blockers at times. Admittedly, that could be because he played behind one of the poorer run-blocking lines in the SEC last season. Projected: Rounds 3-4
— 9. Zach Evans (Jr., Ole Miss, 5-11, 202)
Evans originally signed with TCU as a five-star recruit in the 2020 recruiting class (he was the No. 2 running back behind only Bijan Robinson). He's averaged 6.8 yards per carry and 10.8 yards per reception in his collegiate career (almost 23% of his carries last season resulted in a 10-plus-yard gain), but there are durability concerns after he's dealt with a myriad of injuries the last two years, the most significant one being turf toe that cost him six games in 2021. He's only logged 320 offensive touches so there's still a lot of tread on the tires. Projected: Rounds 2-4
— 10. Chase Brown (Sr., Illinois, 5-9, 209)
Chase was born two minutes ahead of his identical twin brother (Sydney), who was a five-year starting safety at Illinois and is also a prospect in this year's draft class. The Canadian is athletic, explosive and runs with a low center of gravity. His 328 carries led all Power Five backs, and his 83 forced missed tackles trailed only Bijan Robinson. His ball security must improve (eight on 676 career carries, with five last fall). Projected: Rounds 3-4
— BONUS: DeWayne McBride (Jr., UAB, 5-10, 209)
McBride appears to be a scheme-diverse back who was highly productive his junior season — he ran for 120-plus yards in 10 of 11 games in 2022. However, he hasn't been utilized as a receiver much and he needs to eliminate ball security issues (he fumbled nine times over the past two seasons). Projected: Rounds 3-4
— BONUS: Kenny McIntosh (Sr., Georgia, 6-0, 204)
The chiseled McIntosh brings physicality and balance to the run game and I believe he'll thrive in short yardage and goal-line situations at the next level, but the secret sauce is his receiving acumen. He was one of only two FBS running backs with 40-plus receptions and 500-plus receiving yards last season (Northwestern's Even Hull was the other) and didn't register a drop in college (90 career targets). Projected: Rounds 3-5
— BONUS: Kendre Miller (Jr., TCU, 5-11, 215)
Miller produced at least one explosive play (20-plus yards) in 12 of 14 games in 2022, but he's a work in progress as a receiver and blocker. He's tenacious, but he runs too upright at times, exposing the ball to unnecessary contact (he has six fumbles in 390 career touches). Projected: Rounds 3-5
— BONUS: Deuce Vaughn (Jr., Kansas State, 5-5, 179)
Vaughn follows in the cleat marks of Darren Sproles, another tiny dynamo who electrified Manhattan, Kan., two decades ago. This team captain joined Sproles and Tyler Lockett as the only Wildcats to surpass 5,000 career all-purpose yards. He is a three-time All-American because of his all-purpose credentials, who has maximized every inch of his stature at every level. Similar to Sproles, I don't see why he won't be able to the same in the NFL. Projected: Rounds 4-7
— BONUS: Sean Tucker (Jr., Syracuse, 5-9, 207)
Tucker doesn't have elite speed, but he's quick enough to do damage and works best in space with the vision of a return specialist, although he can be too indecisive at the line of scrimmage sometimes. He's also a quality receiver with soft hands. He was a three-year starter for the Orange and joined Jim Brown, Ernie Davis and Floyd Little as the only Syracuse running backs to earn All-American recognition after his sophomore season. His draft prospects have been murky due to an unspecified injury he's dealt with during the process. Projected: Rounds 4-7
— BONUS: Keaton Mitchell (Jr., East Carolina, 5-7, 179)
Some teams may want to make Mitchell a slot receiver because of his size. Regardless, he's electric with the ball in his hands and you're not catching him from behind. He practices social distancing every time he gets in the open field and when it comes to contact (he won't initiate it). He is bounce happy, constantly seeking the home run, which may cause teams to drop him into the change-of-pace bucket. Projected: Rounds 5-6
— BONUS: Evan Hull (Jr., Northwestern, 5-10, 209)
Hull was the only running back in college football with 50-plus receptions and finished third in the Big Ten in all-purpose yards per game (136.7). He doesn't create much on his own and struggles as a blocker, so that could complicate his candidacy as a true third-down back. Projected: Rounds 5-7
— BONUS: Mohamed Ibrahim (Sr., Minnesota, 5-7, 203)
There are injury concerns (including a ruptured Achilles in 2021) and he will be 24 years old as an NFL rookie, but you'll be hard-pressed to find a more productive back when he's on the field. He finished with 4,668 rushing yards (5.4 yards per carry) and 53 TDs, practically rewriting the Gophers' record-book. His physical, no-nonsense style will attract a lot of coaching staffs. Projected: Rounds 5-7
