4. 1st Running Back Drafted
PICK: Jonathan Taylor +190
Full disclosure and fully admitting that this could and probably will come back to punch me in the rocks …
I sort of don’t get D’Andre Swift as a sure-thing top running back in this draft.
It’s not that the Georgia running back won’t be a good pro, but he doesn’t play with high-end on-field speed, he doesn’t bring any real power for defenses to be worried about, and he’s not great at hanging on to the ball.
[lawrence-related id=510612]
With all that said, he can catch, speed isn’t as big a deal as quickness – he’s got elite cutting ability – and he has a whole lot of tread left on the tires.
In a deep first round, Swift isn’t a mortal lock to go in the top 20. After that, it’s all about fit and what certain teams might like. It’s a roll of the dice if there isn’t a must-have running back for teams to want.
Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor is bigger than Swift, has better pop, is faster, and … he has ball security issues, too, and carried the ball way too much in his college career.
However, at +190 – and considering Taylor might be the better running back than Swift – he’s a better value pick.
– Bet on this, BetMGM latest line