Tag: running back rankings

2023 NFL draft: Updated RB rankings post-combine

Here’s a look at Draft Wire’s updated RB rankings following the NFL combine.

The 2023 NFL draft is over one month away, but we’ve gotten through the NFL combine, which means teams will be putting together their big boards.

The Indianapolis Colts don’t have a major need at the running back position with Jonathan Taylor returning for another season. However, he’s in a contract year, and the Colts like adding explosiveness to the backfield.

We took a look at the updated rankings at the following positions from Draft Wire:

With the combine over, we’re here to take an updated look at Draft Wire’s rankings at the running back position:

Rashaad Penny rightfully ranked among NFL’s best running backs

Doug Farrar has a new list of the league’s top 11 running backs and Penny came in at No. 10.

Rankings season is just about over, with only a handful of days to go before training camp begins for the Seattle Seahawks. While the overall outlook for this team in 2022 isn’t good, there are a number of positions on the roster where they are stacked. One of the deeper spots is running back, long a point of emphasis for head coach Pete Carroll – for better or worse.

Heading into this season, Seattle appears to be about as deep as any team in the league at this position. The group will be led by Rashaad Penny, who closed the 2021 season as the most effective rusher in football. If his Madden rating is any indication Penny is still getting slept on by a lot of folks, but he’s finally getting some due recognition.

Doug Farrar has a new list of the league’s top 11 running backs and Penny came in at No. 10.

“From Week 12 through Week 18, there wasn’t a more productive back in the league. Penny ran 102 times for a league-leading 706 yards, 6.9 yards per carry, six touchdowns, 4.98 yards after contact per attempt, and 12 runs of 15 yards or more. This is the back the Seahawks envisioned when they took Penny that high… Can Penny turn that last few weeks into a full season of excellence? Such a turn would put him in the top five of next year’s list, and take him to a new level, contractually. We can but wait and see.”

Penny should project as Seattle’s starting running back to begin the season. It likely wouldn’t take much for him to get pulled in favor of rookie Ken Walker, though. A minor injury or a small slump might be all it takes for No. 9 to take over.

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Texas among CBS Sports’ five best running back rooms in 2022

Where does Texas land in Barrett Sallee’s top five?

The talent and depth at running back is no doubt the strength of Texas’ roster this season. Continue reading “Texas among CBS Sports’ five best running back rooms in 2022”

Texas’ Bijan Robinson deemed the best returning running back in college football

Austin is home to the best running back in college football.

Texas running back Bijan Robinson has been viewed as one of the top running backs in the country since his high school days. Continue reading “Texas’ Bijan Robinson deemed the best returning running back in college football”

Rivals names Bijan Robinson the No. 2 running back in college football

Is No. 2 for Bijan Robinson too low of a ranking?

Texas will have a lot of uncertainties to settle ahead of the 2022 season, but there is one thing for certain and that is the fact that running back Bijan Robinson is a star.

Robinson has proven time and time again that he can be the best player in college football at any given moment. The soon to be junior has found nothing but success during his time as a Longhorn, as prior to Texas’ historic six-game losing streak, he was considered a Heisman candidate. He has also emerged as a great pass catcher in Steve Sarkisian’s offense, whether it be out of the backfield or out wide.

His skillset and elusiveness are reasons why he is considered one of the best running backs in the country, which can be seen in Rivals’ latest rankings of top 10 running backs in college football.

While some fans may believe it is low, Robinson is listed as the No. 2 running back behind Ohio State’s Treyvon Henderson. Here is what they said about Robinson:

Robinson had really high expectations coming in to his sophomore season in Austin, and for the most part lived up to the hype, accruing more than 1,400 yards from scrimmage and 15 total touchdowns. With a new quarterback in the fold in Quinn Ewers, defenses won’t be able to completely key in on him like they did last season.

The Longhorns will need Robinson to stay healthy and to have a monster season in order for the team to succeed in 2022. Some pressure may be taken off his shoulders with better quarterback play and the emergence of Roschon Johnson out of the wildcat.

How Texas’ running back room stacks up against the rest of the country

Through four weeks of the season, Texas arguably has the most talented running back room in the country.

It’s no secret that Texas’ rushing attack has been key to their early success this season. Continue reading “How Texas’ running back room stacks up against the rest of the country”

ESPN names Texas RB Bijan Robinson one of the most important players in college football

“He’ll see as much of the ball as he can handle in 2021, and Texas will be better off for it.”

Texas running back Bijan Robinson is no doubt one of the most explosive playmakers in college football.

The former five-star prospect and the nation’s No. 1 running back in the 2022 recruiting class has certainly lived up to the hype. Although he was used sparingly as a true freshman under Tom Herman, Robinson is expected to be featured heavily under first-year head coach Steve Sarkisian this season.

Robinson concluded the 2020 season with 703 rushing yards, including 183 in the Valero Alamo Bowl against Colorado. He set the school record for yards per carry in a game (19.1) at Kansas State and yards per carry in a season (8.2).

He’s deservingly received numerous preseason accolades ahead of the 2021 season. Texas’ star running back landed at No. 22 in ESPN’s rankings of college football’s 25 most important players for 2021.

Steve Sarkisian’s first Texas offense won’t have the otherworldly bounty of talent that he worked with at Alabama last fall, but he’ll have at least one incredible piece in Robinson. The 2020 blue-chipper exploded late last fall, gaining a combined 651 rushing and receiving yards in just 55 touches in his last five games. One assumes he’ll see as much of the ball as he can handle in 2021, and Texas will be better off for it.

It may be too premature for a Heisman discussion, but it’s a solid bet that Robinson will soon become a household name across the country.

Here’s where James Robinson stands in Jones-Drew’s running back rankings

MJD ranks Robinson as the No. 18 running back in the NFL.

James Robinson has a long lineage of talented Jacksonville running backs to live up to. Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew set a high standard for the position, and even though the game has changed in favor of the passing game, the rushing attack remains crucial.

After a breakout season in 2020 as an undrafted rookie, there’s a bit of disagreement about Robinson’s future. Some think he’ll remain the team’s feature back, while others think that role will eventually fall to Travis Etienne.

But one of those former star running backs for the Jags, Jones-Drew, thinks that Robinson will be able to earn that job, at least in 2021. The NFL.com analyst has Robinson among the better backs in the league, ranking 18th (just behind Kansas City’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire and ahead of Seattle’s Chris Carson).

An undrafted rookie in 2020, James Robinson has an explosive game and no shortage of creativity in the open field. If he were the clear RB1 in the Jags’ backfield this fall, I’d place him in the top 12, easy. But I have to consider that Jacksonville selected running back Travis Etienne in the first round. Who will end up getting the most touches? I’m afraid we’ll have to wait until September to get our answer.

Robinson finished tied for fifth in the league in rushing yards in 2020, but that can largely be attributed to his NFL-high carrying percentage. Etienne’s presence will likely mean that Robinson’s production will diminish, but he could still easily see No. 1 running back-level carries.

Considering all indications are that the team is eying a third-down running back role for Etienne, the path seems clear for Robinson to be the team’s top option on the ground again. If rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence can find success through the air, it should open up the run game quite a bit for Robinson.