Ben Linsey of ProFootballFocus ranked the NFL’s 32 starting running backs by elusiveness yesterday and two former Badgers were among those ranked.
Cam Akers forced a missed tackle on 32% of his touches in 2019.@PFF_Linsey:https://t.co/zPhqLeYOMS
— PFF College (@PFF_College) June 10, 2020
The two Wisconsin products currently set to be starting in their team’s backfield this year are Melvin Gordon with the Denver Broncos and Jonathan Taylor with the Indianapolis Colts.
The rankings separated rookies and vets so there is no head-to-head comparison of the two former Badgers. Each one, though, placed favorably given the current talent at the position heading into the 2020 season.
The first is Melvin Gordon at No. 15.
“Gordon’s status on this list is hurt by an ineffective 2019 season after he returned from a holdout,” the article reads. “He averaged just 2.5 yards after contact per rush (39th out of 44 running backs with 100 or more carries) and forced 28 missed tackles on 162 carries — a rate that put him firmly in mediocre territory. That was paired with a career-worst 50.7 receiving grade and 7.7 yards after the catch per reception. Gordon does own the most broken tackles in the NFL from 2015 to 2018, but he’ll need to show he can return to that form with the Broncos in a crowded backfield next season.”
The next is Jonathan Taylor at No. 3 among rookies.
“Some running backs who lack shake in the open field can simply run through tackles at the college level thanks to their combination of size and speed,” Taylor’s paragraph reads. “Taylor is one such running back who has the kind of rare size and speed that might allow him to do something similar at the NFL level. His missed tackles forced rates in college aren’t on par with Akers or Edwards-Helaire, but with the offensive line in Indianapolis opening up holes on the ground and getting him clean to the second level, Taylor could put up some big-time numbers as a rookie in a featured role.”
As seen in the description for each ranking, both players are lower on the list due to a lack of recent playing time in the NFL.
In Gordon’s case this was due to, as noted in the article, a largely-ineffective 2019 season after he returned from a contract lockout. In Taylor’s case, as is true with all of the rookies, he was ranked solely off his college tape, and nobody knows yet how his game will translate to the next level.
Nevertheless, both of the two former Badgers are known for their speed, vision and power, and this list is solely based off each player’s elusiveness.
If one were to rank the 32 starters based off their overall talent and effectiveness I’m sure both Wisconsin products would receive far more favorable placements.