NFL free agency is going to see one of the biggest free agent classes at the running back position in years with players like Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley hitting the open market. That being said, a lot of teams do not want to spend big money bringing in a veteran and would rather address their backfield through the NFL draft. This is a significantly cheaper way to acquire talent for a team's rushing attack and this class has a few standout rushers that could help improve a team's running game.
Now that the NFL combine has passed, we have a much better idea of some of the great prospects in this year's draft. However, one person really stood out from the crowd at the event: Florida State running back Trey Benson. Benson ran several events at the combine this year, his most impressive being his 40-yard-dash time which clocked in at 4.39 seconds and ranked him third in the class. Combined with elite-level speed, Benson also demonstrated great athleticism putting up an 89 combined score for this category. Benson also has great pass-catching ability bringing in 20 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown this season.
The one major critique of Benson was that at Florida State he split carries with a lot of rushers in a deep backfield. This brings into question his ability to be a bell-cow rusher. His ability in pass protection was not great despite his large frame. Benson would be a wonderful addition to any team's backfield as a developmental piece and could be picked up in the late second or early third round by the right team.
The combine can be a tricky tool to use when grading prospects because of notable omissions to the testing pool. This concept applies to Texas rusher Jonathon Brooks, who didn’t participate due to injury. Brooks had the college football world taken aback by his amazing all-around ability. At 6 feet and 207 pounds, his ability on the field is remarkable. Brooks showcases great speed at the first and second levels while also being able to make defenders miss open-field tackles. Brooks also demonstrated receiving potential, grabbing 25 passes for 286 yards and a touchdown.
The only thing preventing this dynamic rusher from being drafted higher is that he is coming off an ACL tear he suffered during the season. Despite this injury, Brooks put up over 1000 yards during his last season at Texas. The 20-year-old could very well be the first rusher taken off the board in this year's draft, more than likely to be selected in the middle of the second round.
Benson tested great and Brooks has the most potential, but the rusher who no doubt had the most absurd production this year had to be Michigan running back Blake Corum.
The first thing that comes to mind when looking at Corum is his ability to score touchdowns, putting up a ludicrous 27 touchdowns, which broke Michigan's all-time single-season touchdown record. Corum is your standard uphill running back who is best suited in short-yardage situations. His ability in the passing game also makes him very friendly to quarterbacks as he was an exceptional blocker for his size.
Corum is already 23 years old, which, with the lifespan of a runner in the NFL being significantly lower than other positions, may cause teams to overlook him. The other big question is that most of Corum’s production came on goal-to-go plays which may bring into question the validity of his stats. With these factors in consideration Corum could be a steal depending on where he is drafted, which will more than likely be late in the third round.
There are several other great options in the draft such as Oregon's Bucky Irving or Wisconsin's Braelon Allen but among the crowd these three stand the tallest. The running back position is one of the most important for teams to have depth at, so don’t be surprised to see all of these players getting picked on Day 2 of the draft. This class doesn’t have a can’t-miss prospect — unlike last year with Bijan Robinson — but these players could develop into quality starters in the league.
Jasper Greuel is a junior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the views expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Jasper about his column? email him at jg453620@ohio.edu.
