Written by Christian Lysek
RB Top Ten and First Look:
1. Saquon Barkley, Penn State
2. Derrius Guice, LSU (shown on the right)
3. Royce Freeman, Oregon
4. Nick Chubb, Georgia
5. LJ Scott, Michigan State
6. Kalen Ballage, Arizona State
7. Bo Scarbrough, Alabama
8. Mark Walton, Miami
9. Damien Harris, Alabama
10. Akrum Wadley, Iowa
For the second year in a row, running backs represent one of the draft's strongest positions. This is going to be one of those years where starters can be found in every single round of the draft. In fact, out of all of the rankings I am working on, this was by far the most difficult. It is just too easy to make a case for several of these running backs to crack the top ten. Here are some of those players.
Honorable Mentions: Mike Weber (Ohio State), Ronald Jones II (USC), Ryan Nall (Oregon State), Kamryn Pettway (Auburn), Sony Michel (Georgia), Justin Jackson (Northwestern), Lavon Coleman (Washington), Myles Gaskin (Washington), Jarvion Franklin (Western Michigan)
Headlining this stacked group of running backs is Saquon Barkley out of Penn State. Barkley has been the man since he stepped on campus. He has been extremely productive as a runner (3135 yards, 30 TDs, 6.2 YPC over two seasons) and as a receiver (48 career receptions, 5 TDs). On film he is everything you want in a running back when incomes to size, explosiveness, speed, and vision. Expect another monster season from Barkley. Just behind Barkley is Derrius Guice, the successor to Leonard Fournette. Guice is an explosive back who excels after contact. He is a big play machine (7.8 YPC for his career) and is a first round lock at this time. Royce Freeman is coming off a down year due to nagging injuries, but I love his vision and blend of size and speed. Nick Chubb is a bowling ball of a back who struggled with explosiveness last season due to a knee injury in 2015. If he can regain his pre-injury form (8.1 YPC and 7 touchdown in 6 games in 2015), he will be a high draft pick. LJ Scott is big back who seems to thrive in the spotlight. He put up big numbers against Ohio State (236 total yards, 2 TDs) and Michigan (186 total yards, 1 TD) due to his vision and athleticism. I expect an even bigger year from the junior.
Slotting in at number six is Arizona State's Kalen Ballage, whom many draftniks are very fond of, including myself. At 6'3'' and 230 pounds, Ballage is a bruising back, but he can stay on the field for third downs due to his receiving ability. Bo Scarbrough was the third most elusive back in the country last year according to Pro Football Focus, and that is due to his insane combination of size (6'2'' 230 lbs) and speed (watch him vs Washington). Mark Walton aka "the grown ass man" had a breakout season last year where he ran for 1117 yards and had 15 total touchdowns. Explosive and incredibly tough to bring down, Walton is due for another big season at Miami. Damien Harris was actually the Crimson Tide's starting running back. While he isn't physically imposing like Bo Scarbrough at only 5'11'' and 215 lbs, he has great vision and toughness, which lead to several breakaway runs in 2016. Last on the list is Akrum Wadley from Iowa. He may not be incredibly fast, but he has amazing quickness and is dangerous in the open field. He is perfect for a pass-heavy offense.
Match-ups to Watch:
Arizona State vs USC, October 28th
It's Kalen Ballage vs Ronald Jones II. Ballage will go up against Cameron Smith, Porter Gustin, and the rest of the loaded USC front seven. Jones doesn't have it much easier, and the explosive back will have to go against some of the meanest players in the country in Koron Cump and D.J. Calhoun. This one is going to be a slugfest.
Western Michigan vs USC, September 2nd
This has less to due with Ronald Jones and more with Jarvion Franklin. If Franklin can put up a big game against one of the best front sevens in the country, his name will start getting moved up boards.
Oregon vs Oregon State, November 25th
By this point, we will know whether or not Royce Freeman will have regained his 2015 form, but a good performance will keep his name high on draft boards. Ryan Nall isn't being talked about enough right now, despite being Pro Football Focus' most elusive runner in 2016. Nall can put his name on the map with a big performance against Oregon.
Follow 4 Down Scouting on Twitter @4DownScouting
All stats come from www.sports-refrence.com unless otherwise noted
4. Nick Chubb, Georgia
5. LJ Scott, Michigan State
6. Kalen Ballage, Arizona State
7. Bo Scarbrough, Alabama
8. Mark Walton, Miami
9. Damien Harris, Alabama
10. Akrum Wadley, Iowa
For the second year in a row, running backs represent one of the draft's strongest positions. This is going to be one of those years where starters can be found in every single round of the draft. In fact, out of all of the rankings I am working on, this was by far the most difficult. It is just too easy to make a case for several of these running backs to crack the top ten. Here are some of those players.
Honorable Mentions: Mike Weber (Ohio State), Ronald Jones II (USC), Ryan Nall (Oregon State), Kamryn Pettway (Auburn), Sony Michel (Georgia), Justin Jackson (Northwestern), Lavon Coleman (Washington), Myles Gaskin (Washington), Jarvion Franklin (Western Michigan)
Headlining this stacked group of running backs is Saquon Barkley out of Penn State. Barkley has been the man since he stepped on campus. He has been extremely productive as a runner (3135 yards, 30 TDs, 6.2 YPC over two seasons) and as a receiver (48 career receptions, 5 TDs). On film he is everything you want in a running back when incomes to size, explosiveness, speed, and vision. Expect another monster season from Barkley. Just behind Barkley is Derrius Guice, the successor to Leonard Fournette. Guice is an explosive back who excels after contact. He is a big play machine (7.8 YPC for his career) and is a first round lock at this time. Royce Freeman is coming off a down year due to nagging injuries, but I love his vision and blend of size and speed. Nick Chubb is a bowling ball of a back who struggled with explosiveness last season due to a knee injury in 2015. If he can regain his pre-injury form (8.1 YPC and 7 touchdown in 6 games in 2015), he will be a high draft pick. LJ Scott is big back who seems to thrive in the spotlight. He put up big numbers against Ohio State (236 total yards, 2 TDs) and Michigan (186 total yards, 1 TD) due to his vision and athleticism. I expect an even bigger year from the junior.
Slotting in at number six is Arizona State's Kalen Ballage, whom many draftniks are very fond of, including myself. At 6'3'' and 230 pounds, Ballage is a bruising back, but he can stay on the field for third downs due to his receiving ability. Bo Scarbrough was the third most elusive back in the country last year according to Pro Football Focus, and that is due to his insane combination of size (6'2'' 230 lbs) and speed (watch him vs Washington). Mark Walton aka "the grown ass man" had a breakout season last year where he ran for 1117 yards and had 15 total touchdowns. Explosive and incredibly tough to bring down, Walton is due for another big season at Miami. Damien Harris was actually the Crimson Tide's starting running back. While he isn't physically imposing like Bo Scarbrough at only 5'11'' and 215 lbs, he has great vision and toughness, which lead to several breakaway runs in 2016. Last on the list is Akrum Wadley from Iowa. He may not be incredibly fast, but he has amazing quickness and is dangerous in the open field. He is perfect for a pass-heavy offense.
Match-ups to Watch:
Arizona State vs USC, October 28th
It's Kalen Ballage vs Ronald Jones II. Ballage will go up against Cameron Smith, Porter Gustin, and the rest of the loaded USC front seven. Jones doesn't have it much easier, and the explosive back will have to go against some of the meanest players in the country in Koron Cump and D.J. Calhoun. This one is going to be a slugfest.
Western Michigan vs USC, September 2nd
This has less to due with Ronald Jones and more with Jarvion Franklin. If Franklin can put up a big game against one of the best front sevens in the country, his name will start getting moved up boards.
Oregon vs Oregon State, November 25th
By this point, we will know whether or not Royce Freeman will have regained his 2015 form, but a good performance will keep his name high on draft boards. Ryan Nall isn't being talked about enough right now, despite being Pro Football Focus' most elusive runner in 2016. Nall can put his name on the map with a big performance against Oregon.
Follow 4 Down Scouting on Twitter @4DownScouting
All stats come from www.sports-refrence.com unless otherwise noted
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