2024 NFL Draft: Running Backs

Rank	Name	Position	School	Rating
36	Jonathon Brooks	RB	Texas	74.85
49	Trey Benson	RB	Florida State	72.11
68	Blake Corum	RB	Michigan	68.34
85	Jaylen Wright	RB	Tennessee	65.29
90	Will Shipley	RB	Clemson	64.31
98	MarShawn Lloyd	RB	USC	63.39
106	Ray Davis	RB	Kentucky	61.88
107	Braelon Allen	RB	Wisconsin	61.62
109	Bucky Irving	RB	Oregon	61.18
119	Audric Estimé	RB	Notre Dame	59.23

It’s a weak running back class. I’m not sure the NFL cares.

Jonathon Brooks, Texas: Only had 238 carries for 1,479 yards in his college career (16 touchdowns). He’s coming off of an ACL tear last November. Brown averaged 130 yards-from-scrimmage per game last season for the Longhorns.

Brooks generally showed good patience and vision, waiting for the hole to develop and bursting through once it did. He got the yards that were available, using a nice mix of power and evasiveness. It’s not that he’s a true power back. It’s more that he didn’t dance at the end. He was willing to take the hit to get to the sticks.

He was a reliable checkdown option (25 receptions for 286 yards). His pass protection skills are a work in progress. He’ll need to develop better technique, and show the toughness he flashed as a ballcarrier.

I can’t speak to the concerns of a medical red flag. Brooks might not be available to start the season. If he were healthy, he’d be my clear #1RB. As is, teams will have to trust their medical staffs in determining when to pull the trigger. I expect he’ll be a solid option outside of the top 50.

Trey Benson: Man, when Benson knew where to go, he was an absolute load. Benson was not the most decisive of running backs. When he did hit the hole on time, he was a threat to break a huge gain. His combine backed that up. Sub 4.4 speed gets scouts attention.

Benson gained 2,267 yards-from-scrimmage for the Seminoles over the past two seasons (24 touchdowns in 26 games). They didn’t lean on him a ton, preferring to keep him to around 3-4 touches per quarter. Like Brooks, he was mostly used on screens or checkdowns in the passing game.

Benson wasn’t used much in pass protection. That was probably for the best. He didn’t appear to have great instincts there, nor did he have much power. This is an area he’ll need to improve in to be a three-down back in the NFL.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Benson were the first back off the board. He returned a kick for a touchdown back in 2022. The dude might end up providing value in a lot of different ways. Speed kills. I’d be fine adding him outside of the top 40. Frankly, if he were to go late in the first round, I’d wince, but I’d understand it.

(Editor’s note: Benson had zero fumbles in college. Zero. His ball protection technique was textbook. That will endear him to his coaching staff.)

Blake Corum, Michigan: Undersized, but strong and agile. Corum gained 4,148 yards-from-scrimmage in his career at Michigan, scoring 61 touchdowns. Not bad, but I don’t expect he’ll match those numbers in his professional career.

First off, Corum is a liability in the passing game. He’s not much of a receiver, and his pass protection skills were terrible at the collegiate level. That means he’s pretty much strictly a ballcarrier.

Corum did a fine job of hitting the hole without hesitation. He was a menace in space, making multiple cuts to evade second-level defenders. However, he wasn’t very good at breaking tackles. The lack of power hurt in this regard.

I think Corum was a product of the Michigan offense. Corum rarely exploded through the defense. The Wolverines offensive line wore defenses down. I wouldn’t draft Corum until day three. Frankly, even then, I think there are going to plenty of options with more upside.

Jaylen Wright, Tennessee: It’s probably a good thing that college football doesn’t have fantasy football (AFAIK). Wright had 1,154 yards-from-scrimmage for the Vols last season. Only four touchdowns though.

The more I watched Wright, the more I liked him. He was consistently reliable in pass protection. He didn’t just make the block, he attacked the blitzer before he could get a pressure, let alone a sack. It’s possible that’s not textbook technique. Wright sometimes didn’t accurately recognize his blocking responsibility. That left him out of position when the rush arrived. Overall I’m grading this as a plus. Wright had the power and skills to protect his quarterback. He’ll just need to develop better recognition skills. That should come with reps.

Wright did a fine job as a receiver. Yes, it was mostly short passes and checkdowns. It’s okay for a running back to be a release valve or a hot read. Perhaps in time he’ll develop into a more refined target.

What I loved most about Wright was his explosiveness. If he got to top speed, he was a problem. Sure, there were times he gambled on bouncing the ball outside and lost yardage. He’ll learn to make better decisions. If he did find a crease, his sub 4.4 speed was visible on film. The dude looked fast. He broke some tackles with power, and some with speed. He was tough to bring down in the open field.

I put Wright just behind Benson and Brooks. Solid mid-day two value.

Will Shipley, Clemson: Nice numbers, but I should note that they came on his Pro Day, and not the combine. My sense is that Shipley is a better athlete than he is a football player. He doesn’t have the power to excel in pass protection. He was pretty good in the screen game, staying behind his blockers until he saw a lane to make a big play.

As a runner he was a bit boom-bust. It’s not just a question of making a quick decision and turning upfield. Shipley was poor at making the first man miss.

I don’t want to be too negative. Shipley gained 2,495 yards for Clemson over the past two seasons (22 touchdowns). It’s just that I definitely did not see the kind of athleticism he showed on his pro day on the film. To me, he’s a day three depth pick. Nothing more.

MarShawn Lloyd, USC: MarShawn Lloyd giveth (7+ yards-per-carry). Defenses taketh the ball away (one fumble per 29 carries at USC).

Years ago someone did a study. There’s a tradeoff between speed and ball security. You will be able to run faster with your arms extended than you can when the ball is tucked away tight. Let’s just say Lloyd likes to run fast.

Lloyd is a decent athlete. I have to say, his combination of height and weight worked for him. He broke a lot of tackles. With speed. With power. With his low center of gravity. The dude is tough to tackle.

I want to say that Lloyd isn’t much of a receiving option, but he managed to average 21 yards receiving per game at USC. He only had 13 receptions in 11 games though. It was a nice little bonus. He might be able to develop into a decent option on screens and checkdowns in the NFL. He did his best in pass protection, but his size limits his ability to shut down linebackers.

Overall I’d say Lloyd looks like a fine option near the end of day two. He’s certainly a solid day three pickup.

Ray Davis, Kentucky: Undersized, with a lot of orange and red. Not optimal.

Davis gained 1,452 yards-from-scrimmage last season at Kentucky. 21 Touchdowns. Not bad.

His size limits his effectiveness in pass protection. The effort was there though. He’ll at least get a chip in.

As a receiver he did a pretty good job of making the catch and hitting the open field. He did a nice job of evading defenders.

I don’t know how much impact Davis will be able to make in the NFL. I’m putting him on the pile of day three fungible running backs.

(Editor’s note: His full name is Re’Mahn Davis, which is how he’ll appear on some lists/websites.)

Braelon Allen, Wisconsin: If you want a larger, stronger running back, Allen has you covered. Allen rushed for 3,494 yards in three seasons at Wisconsin. His receiving skills are limited to basic dump offs and screens. He’s far from the traditional third down scatback.

His pass protection skills don’t live up to his size. I expect this is an area where Allen has significant upside. His heart was in it. His technique just needs to improve.

Allen is at his best in a one-cut scheme. He looks silly when trying to dance around in the backfield, looking for a hole. He also has some minor issues with ball security (one fumble per sixty carries) which will have to be corrected.

Allen can be the “Thunder” in a thunder and lightning backfield. I see him as a solid pickup late day two or early day three.

Bucky Irving, Oregon: Great production last season at Oregon (1,593 yards-from-scrimmage, 13 touchdowns). Absolutely terrible combine. Let’s weigh the good against the bad:

Strengths:

Aggressive running style. His strength and low center of gravity led to a lot of missed or broken tackles. Irving had a very high success rate (although Oregon’s offense deserves sum of the credit.) Irving was a good receiver, capable of breaking big plays. Only two fumbles in 398 touches at Oregon.

Weaknesses:

Small and slow isn’t what the NFL is looking for. Smaller catch radius. That was fine when Bo Nix was hitting him behind the line of scrimmage, but it might be an issue if the NFL asks him to do more than that. His size limits his effectiveness in pass protection.

I cannot justify using a day two pick on Irving. He’s a day three pickup to provide quality depth.

(Editor’s note: His full name is Mar’Keise Irving.)

Audric Estimé, Notre Dame: Gained 1,483 yards-from-scrimmage (18 touchdowns) in 12 games last season at Notre Dame. Good power, but no top-end speed whatsoever. Estimé has the build to excel in pass protection. He doesn’t have much experience there, so treat him as a work in progress in that regard.

As a receiver, he was purely a checkdown option. It’s hard to see him playing a major role here in the NFL.

When Estimé was able to build up speed directly from the handoff, he was excellent attacking the line of scrimmage. There is very little “East-West” to his game. When he had to be patient and wait for the play to develop, the results were mixed. The fewer decisions he has to make in the backfield, the better.

Estimé is another early day three value pickup if you need the skills he offers. Of course, running backs are fungible, and if you just need depth, there are always options available in the late rounds, or UFA’s.

(Editor’s note: You may have noticed that there were a lot of late day two or day three designations. That’s due to a combination of a weak class and positional value. There were only three running backs that I’d be happy to pick up before round three. None that I’d want to take in the first round.)

Special request:

Isaac Guerendo, Louisville: Earned a mid-day three grade. Absolutely awesome combine. Top speed score in the class. That might end up rocketing him up various draft boards. I’d recommend some caution.

First off, Guerendo only ran for 1,392 yards in college. That was over the course of five seasons, four at Wisconsin. It’s not like the Badgers have an aversion to running the ball.

Guerendo is a converted wide receiver who doesn’t really have the skills to excel in the passing game. For someone with that kind of athleticism, 358 receiving yards in his college career is unimpressive.

Guerendo simply did not play as fast as he tested. Perhaps a more enlightened coaching staff will find a way to unlock his true potential He posseses a truly rare mix of size and speed. But the film doesn’t lie. He’s a project with potential upside. I’m sticking with my day three grade.