Top 10 RBs In 2018 NFL Draft

1. Penn State RB Saquon Barkley – Junior – 6-0, 240 – 4.40
Barkley is the clear RB1 in this year’s draft with his stellar performance at the NFL Scouting Combine backing up his three years worth of production at Penn State where he had three straight 1,000-yard seasons and amassed 5,038 total yards and 51 touchdowns. He also returned two kickoffs for touchdowns and has tremendous hands in the passing game, so he can truly do it all. He doesn’t play as big as his size indicates, but has uncanny agility and breakaway speed. Some NFL teams believe he’s the most talented player in the draft and worthy of the top spot.

2. LSU RB Derrius Guice – Junior – 5-10, 224 – 4.49
Guice defines the term “angry runner” due to his physical running style. He has tremendous tackle-breaking ability and very good speed. Guice has totaled 3,074 yards rushing at LSU with 29 touchdowns. He’s coming off back-to-back years with over 1,200 yards on the ground after splitting time with Leonard Fournette during his first two seasons with the Tigers. He wasn’t used much in the passing game, but can catch the ball. Guice has some character issues, which may push this mid-first-round prospect down towards the end of the first round or the top of the second round.

Georgia RB Sony Michel – Photo by: Getty Images

3. Georgia RB Sony Michel – Senior – 5-11, 214 – 4.54
Michel split time with Nick Chubb during his four years at Georgia, but still finished as the Bulldogs’ all-time third-leading rusher behind Chubb and Herschel Walker, which is an amazing feat. Michel rushed for 3,613 yards and 33 TDs and added 621 yards and six TDs on 64 catches, proving that he is an every-down back. Michel has a great mix of toughness at the line of scrimmage and finesse in the open field. He has drawn some comparisons to New Orleans’ Alvin Kamara and could be a better pro running back than he was a college back, and he may wind up being better than Chubb. Michel is considered to be a late first- or early second-round pick.

4. Georgia RB Nick Chubb – Senior – 5-11, 227 – 4.54
Chubb had a sensational freshman season with 1,547 yards and 14 touchdowns before a devastating knee injury cut his sophomore campaign short. It took Chubb a year to rebound back to form, as he rushed for 1,130 yards and eight TDs in 2016 before posting 1,345 yards and 15 scores this season. Chubb finished his Bulldogs career No. 2 behind Herschel Walker with 4,769 yards, 44 touchdowns and a healthy 6.4 yards per carry average. Chubb, who has thick, powerful legs that allow him to break tackles with ease, can catch the ball, but wasn’t asked to do it much over the last three years. Chubb should be selected in the second round.

5. USC RB Ronald Jones II – Junior – 5-11, 205 – 4.48
Jones is a game-breaking dynamic running back, who rushed fro 3,619 yards and 39 touchdowns at USC, including 1,550 yards and 19 scores last year. Jones is a slasher with great vision and enough power to break arm tackles despite not being a big back. Jones has drawn comparisons to Jamaal Charles, which is pretty accurate. Jones wasn’t involved too much in the Trojans’ passing game, but did contribute 32 catches for 302 yards and three TDs during his three-year career. Look for Jones to be drafted in the second round.

6. San Diego State RB Rashaad Penny – Senior – 5-11, 220 – 4.46
After rushing for 1,018 yards and 11 touchdowns as a complementary runner to Donnell Pumphrey, Penny had a breakout year and led all FBS rushers with 2,248 yards and 23 touchdowns on 289 carries (7.8 avg.). Penny has breakaway speed and runs to daylight better than other running back in the draft. At 220 pounds he’s built to handle the payload as a first- and second-down runner, but he needs work as a pass protector before he can be trusted on third downs. Penny adds value as an accomplished return man with an NCAA record seven kickoff returns for touchdowns and one punt return for a touchdown in his Aztecs career. Penny is a second-round selection.

7. Auburn RB Kerryon Johnson – Junior – 5-11, 213 – 4.56
Johnson is one running back that has gotten overlooked this offseason by the draft media community, but not NFL teams. Johnson split carries with Kamryn Pettway during his time at Auburn, but emerged as a feature back when Pettway was injured in 2017. Johnson rushed for 2,494 yards and 32 touchdowns, including 1,391 yards and 18 TDs last year – although he had a modest 4.9 avg., which is only slightly better than his career average of 4.8 yards per carry. Johnson is a gifted receiver and had 55 catches for 478 yards and two scores for the Tigers. Johnson is more slippery than speedy, but has some shake to his game and can break tackles. Johnson is likely a second- or third-round pick.

N.C. State RB Nyheim Hines – Photo by: Getty Images

8. North Carolina State RB Nyheim Hines – Junior – 5-8 – 198 – 4.38
Hines turned heads at the NFL Scouting Combine when he blazed a 4.38 in the 40-yard dash. Hines split time with Matthew Days and Jaylen Samuels for the Wolfpack, but got to see more of a lead role as a junior where he rushed for 1,113 yards and 12 touchdowns on 197 carries (5.6 avg.). Hines is a talented receiver out of the backfield and can create mismatches in the flat and on wheel routes, evidenced by his 89 catches for 933 yards (10.5 avg.) and one touchdown. Hines is also can accomplished return specialist with two 100-yard kickoff returns for touchdowns and a 70-yard punt return for a TD. Although he’s small, Hines is powerful for his size and can break tackles just as well as he can elude them. Hines is projected to be a third- or fourth-rounder.

9. North Carolina State RB Jaylen Samuels – Senior – 6-0, 225 – 4.54
Samuels split time with Nyheim Hines at N.C. State and was used as a receiver, a tight end and a running back. Samuels was invited to the Senior Bowl to be featured as a runner and he performed well. A good, all-around athlete, Samuels totaled 201 catches for 1,851 yards (9.2 avg.) and 19 touchdowns as a slot receiver and a receiver out of the backfield. He also carried the ball 182 times for 1,107 yards and 28 touchdowns in his Wolfpack career. NFL teams view Samuels as a third-down back with Alvin Kamara-like receiving ability. He’s projected to be a third- or fourth-round selection.

10. Miami RB Mark Walton – Junior – 5-10, 202 – 4.52
Walton ran a pedestrian 4.60 at the NFL Scouting Combine, but turned in a better time of 4.52 in the 40-yard dash at his pro day. Walton had a productive sophomore season, rushing for 1,117 yards and 14 touchdowns on 209 carries (5.3 avg.), in addition to catching 27 passes for 240 yards and a touchdown. He was off to a terrific start to 2017 with 428 yards and three touchdowns on 56 carries (7.6 avg.) before an ankle injury sidelined him the rest of his junior campaign. Walton runs hard and can bust through tackles with his reckless running style. Occasionally he shows a second gear that enables him to break off a big run or catch, but he’s mostly a chain-mover who amassed 2,006 yards rushing and 26 TDs along with 624 yards receiving and a pair of scores on his 56 career catches. Walton is seen as a fourth-round pick on Day 3.

Best Of The Rest

11. Oregon RB Royce Freeman – Senior – 5-11, 229 – 4.54
Incredibly productive power back with 5,621 yards and 60 touchdowns on an incredible 947 carries, which prompts NFL scouts to wonder how much tread he has left on his tires. Freeman can also catch the ball, evidenced by 79 receptions for 814 yards and four TDs.

12. Tennessee RB John Kelly – Junior – 5-10, 216 – 4.55
Kelly ran a 4.65 in the 40-yard dash, and although he ran a faster time at his pro day, he doesn’t look fast on tape, evidenced by his career average of 4.8 yards per carry. He doesn’t break off many long runs. Kelly split time with Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara at Tennessee, and never rushed for 1,000 yards in any season. He is a tough, violent runner and has good hands, as he demonstrated last year with 37 catches for 299 yards.

13. Notre Dame RB Josh Adams – Junior – 6-2, 213 – 4.52
Adams could prove to be a Day 3 steal for some team as he has homerun speed and broke off several long runs for the Fighting Irish. Adams benefitted from the blocking of two first-round picks in Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey to rush for 3,201 yards and 20 TDs while averaging 6.7 yards per carry in his career. Adams showed he could be a workhorse with 1,430 yards rushing with nine TDs last year, and has decent hands.

Arizona State RB Kalen Ballage – Photo by: Getty Images

14. Arizona State RB Kalen Ballage – Senior – 6-1, 228 – 4.46
Ballage is a big, fast, powerful do-it-all back that is coming off great NFL Scouting Combine and Senior Bowl performances. Ballage totaled 1,984 yards and 27 touchdowns on the ground and caught 82 passes for 684 yards and two touchdowns as a receiver out of the backfield. Ballage is also adds value as a special teams player as he is a capable kick returner.

15. Alabama RB Bo Scarbrough – Junior – 6-1, 228 – 4.46
Scarbrough is coming off a disappointing junior season in which he only rushed for 596 yards and eight touchdowns and lost carries to Damien Harris. Scarbrough is a muscle-bound power runner with good straight-line ability, but does not have much wiggle to his game. He fared better as a sophomore where he rushed for 812 yards and 11 TDs on 125 carries (6.5 avg.).

16. Northwestern RB Justin Jackson – Senior – 6-0, 199 – 4.50
Jackson was a workhorse for the Wildcats with a whopping 1,142 carries for 5,440 yards and 41 TDs. Jackson had four seasons with at least 1,100 yards and some scouts have concerns about the wear and tear he’s already been subjected to. Jackson could be a shifty third-down, change-of-pace back at the next level as he caught 122 passes for 858 yards and one touchdown at Northwestern.

17. Iowa RB Akrum Wadley – Senior – 5-10, 194 – 4.54
Wadley was a two-year starter at Iowa and had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons as a junior and a senior. He totaled 2,872 yards and 28 TDs on 536 carries (5.4 avg.), and caught 71 passes for 761 yards (10.7 avg.) and seven scores. Wadley is undersized and is more quick than fast. He figures to be a third-down back at the next level.

18. Southern Miss RB Ito Smith – Senior – 5-9, 201 – 4.50
Smith was an incredibly productive back at Southern Miss, rushing for 4,538 yards and 42 touchdowns on 820 carries (5.5 avg.). Smith had three 1,000-yard seasons for the Eagles, including back-to-back 1,400-yard years. He totaled 140 receptions for 1,446 yards (10.3 avg.) and seven TDs. Smith could be a Day 3 steal.

Fordham RB Chase Edmonds – Photo courtesy of Fordham

19. Fordham RB Chase Edmonds – Senior – 5-9, 205 – 4.55
Edmonds was on pace to break the all-time FCS rushing record, but fell short as he suffered an ankle injury that limited his senior year stats to 577 yards and five TDs after three straight years with more than 1,600 yards rushing. He totaled 5,862 yards and 67 touchdowns in his Rams career. Edmonds would make an excellent third down receiver due to his great hands, evidenced by 86 career receptions for 905 yards (10.5 avg.) and seven touchdowns.

20. Grambling State RB Martez Carter – Senior – 5-7, 204 – 4.54
Carter is a bowling ball of a runner with tremendous balance, agility and tackle-breaking ability. He rushed for over 800 yards in each of the last three seasons and totaled 29 touchdowns in that span. Carter would make an excellent third-down back as he had 74 catches for 961 yards and nine TDs for the Tigers. Carter also starred on special teams as a punt returner (9.7 avg.) and a kick returner (four TDs).

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