2019 NFL Draft: Remember, preseason numbers prove nothing
By Joel Deering
Running Backs
I won’t go into as much detail with the running backs and wide receivers as I did with the quarterbacks, but I do want to add just a bit to prove my point.
If we go back to the 2018 NFL preseason, the top five rushers were Chris Warren of the Raiders (292 yards), Ryan Nall of the Bears (223 yards), John Kelly of the Rams (197 yards), Mike Boone of the Vikings (195 yards) and Gus Edwards of the Ravens (174 yards). Of those five guys, only one (Gus Edwards) made a significant impact on their team last season.
Looking at this NFL preseason, the top five rushers are Mike Boone of the Vikings (177 yards), Nick Brossette of the Patriots (138 yards), Qadree Ollison of the Falcons (129 yards), James Butler of the Raiders (117 yards) and Ryan Nall of the Bears (104 yards). Much like Boone and Nall last season, they’ll likely rarely see the field during the regular season, if they see it at all. Brossette, Ollison, and Butler are likely in the same boat.
The numbers tell us that preseason success as a running back doesn’t translate to the regular season. Let’s go back to Tony Pollard of the Dallas Cowboys. He hasn’t been one of the leading rushers this preseason because of a small sample size, but he has done a really nice job in Elliott’s spot, looking like a starting caliber running back.
He’s been one of the most exciting players to watch in preseason so far. Just because Pollard has had a nice preseason, it doesn’t mean he’s going to be to the next Zeke, but it also doesn’t mean he can’t be. Just like we should wait until Daniel Jones proves it in a regular season game, we should wait to see what Pollard shows us in the regular season.