D’Andre Swift: The best of a loaded 2020 NFL draft RB class

Georgia running back D’Andre Swift is the best running back in a loaded 2020 NFL draft class at the position.

It was the 2017 SEC Championship, D’Andre Swift and the Georgia Bulldogs were playing not just for an SEC title, but a spot in the College Football Playoff. With 10:46 left Georgia had the ball leading Auburn 21-7 trying to put the game away on that drive.

Swift was just a freshman at the time but was still trusted in big spots. He took a handoff bounced it outside, followed a block by his receiver and then jetted down the sideline for a 64-yard touchdown to put the game away. It was at this moment the college football world knew that Georgia had another star running back.

It was obvious how talented Swift was when he still managed to get 98 touches in the backfield with two of the best running backs in the country at the time in Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. It also wasn’t like he was just getting garbage time carries, they used him in their biggest games of the year including the SEC Championship against Auburn, the Rose Bowl semifinal game against Oklahoma and the National Championship game against Alabama.

Swift is the complete package as a running back and one of the premier backs in the 2020 NFL draft class. As a runner, he has great vision and he always explodes into the holes created by his offensive line. He knows when to bounce runs outside and when to follow his line and is at his best when he is in the open field. Swift is a nightmare to try to tackle in space, as he can make defenders miss with his elite elusiveness and agility.

He is also a very strong, violent runner when he gets a head of steam he often drags tacklers with him or falls forward for extra yardage at the end of runs.

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Perhaps the most intriguing part about his game are his abilities in the passing game. In the NFL, the passing game is becoming more and more important, so running backs are asked to do more as receivers than they ever have before. Georgia has utilized Swift a lot over the years. Throughout his whole career, he’s recorded 73 catches for 666 yards and 5 touchdowns through the air. When he they get him the ball and he has space to work, he is electrifying.

There are of course times where he collects the pass and defenders are immediately there to bring him down, but when he gets it and has space to work, it’s a sure bet that he will make at least one defender miss. While oftentimes he goes out for routes on pass plays he has also shown the ability to thrive in pass protection. Multiple times when the defense dials up a blitz, Swift does a nice job of getting low and taking out the legs of the pass rusher.

In the RB1 discussion for the 2020 NFL Draft, you have to consider guys like Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins, Clemson’s Travis Etienne, and Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor, but Swift is just a more complete player than all of them.

While Dobbins is complete in his own right, Swift is still faster, more agile in the open field and a better a receiver. While Etienne is faster than him, Swift is still again more agile in the open field, has better vision as a runner, and is a more dependable as a receiver. And while Taylor is bigger than him, Swift is still better or equal to him in every other aspect. When we look at his entire game, Swift is clearly the best running back in the 2020 NFL draft class.