Anthony Richardson headlines 2023 NFL Scouting Combine on offense
By Andrew Kim
Running Back
The running back group is pretty deep in talent all across the board. However, it is still led by most likely first-rounder Bijan Robinson. With his production (1,894 yards from scrimmage and 20 total touchdowns) and his athletic testing at his size, the Texas running back is widely considered as a top five or ten player overall in this draft. At 5’11” and 215 lbs., the junior Longhorn can be the upgrade at the position to take an offense over the hump and do it all at an elite rate.
Shaunak Harit, of NFL Mocks, scouted Robinson and considered him the top running back, a blue-chip prospect as one of the safer players in this draft.
Jahmyr Gibbs of Alabama follows suit as a potential late first or early second-round player. NFL Mocks Jonathan Lurensky scouted Gibbs and thinks he is the second-best running back in this draft. Even though he is smaller than previously thought, the best trait for the Crimson Tide ball carrier is his speed, running a 4.36 40-yard dash, and his receiving prowess.
Day two potential locks at running back that tested well and have good production include Devon Achane out of Texas A&M, who ran the fastest 40-yard dash of the group at 4.32, and UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet, who has the prototypical size and speed that teams covet.
Potential running back risers include Keaton Mitchell (East Carolina), Roschon Johnson (Texas), Chase Brown (Illinois), and Evan Hull (Northwestern). All tested well athletically for their size and can prove to be potential steals for where they are taken during the draft around day two into day three.
Day two and three potential running backs, who participated in the drills (and looked good) but did not run a 40-yard dash, include Mohamed Ibrahim (Minnesota), Tyjae Spears (Tulane), Deuce Vaughn (Kansas State), Eric Gray (Oklahoma), Kendre Miller (TCU), Travis Dye (USC), DeWayne McBride (UAB).
Both Zach Evans (Ole Miss) and Israel Abanikanda (Pitt) were both injured during training but Sean Tucker (Syracuse) did not test or do drills for an unknown reason (or at least based on what I could find, which was little to no information but most likely it was due to an injury).
NFL Mocks Hunter Haas scouted Tucker and graded him mid to late day two of the draft, as this will likely be the range of the other backs listed in this group as well.
Teams looking for different types of backs to suit their role in the offense (power, elusive, receiving) should find a plethora of options in this draft class.