NFL Draft Prospects: Top 5 players at every offensive position

Running backs

1. Najee Harris, Alabama

2. Travis Etienne, Clemson

3. Breece Hall, Iowa State

4. Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State

5. Javonte Williams, North Carolina

Just missed the cut: C.J. Verdell (Oregon), Javian Hawkins (Louisville) & Mohamid Ibrahim (Minnesota)

I know this might be a little be a little controversial at the top here for some people, but I love Najee Harris. He came to Alabama is a consensus top three overall recruit and while you saw the talent, he didn’t run very hard. Three years later he has turned himself into the most punishing ball-carrier in all of college football. He could have easily entered the 2020 draft after putting up 1500 scrimmage yards and 20 touchdowns on just 236 touches, but surprisingly decided to come back for his senior year and SEC defenders have felt the consequences. While I won’t put him quite on the same level of physicality and top-end speed as another Crimson Tide star back in Derrick Henry, he has a lot of the same qualities, while bringing better start-stop ability and pace to his running, with pretty sweet feet for a workhorse power back.

Etienne is the consensus number one back and I do understand why. While I wasn’t fully on board at the start, when it was his long speed that led to those homerun plays, where he was barely touched – including an 81-yard house call on his first ever collegiate carry – he has certainly impressed me with how much stronger he has become and the contact balance he brings to the table, which are a big reason he forced an NCAA-best 91 missed tackles in 2019, during a record-setting season, in which he racked up 2046 yards and 23 touchdowns from scrimmage on 244 touches. He always keeps those legs churning through contact and what I really like is that he has already surpassed his receiving total from last season with over 500 yards, after he was almost a non-factor in the passing game to start his career. His rushing average of 5.2 is certainly below his lofty standards of 7.8 through his first three years however and we saw some issues in terms of creating on his own against Notre Dame.

The guy that has really emerged at the running back position this season is another guy from Iowa State. After David Montgomery quietly was one of the elite backs in college football for the Cyclones with his individual efforts and ability to force missed tackles, Hall has taken over in a similar mold. He has already easily surpassed his 2019 stats on basically the same amount of touches in three fewer games, with 1260 rushing yards and 17 total touchdowns. Hall is a highly patient runner, who allows his blockers to open up seams and then he slices through the defense. He constantly makes the first defender miss and gets more than what is there to be had, with great balance to get back on his feet, but he might be the best in this whole group of making something happen when nothing is there. Hall may not have that ability to go from zero to 100 in a heartbeat like some other guys do, but he somehow gets those breakaway runs and has closed out several games already.

While it certainly hasn’t been the year everybody expected, I could not leave Hubbard off the list. Last year he led the country with 2094 rushing yards and he added just under 200 yards receiving as well, while reaching the end-zone 21 times. Despite being named a first-team All-American, he decided to return to school, which he might regret a little bit now, since he has been banged up for large stretches of the season and the OSU offense simply hasn’t been overly impressive. Still, at his best, Hubbard is a chunk play waiting to happen. He brings great burst through the hole and to get to the edges, while showing the understanding of how to manipulate second-level defenders and punishing lacking discipline for backside contain. His question marks (when healthy) are ball-security, with four fumbles last season, and his involvement as a receiver, most being used to run off defenders on wheel routes and catching some screen passes.

One of my favorite running backs in the country is Javonte Williams. North Carolina runs a two-back system with him and Michael Carter, as they both are over 1100 scrimmage years on the year already, but the big difference between the two are touchdowns, as Williams is at a whopping 18 through nine games – already slightly surpassing his totals from a year ago. At 5’10”, 220 pounds, Williams has a really strong lower body and not only can he slip through some small creases, but he is a load to bring down, constantly gaining yards through contact and having would-be-tacklers slip off him. Thanks to his hard-nosed running style, he is a specialist for short-yardage and goal-line situations. He doesn’t quite have true breakaway speed and doesn’t really explode through the hole, but while it might be that number 25 he’s wearing, this Tar Heel reminds me a little bit of Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

Verdell may be the premiere big-play threat at the running back position outside of Etienne and surprisingly falls forward more than he should, Hawkins himself is highly elusive but runs tougher than his size indicates, while Ibrahim there is no-nonsense runner, as Minnesota almost exlcusively runs inside zone with him and it’s one cut and run through somebody’s face.