Very few tailbacks take in the 1st/2nd round these days.
DBs are at a premium. If you’re deciding between two positions it’s pretty obvious where your best chance is to see the field and get drafted.
And even in just the last 10 years, there’s been a dramatic shift in how NFL teams utilize and value RBs.
2010 season: 11 RBs with 250+ carries 2020 season: 3 RBs with 250+ carries
And how many RBs drafted in the first 2 rounds in the last 10 years would you look back and say “yeah that pick was worth it”?
Probably just Zeke, McCaffrey, and Cook. And Cook only because he was taken in the second round. And Zeke might not be worth it anymore after the year he just had.
It's wild that we're talking about potential HOFers here, and yet we can't be sure that they would've been worth the picks that they were taken at. I'm not sure why anyone would choose to play RB if they could play literally any other position.
Henry, edwards hilaire and Barkley and probably josh Jacobs IMO are all worth it. But you could make the case they’re not because of injuries too. Running back is complicated.
That said if you get a top 5-10 level running back you have a real playmaker in your backfield for dirt cheap by salary comparisons. I would say if you expect to have your team compete for a deep playoff run during the first contract for a couple of years of said player it’s absolutely worth it.
Very few tailbacks take in the 1st/2nd round these days.
DBs are at a premium. If you’re deciding between two positions it’s pretty obvious where your best chance is to see the field and get drafted.
And even in just the last 10 years, there’s been a dramatic shift in how NFL teams utilize and value RBs.
2010 season: 11 RBs with 250+ carries 2020 season: 3 RBs with 250+ carries
And how many RBs drafted in the first 2 rounds in the last 10 years would you look back and say “yeah that pick was worth it”?
Probably just Zeke, McCaffrey, and Cook. And Cook only because he was taken in the second round. And Zeke might not be worth it anymore after the year he just had.
It's wild that we're talking about potential HOFers here, and yet we can't be sure that they would've been worth the picks that they were taken at. I'm not sure why anyone would choose to play RB if they could play literally any other position.
Henry, edwards hilaire and Barkley and probably josh Jacobs IMO are all worth it. But you could make the case they’re not because of injuries too. Running back is complicated.
That said if you get a top 5-10 level running back you have a real playmaker in your backfield for dirt cheap by salary comparisons. I would say if you expect to have your team compete for a deep playoff run during the first contract for a couple of years of said player it’s absolutely worth it.
Lining up all those things is the difficult part.
Forgot about Henry. But he was a mid 2nd rounder, which further proves the point that taking a RB high is a waste of a pick. Like Barkley. The Giants would kill to have a do-over on that #2 overall pick.
Very few tailbacks take in the 1st/2nd round these days.
DBs are at a premium. If you’re deciding between two positions it’s pretty obvious where your best chance is to see the field and get drafted.
And even in just the last 10 years, there’s been a dramatic shift in how NFL teams utilize and value RBs.
2010 season: 11 RBs with 250+ carries 2020 season: 3 RBs with 250+ carries
And how many RBs drafted in the first 2 rounds in the last 10 years would you look back and say “yeah that pick was worth it”?
It’s not only that. NFL teams carry 3-4 RB’s. One of those guys is often on the team for special teams. Fullback is basically dead, but a few teams still have one. Most teams use a back up TE there.
One RB is on the field at a time, very rarely two. Very few RB’s do anything but play RB. A few guys are hybrid RB/slot WR’s.
NFL teams carry up to 10 DB’s. 5 are on the field the majority of snaps. 6 and sometimes even 7 are on the field at certain times. There are many hybrid CB/S/Nickel types. There are S/LB types.
These guys are often special teams staple guys as well. The top DB’s get paid more than the top RB’s. The legitimate starters have longer careers. League average DB’s play a lot longer than a league average RB. A guy has to be a stud to last more than 5 years at RB.
Very few tailbacks take in the 1st/2nd round these days.
DBs are at a premium. If you’re deciding between two positions it’s pretty obvious where your best chance is to see the field and get drafted.
And even in just the last 10 years, there’s been a dramatic shift in how NFL teams utilize and value RBs.
2010 season: 11 RBs with 250+ carries 2020 season: 3 RBs with 250+ carries
And how many RBs drafted in the first 2 rounds in the last 10 years would you look back and say “yeah that pick was worth it”?
Probably just Zeke, McCaffrey, and Cook. And Cook only because he was taken in the second round. And Zeke might not be worth it anymore after the year he just had.
It's wild that we're talking about potential HOFers here, and yet we can't be sure that they would've been worth the picks that they were taken at. I'm not sure why anyone would choose to play RB if they could play literally any other position.
Henry, edwards hilaire and Barkley and probably josh Jacobs IMO are all worth it. But you could make the case they’re not because of injuries too. Running back is complicated.
That said if you get a top 5-10 level running back you have a real playmaker in your backfield for dirt cheap by salary comparisons. I would say if you expect to have your team compete for a deep playoff run during the first contract for a couple of years of said player it’s absolutely worth it.
Lining up all those things is the difficult part.
Barkley at two is a reach. He’s good, but kind of an all or nothing back. I have a somewhat controversial opinion that Adrian Peterson was always overrated because of the all or nothing factor to his game. And nowadays, the RB better be a real threat catching the ball.
I don’t hate picking a RB in the first round tho. Of course I would rather pick Alvin Kamara in the third round but that basically goes for any position. Safeties and ILB’s are also not considered value positions in the draft, but it’s stupid to me.
A legit difference maker is worth a high pick, regardless of position. So many times we hear about a LT being a safe pick when the LT is really just an average player with a low ceiling.
I’ve posted before about how stupid it is to pick a guy that scouts say can’t play LT, but can play RT as if opponents can’t put their best pass rusher against a RT. LT is a tiny bit more important than RT, but the blindside bullshit jumped the shark a long time ago. A mediocre or bad tackle will fuck you. You can get away with an average interior OL, but not more than one.
The real stupidity is picking a non pass rushing DT early. I like Danny Shelton because he played at UW but picking him 11th was asinine. Run stuffing veteran DT’s are available for bargain prices and saving money to get a player 95% as good is important.
Very few tailbacks take in the 1st/2nd round these days.
DBs are at a premium. If you’re deciding between two positions it’s pretty obvious where your best chance is to see the field and get drafted.
And even in just the last 10 years, there’s been a dramatic shift in how NFL teams utilize and value RBs.
2010 season: 11 RBs with 250+ carries 2020 season: 3 RBs with 250+ carries
And how many RBs drafted in the first 2 rounds in the last 10 years would you look back and say “yeah that pick was worth it”?
Probably just Zeke, McCaffrey, and Cook. And Cook only because he was taken in the second round. And Zeke might not be worth it anymore after the year he just had.
It's wild that we're talking about potential HOFers here, and yet we can't be sure that they would've been worth the picks that they were taken at. I'm not sure why anyone would choose to play RB if they could play literally any other position.
Henry, edwards hilaire and Barkley and probably josh Jacobs IMO are all worth it. But you could make the case they’re not because of injuries too. Running back is complicated.
That said if you get a top 5-10 level running back you have a real playmaker in your backfield for dirt cheap by salary comparisons. I would say if you expect to have your team compete for a deep playoff run during the first contract for a couple of years of said player it’s absolutely worth it.
Lining up all those things is the difficult part.
Forgot about Henry. But he was a mid 2nd rounder, which further proves the point that taking a RB high is a waste of a pick. Like Barkley. The Giants would kill to have a do-over on that #2 overall pick.
The problem with the giants taking Barkley high is the rest of their team is ass so by the time the team is ready to compete they likely have to pay top dollar to keep Him. This is also assuming he stays healthy which is a problem with multiple positions besides rb.
Taking Zeke high wasn’t bad for Dallas. They just choked in the playoffs and did nothing before they had to pay him.
If there was a stud running back for the dolphins or 49ers this year it may have been worth it for either of those teams as they are solid to good rosters. Not sure there was though. Maybe Najee Harris but that may be a stretch.
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That said if you get a top 5-10 level running back you have a real playmaker in your backfield for dirt cheap by salary comparisons. I would say if you expect to have your team compete for a deep playoff run during the first contract for a couple of years of said player it’s absolutely worth it.
Lining up all those things is the difficult part.
One RB is on the field at a time, very rarely two. Very few RB’s do anything but play RB. A few guys are hybrid RB/slot WR’s.
NFL teams carry up to 10 DB’s. 5 are on the field the majority of snaps. 6 and sometimes even 7 are on the field at certain times. There are many hybrid CB/S/Nickel types. There are S/LB types.
These guys are often special teams staple guys as well. The top DB’s get paid more than the top RB’s. The legitimate starters have longer careers. League average DB’s play a lot longer than a league average RB. A guy has to be a stud to last more than 5 years at RB.
I don’t hate picking a RB in the first round tho. Of course I would rather pick Alvin Kamara in the third round but that basically goes for any position. Safeties and ILB’s are also not considered value positions in the draft, but it’s stupid to me.
A legit difference maker is worth a high pick, regardless of position. So many times we hear about a LT being a safe pick when the LT is really just an average player with a low ceiling.
I’ve posted before about how stupid it is to pick a guy that scouts say can’t play LT, but can play RT as if opponents can’t put their best pass rusher against a RT. LT is a tiny bit more important than RT, but the blindside bullshit jumped the shark a long time ago. A mediocre or bad tackle will fuck you. You can get away with an average interior OL, but not more than one.
The real stupidity is picking a non pass rushing DT early. I like Danny Shelton because he played at UW but picking him 11th was asinine. Run stuffing veteran DT’s are available for bargain prices and saving money to get a player 95% as good is important.
Barkley is injury prone
Taking Zeke high wasn’t bad for Dallas. They just choked in the playoffs and did nothing before they had to pay him.
If there was a stud running back for the dolphins or 49ers this year it may have been worth it for either of those teams as they are solid to good rosters. Not sure there was though. Maybe Najee Harris but that may be a stretch.