BACK STORY WHEN IT COMES TO THE STEELERS DRAFT
Crop of running backs is deep, but there’s no consensus No. 1 and that could be a good thing
INDIANAPOLIS —
The leading rusher at the highest level of college football last year? He’s not here. The running back who averaged the most yards per carry? Stayed in school. And the 6-foot-2, 230-pound former No. 1 high school recruit in the country who became the latest star to go over 1,000 yards at the tailback factory that is Alabama? Well, he’s back at Alabama.
But in an offseason in which it’s a stated goal of the Steelers to drastically improve their ground game, there still figures to be plenty of options in the 2020 draft class of running backs, who will run the 40-yard dash and show their skills in drills Friday afternoon at the combine.
“Running backs come in all different shapes and sizes, and I think it depends on who you’ve got. … You want somebody who’s fast and breaks tackles, can block, and he’s got to protect,” Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores said Tuesday. “We’re looking for all those things.”
Fortunately for the Dolphins, who have far and away the worst running back situation in the league, just about every ballcarrier in Indianapolis claims to be more than capable of doing all that. But what’s the real outlook for a group
that’s missing the aforementioned Chuba Hubbard, Travis Etienne and Najee Harris, all of whom decided not to enter the draft?
Well, a few coaches and general managers have touted its depth this week, but unlike quarterback, defensive end and cornerback, there’s no consensus No. 1 prospect at the position. You won’t find a Saquon Barkley or Ezekiel Elliott and maybe not even a Josh Jacobs, the only back to go in the first round (and top 50)a year ago.
“When you look at this draft, just in my opinion, I’ve watched some of the backs and there’s a lot of different styles of backs,” said Houston coach Bill O’Brien. “You have big backs, you have 250-pound backs, you have backs that are smaller, really good in the passing game. It depends on what you’re looking for and how you categorize those players on your roster. Are you looking for a first-and-second-down back? A bigger guy that’s maybe not as much in the passing game, but a really good downhill runner? A three-down-back that can kind of do it all? A third-down back?”
When it comes to the Steelers, they’re in a bit of a nebulous spot. They averaged the fourth-fewest yards per carry (3.7) last season but have a running back in James Conner who made the Pro Bowl the year before. Conner was hampered by injuries in 2019, but the Steelers also have a fifth-round pick from two drafts ago and a fourthrounder from last April still on the roster in Jaylen Samuels and Benny Snell.
Weighing the pros and cons of that backfield cocktail, if the Steelers are going to look for an upgrade via the draft in two months, it would only make sense to try to find their next every-down player. But can they do that without picking until No. 49, and can they do it without reaching for someone who might not even beas good as Conner?
“The value of running backs isn’t really down,” said Ohio State product J.K. Dobbins, who has as good a shot as any to be a firstrounder. “We do a lot of things on the field and we help our teams win. You can see it with the Titans and Chiefs. The Chiefs closed out the Super Bowl with running plays.”
If Dobbins (5-9½, 209) isn’t at the top of the board, it’s Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor or Georgia’s D’Andre Swift. But at a position where success can be determined by so many other factors — blocking, scheme, overall success of an offense — the pecking order could see a shakeup based on Friday’s athletic testing.
Taylor, the only player to rush for more than 6,000 yards in just three seasons, checked in at 5-10 and 226 pounds, brandishing a gregarious personality with a running style he modeled after Arian Foster.
“Arian Foster was really smooth in and out of his cuts for his size,” Taylor said. “So, me being kind of a bigger back, making sure when I play I play smooth, so it looks natural. And I thought it was just like rhythm and poetry in my eyes.”
Swift’s name should ring bells for any Pittsburghers who followed Central Catholic’s run to the PIAA Class 6A championship in 2016. Once the Vikings got to Hershey, a dominant defense gave up 140 yards rushing to Swift (5-8, 212) in a blowout loss to Philadelphia powerhouse St. Joseph’s Prep.
Outside of what might be viewed as a big three, there’s also Cam Akers of Florida State, Clyde Edwards-Helaire of LSU and A.J. Dillon of Boston College. A former top10 recruit, Akers (5-10, 217) claimed he’ll run faster than 4.4 seconds in the 40, which no running back did last year. Edwards-Helaire is the second-shortest player here at just 5-7, but he weighed in at 207 and only one back has bigger hands than the national champion’s leading rusher. Dillon (6-0, 247) is by far the heaviest rusher in Indianapolis but will have a chance to clear up questions about his speed once he runs.
There hasn’t been a first round without a running back since it happened backto-back years in 2013 and 2014. The Steelers might be just fine with their depth chart, though this could be the perfect draft to grab a running back who’s more than just fine but falls to them at just the right time.