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Below are my RB rankings for the 2020 NFL Draft class. Something to keep in mind as you read them over is that I put a lot of priority on a running back’s versatility and ability to contribute in the passing game as a receiver and a blocker. That influences my evaluations greatly, as you’ll see.

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1: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, LSU
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Yes, you read that right. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is my top-rated RB in this year’s draft, and he’s the only one with a 1st round grade. When you consider everything that he brings to the table, it really shouldn’t be that big of a shocker. What are CEH’s weaknesses? He doesn’t have great top-end speed… and that’s it. His vision, mental processing, and receiving skills are the best in the RB class, he has elite elusiveness, and he runs with a ton of physicality. People might bring up CEH’s size, but let’s be clear: he’s short, but he’s not small, and height doesn’t matter to me a whole lot when it comes to the RB position. CEH has a strong and thick build, and he pairs that with good pad level and leverage to finish runs well. He can beat you in so many ways, and whichever team acquires him is going to love his football IQ and coachability. CEH is going to have a long and successful career in the NFL.

Grade: 1st Round

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2: D’Andre Swift, Georgia
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Most evaluators I’ve come across have Swift as their RB1, and for good reason. He may not be the best in a specific area, but he does a lot of things at a very high level with only a few glaring weaknesses. His overall vision is good and he’s not afraid to initiate contact to finish runs. Swift doesn’t have elite elusiveness in terms of making cuts on a dime and juking defenders left and right, but his signature dead-leg move is highly effective. His pacing is exceptional. He’s patient when going one direction and then knows how to accelerate in another. Swift’s best trait as a runner though is his understanding and usage of angles. That’s what makes him tough to bring down in open space. Swift isn’t the most polished route runner in terms of creating separation, but it’s more of a case of him tweaking certain things than it is him not having the ability to. Oh, and he’s good in pass protection. Right now, I’d say he’s better suited for zone schemes, but he’s more than capable of running in gap schemes too. Swift checks off so many boxes and it’s hard not to grade him this high.

Grade: Late 1st / Early 2nd Round

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3: JK Dobbins, Ohio State
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Dobbins is another player whom many evaluators I’ve come across have as their RB1. I really like how he runs, and I wanted to put him as my RB2 over Swift. But at the end of the day, he just wasn’t as well-rounded in the passing game as a receiver and blocker, and his fumbling is an obvious concern. I also want to see Dobbins create more, both behind the line of scrimmage and in space. That being said, Dobbins’ agility and contact balance remind me of the way Kareem Hunt runs. He runs with a low center of gravity which help him make sharp and sudden cuts in tight spaces. His vision is excellent, better than Swift’s. He displays an understanding of setting up 2nd level defenders and execute in both zone and gap schemes. He improved significantly from 2018 to 2019, especially with hitting big runs, proving he’s a dynamic weapon for any team wanting a back that can provide some explosive plays. There’s a good amount to like about Dobbins, and he still has room to grow.

Grade: 2nd Round

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4: Cam Akers, Florida State
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Akers probably has the highest upside out of any RB in this class. What puts him this low is that a decent portion of his evaluation is projection-based. Some of that isn’t his fault as he played behind a horrendous offensive line at Florida State. As a result, Akers was often forced to create on his own, and to his credit he did so at a very high level. He’s both elusive and tough. Speed isn’t an issue either as he’s got more than enough of it to make consistent house calls. And Akers’ best trait is his contact balance, which is extremely good; it’s Alvin Kamara-like. At the same time, there were numerous times when he tried to do too much instead of staying disciplined behind the line of scrimmage, and that goes not just for his running but for his pass protection too. The effort and ability are there, but the mental processing is hit-or-miss. However, if Akers can go to a team with at least a decent line in front of him and he has a coach who can fine-tune his decision making, he has the agility, contact balance, and receiving skills to be an elite player.

Grade: 2nd Round

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5: Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
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When it comes to being just a runner, there may not be a better RB in this draft class. Taylor’s vision and patience are excellent, especially in gap schemes. He’s so good at letting things develop in front of him and he has an uncanny ability to find and squeeze through tight creases. Taylor has an old-school prototypical type of build for a RB, coming in at 5’10” 226 lbs. He runs with excellent forward lean, almost always falling forward on contact for extra yards. And finally, Taylor possesses elite breakaway speed, which is surprising to see from a player of his size. Once he’s got an angle in open space, he’s hard to chase down. So why do I have Taylor this low? Aside from him not being the most agile and quick-twitch runner, which isn’t a huge deal, he has fumbling concerns that can’t be overlooked. He also hasn’t shown the passing-down ability as a receiver and blocker to warrant being an every-down player. If this were 20 or more years ago, Taylor would be the exact type of RB you’d want for your team. But in today’s NFL, he doesn’t have the same type of value unless if you deploy a run-heavy offense, like the Dallas Cowboys or the Tennessee Titans.

Grade: 2nd Round

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6: Zack Moss, Utah
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Moss’ injuries are a concern, so you must take that in mind when drafting him. It made me lower his grade to the 3rd round, even though his film evaluation alone is borderline 2nd round. He’s a very tough runner with elite contact balance and great agility and power. He’s not a very creative runner outside of play design, so he’ll simply just take what’s there behind the line of scrimmage most of the time. But his ability to force missed tackles is impressive, and that’s one of the most distinguishing traits you can have as a runner. He has soft hands and is good on screens too. If he finds a way to stay healthy he can be a good lead back in the NFL.

Grade: 3rd Round

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7: Antonio Gibson, Memphis
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Some of you may be wondering why Gibson is listed here when he spent most of his 2019 season in the slot as a receiver. It’s because I believe he projects more as a RB with slot receiver ability at the pro level. But whether you list him as a RB or as a WR, the truth is Gibson’s a hybrid player with boom or bust potential. If he goes to the right team with a creative coach, he can provide an offense with game-breaking ability in numerous ways. Gibson is listed at 6’0” 228 lbs, so he has good size. He runs high so that does limit his change-of-direction and agility a bit, but he’s explosive, fast, and has a knack for forcing missed tackles. Gibson reminds me a lot of Cordarrelle Patterson.

Grade: 3rd Round

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8: JaMycal Hasty, Baylor
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This is the player on my rankings that I’m a lot higher on than almost anyone. The only draft talent evaluator I know that has mentioned Hasty as a mid-round pick too is Benjamin Solak. Apparently, we see something in Hasty that no one else does. But Hasty has the quickness, burst, speed, and receiving ability to be a good 3rd down RB. Some may argue that his 4.55 40-time at the NFL Combine shows he’s not a home run hitter, but his speed on film proves otherwise. He has more than enough speed to take runs to the house. And although power and strength aren’t his calling cards, he has a compact and dense build that’ll help him at least hold up against the physicality at the pro level. Hasty reminds me so much of guys like Dion Lewis and Gio Bernard. He’ll have a place in today’s NFL because too dangerous of a weapon in space not to. The good thing about Hasty is that he’ll probably be drafted much later than what my grade for him is, meaning whoever takes him will be getting really good value.

Grade: Late 3rd / Early 4th Round

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9: Darrynton Evans, Appalachian St
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If you’re an outside zone team and want a guy with flat out speed and elusiveness, then Evans is your guy. He has a slight build, so you must be careful about giving him too much of a workload. And his vision in between the tackles can be questionable. If you draft Evans, you have to make sure you get him into space and out on the edges. But he’s such an electrifying player in space who can create big plays at any moment. Evans is reliable as a receiver too, and even though he doesn’t have the strength to stonewall defenders in pass protection he has enough awareness and willingness to do get the job done.

Grade: Late 3rd / Early 4th Round

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10: Michael Warren II, Cincinnati
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When I heard Warren’s nickname was “Truck” I expected a tall, strong, mammoth of a RB with adequate/average movement skills and limited versatility. I was dead wrong. Listed at 5’9” 226 lbs, Warren may not be tall but he’s an absolute load to bring down. But he’s not just strong and powerful; he’s got surprisingly agile feet and can make efficient cuts and moves in space. Warren is also a good receiver out of the backfield with soft hands. He’s not explosive, but that’s OK. The combination of power, footwork, and versatility is very appealing. Warren can be a very valuable piece of a committee and a change-of-pace guy with a dynamic runner sharing the backfield.

Grade: 4th Round

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11: Eno Benjamin, Arizona St, 4th
12: DeeJay Dallas, Miami (FL) 4th
13: AJ Dillon, Boston College, 4th
14: Anthony McFarland, Maryland, 4th
15: Lamical Perine, Florida, 4th
16: Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt 4th
17: Joshua Kelly, UCLA, 4th/5th
18: JJ Taylor, Arizona, 4th/5th
19: Sewo Olonilua, TCU, 5th
20: James Robinson, Illinois St, 5th
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