June 23, 2025 • 39 mins
Gregg Rosenthal is joined by Nick Shook to draft the top-20 running backs in the NFL. Find out who comes in at number one (03:20), and where players like Bijan Robinson (06:10), Derrick Henry (08:20), Ashton Jeanty (12:50), Kyren Williams (16:00), Alvin Kamara (22:29), Joe Mixon (28:05), David Montgomery (33:55), and more land on the list.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to NFL Daily, where running backs have always mattered
to us. I'm Greg Rosenthal and I'm here with Nick
Shook where you are taping this show, Nick. June twenty third,
it is officially the dead zone of the NFL season.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Spoiler alert.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Football is not back for the next couple of weeks,
and yet we're going to be cranking out some fun
NFL Daily content.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
No one I'd rather do it with than.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
You, Nick, you know, judging by your tone in the
way that you made that claim about running backs, I
don't know if I believe you, but I definitely believe
you that we're in the dead zone. Surprisingly, we're we
are operating in a world now in which the NFL
dominates i'd say about fifty weeks out of the year.
So to have two off not bad, good job.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Well, people will still want to come up with it. It
is a weird thing, yeah, for people who aren't as familiar.
This is the one time of year not only a
lot of media goes away and we'll get into our
schedule coming up in the next few weeks, but the
teams are just literally out of the bill until at
least after July fourth. So even though we're getting closer
(01:05):
to training camp when NFL Daily is truly back to
daily again. It is the one time of year even
though we're close, that teams are off. And yet nick
running backs have always mattered to me. I don't know
why you're coming.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
It is at me.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
I mean, it's like the coolest, the most fun position
to watch, and so we're going to talk about them today.
We're going to draft the best twenty running backs in
the league, back and forth, who we would want to
be our running back in our backfield this year. Kind
of a snapshot of where the position is at. And
it's better than it's been in a long time, you know,
since we last taped a show that was kind of
(01:41):
tape that day. It was Patrick and Omar. Great job
by them. They did the JayR Alexander news. Not a
lot of news has popped up since, some updates injury wise,
that Anthony Richardson fully expected to be back for training camp.
I personally thought it was interesting that the Chiefs confirmed
their first round pick Josh Simmons fully ready for camp
including contact.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
That's interesting. And then CJ.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Moseley, the longtime Jets and Ravens linebacker retired so happy
trails to CJ.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Moseley.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
A really good player who just couldn't get medically cleared
to play another year. But a hall of very good guy,
five second team All Pros, like a very steady captain type.
And that's about it. That's all you need for the
news for the last like three or four days.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Yeah, if you think about Mosley's career, I prefer you
think about his career with the Ravens instead of the Jets,
because he went to the Jets as a high price
free agent. They obviously had their struggles. He did make
a Pro Bowl in a second team All Pro in
twenty twenty two, but again, yeah, he had some health
issues in his last season and just felt like he
never quite lived up to the contract. And yet he
was a very good football player over the course of
(02:45):
his career, especially if you think.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
About his Ravens years where he was at his best.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
You know what, I think he gave the Jets leadership
that year he had where he got the second team
All Pro. He was out outstanding, one of the guys
that everyone said that played arount him second in Defensive
Rookie of the Year back in twenty fourteen. Interestingly, was
one of the few people that completely opted out of
the COVID season. If you remember, he didn't play at
all that season, but was a really good player for
(03:12):
the Ravens and yes, had some nice years for the Jets,
So happy trails to him. Let's get to the draft.
I will give you the first overall pick. Again, the
parameters who we want playing running back this year. It
is not a lifetime achievement award. It is not even
just who is the best last year? Who is our
type of guy? It's not fantasy numbers because we're taking
(03:35):
everything into account, receiving, blocking, whatever you want. Who are
the very best right now? Looking forward? You have the
first pick.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
It's gonna be chalk.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
And really, what I found in this exercise was that
I like rooms more than running backs individually. Like, I'm
a big fan of certain rooms in the league, and
we're not drafting rooms. So I'm gonna go with the
guy who's on the cover of Madden twenty six.
Speaker 4 (03:58):
I'm going with sa Kwan Barkley, simple as that. There's
no argument.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
I think there could be an argument.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
It would be just that he's coming off this incredible
season and maybe we'd knock him for that that the
history of running backs or can you do it like
two years in a row and that this year is
some of the other top five guys, like a slightly
more consistent player on a snap to snap basis. You
(04:24):
could have said that Nick. In Saquon's career before this
last one. The thing that changed in Philadelphia was, for instance,
his success rate in New York was always a little
hit or miss, was kind of low big plays, but
a lot of negative plays, and that was partly because
of the offensive line. But this last season he was
hitting the six to seven, the eight yard games in
addition to the eighty yard games.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
Yeah, and he was a player that was three down
back and was a home run hitter and a closer,
which we hadn't seen from him except for in early
in his career before you know, he kind of those
injury struggles that he ran into in his final years
with the Jets. And I think more than anything, yes,
we'd like to see a guy rush for two thousand yards.
It's fun to watch that. It's cool to be like,
I remember where I was when Saquon broke two thousand yards.
(05:07):
I remember that season. But what really I thought was
most special to me, beyond the Super Bowl victory was
the fact that he was able to overcome all the doubt,
all the naysayers, all the well, Saquon might never be
what we thought he was going to be because of
all these injuries. No, he just went out and rush
for two thousand yards and was an awesome running back.
Can do I think he's gonna do it again.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
I don't know. It's really hard. It's basically almost impossible
to do it two years in a row. So I'm
gonna say no.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
But also, if he's the player he was last year,
which I think he is, I'm and I'm picking him
just for this year. He's at the top of my board.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
He had four hundred and ninety six yards over expected
according to next Gents. That's in the second half of
last season. That number nick would have been more than
any running back in an entire full season since nineteen
or since twenty eighteen when they started keeping truck. So
just in the second half, he was getting more extra
(05:59):
yards than any runner in a full season since twenty eighteen,
except for one guy who did it over the course
of last season. We'll get to him in a minute.
But yeah, he's the man. He would have been my
number one pick. It gets interesting here. I think the
next three backs in my mind could go in any order,
but I'm taking Bajohn Robinson. It's my team, it's who
I want. Last year, it kind of snuck up on
(06:21):
me that he had eighteen hundred and eighty seven yards
from scrimmage and fifteen touchdowns. And one thing that I
love about him is he gets more than what's blocked.
Since he entered the league, he has fifteen more mistackles
forced than anyone else, So that's over a three year span.
Derrick Henry's actually second in that, so that shows that
that's been a skill set since day one.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
But what gets me about him is just how complete
he is.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Obviously he's good as a pass catcher, but I mentioned
success rate hasn't been as consistent for Saquon as great
as Saquon was, and I'm sure we'll get to Derrick
Henry sooner than later. The league leader in success rate
last year, and that you can measure it in different ways.
Different come and he's measured differently, but essentially it's getting
a certain amount of yardage or a first down on
(07:06):
plays like over four yards on first down. The leader
in success rate was Bijon Robinson last year, so he
was extremely consistent in addition to giving you all the
eye popping plays that you expect from him.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
Yeah, you know, when I think about the Falcons, I
think about the players that are actually quite talented that
maybe don't get the exposure league wide that they should,
and he's one of them, because people don't necessarily pay
attention to the Falcons all the time. They did early
in the season last year because they got off the
hot start, but then they fell apart down the end,
and it feels like they're in the shadows there. Players
like Bijon are always in the shadows there. Kyle Pitts
(07:37):
was the subject of that before and now he's going
into a pivot year, of course, so I just want
them to succeed as a team so that then he
has elevated Bjhon Robinson to a larger stage that the
rest of the football world can appreciate him properly, because
those numbers that you just listed absolutely do not lie, right.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
He he has improved steadily in each one of his seasons.
I think we expect running back to come into the
league and just blow the doors off and rookies are eligible.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
By the way, Nick, I don't know if I mentioned.
Speaker 4 (08:05):
They're eligible and fantasy drafts too.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Okay, okay, they're eligible. He has gotten just a little
bit better. He came in already I think better than
people realize, like a top ten type of back, and
he's gotten just a little savvier, a little better in
each one of the seasons.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
All right, give me who you have number three over.
Speaker 4 (08:21):
My number three is going to be Derrick Henry.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
And this was a pick that I may not have
made even a year ago because I thought, look, this guy,
a lot of the tread has been worn off those tires.
He's gotten a high volume of carries over the course
of his career. He's been the rushing leader multiple times.
He is the model of being a superhuman running back
who will throw defenders through the air if you try
to encounter him and take him home with an arm tackle.
(08:45):
But what he did last year within Baltimore's offense told
me that he's still had plenty of gas left in
that tank. Do I think that he's necessarily going to
flirt with the career year this year? No, because they
spread the ball around so much. But that's what makes
him so effective. So I know we're talking about just
running backs on there and not necessarily taking into account
all the circumstances around him, but you can't evaluate him
without considering the fact that he plays with Lamar Jackson,
(09:06):
that he plays behind an offensive line that got a
lot better than most people would expect last year, and
an offense that's balanced enough to throw over Shot Bateman
and z Flowers so that they can't just load the
box against Derreck Henry, which helps him succeed as much
as he did last year. I believe in him for
at least one more year as a guy who's going
to hit home runs, who's going to run guys over.
He's going to go over one thousand yards, and it's
going to be a bell cow back for this team.
So that's why I take him with my second pick.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
It's crazy if you look at the numbers, they were
almost identical to his best season. You know, when everyone
remembers he ran for twenty one hundred yards from scrimmage,
ran for over two thousand in that COVID season where
he was Offensive Player of the Year, and that's what
you think of as his peak. And yet last season
was actually right there. He in a lot of ways,
(09:51):
he was better because he took fifty less carries to
get there, so he led success rate. I mean in
terms of he led an EPA per play or total EPA.
He actually ended up having more rushing yards overexpected than
Saquon Barkley last season. By almost any measure, it was
one of the best rushing seasons of all time. I
saw another interesting stat. You next Gen does a lot
(10:13):
of work for us that you know out of the pistol.
When they ran the pistol, he had the best like
running back season out of the pistol of any running
back ever forty nine for four hundred and ninety two years.
Like he was ten yards per carry out of the pistol.
So he somehow is getting better as he gets older.
I think that's a strong pick for number three, but
I would have disagreed.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
I actually would have had him fourth.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
I would have taken Jamiir Gibbs fourth or third, and
so I'll take him fourth now. And again I'm just thinking,
I am projecting a little bit forward, and I'm thinking
about what I would want on my team, and to me,
he's just so versatile. He led the NFL in terms
of the yards per carry between the tackles. And that's
the thing I think people don't really understand with Gibbs. Obviously,
(10:56):
you have the home run ability that Saquon and Derrek
Henry have. You know, Gibbs had the highest explosive rate
explosive play rate in the league in terms of plus
ten plays. But he's very physical, like he can run inside,
he can run over people, and to me, he's just
hitting his prime. So I'm going to Miror Gibbs next.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Yeah, he was up there on my list too, And
I actually went back and forth with my choice here
because this is where I think it gets a little interesting,
because it's skews toward preference, and I like a guy
who I can trust to make defenders miss, to break tackles,
to be very hard to bring down, and to also
make a difference out of the backfield as a pass catcher.
I like Bell Cows, I like Josh Jacobs. That's where
(11:35):
I'm taking him here. And this might be a little
high from what most people would expect, but you know,
you look at like success rate you want to talk about,
you know, different running backs with higher success rate.
Speaker 4 (11:43):
His actually was lower than it was.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
Outside of the top ten, really out of the top
fifteen when it comes to next gen stats. And yet
when I think about a per down back, if circumstances
are right, the play is schemed up properly, he's going
to make a play. He's going to get those extra yards.
He's going to be a guy that I can look
down my roster and say I would give him the
ball twenty five times a game and feel perfectly fine
about it because I know he's a workhorse.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
So that's why I would take him.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
Yeah, bigger workload certainly than Gibbs, although for instance, gives
two hundred and fifty carries so less, but fifty catches,
so it gives you that receiving game.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
Jay Jacobs does that too.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
He's made people miss in terms of mistackles since the
day he entered the league. No, he would have been
either next or two away on my list. He does
have a little bit of an every other year thing,
but he's kind of earned that spot.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Almost reminds me of a little of.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
A Man Green back in the day for the Packers
in terms of a guy who's like never the best,
but man, it's really awesome to have a guy that
you can give the ball to three hundred times and
you'll know is like a top seven or eight back
and you don't have to worry about him. I think
that's the part of Josh Jacobs's career that he's in.
Now I am going to take a rookie. Now, I'm
(12:55):
going at Ashton Genty. I love a lot of other
running backs in the league. And I know you might
think this is high, this is this is sixth overall,
But I just thought, like, would I rather have Ashton
Genty or let's say Christian McCaffery is going to come
up at some point, or whoever else is coming up next.
I am content, I'm confident enough in Genty. I'm going
(13:16):
sixth overall. It's not a position where you know players
have to ease their way into the league. Often they
peak rather early, like even great all time backs are
great right away, like an Adrian Peterson, like Ladanian Tomlinson.
So the contact balance, the consistency I think he's going
to bring.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
I'm believing in Genty. I don't need to see anything.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
No, And you know what, this is a rare case
in which I would agree with a high evaluation of
a rookie coming into the league. Usually I'm very anti like,
don't put especially when it comes to fantasy. You don't
put a lot of stock and a guy who hasn't
played it down in the NFL yet, because you're just
you're you're playing blind, essentially. But if somebody was buying
stock in teams this year, you are buying all the
stock in the Raiders. So I am not at all
(13:57):
surprised that you're taking Ashton genty here and and what
you just said makes a whole lot of sense because
what you see on tape translates to the pro game.
It's just a matter of how fast can he hit
the ground running? Can they scheme it up well for him,
because you don't want to put him behind an offensive
line that's not good and he has to try to
be a superhero just to gain a few yards. But
if it's in a vacuum, yes, I totally agree with you.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Well, part of the reason I did it nick it out.
I'm curious if you would how you would answer with
your next pick. I thought, like, what would NFL team
who would ret NFL teams rather have for twenty twenty five,
even if it's somehow in a weird universe where they
could only take him for one year. Would they rather
have Ashton Genty or would they rather have the guy
they already have who's coming up on our list. I
bet almost all of them would take Ashton Genty.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
I really do.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
But maybe I'm wrong, and maybe we're all wrong about
our evaluations.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Who do you got?
Speaker 4 (14:43):
No?
Speaker 3 (14:43):
I actually I agree with you on that too. My
next pick is this is where I get a little uncertained,
a little nervous, because I have a hard time putting
stock in running backs who can't stay on the field.
But I'm going with it anyway, and I'm going with
Christian McCaffrey, who never got rolling last year because of injury,
and his season ended prematurely and it was just a
wash or a waste of a season for him. But
I believe in the talent, and I believe that he
(15:04):
would still have one healthy season in him if we're
only playing for one season, And there are few players
who are as dynamic and as explosive as he is
when he's fully healthy. So at this point I'm getting
in with this value Christian McCaffrey.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
I'm taking it.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
Yeah, at first, I had him high on this list,
And as I kept doing, I kept moving him down
and down, and I realized he's only been healthy nick
three out of the last seven years.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
So maybe this is before.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Yeah, that's not enough to me. It's just good enough.
He did the too straight in San Francisco. But then
when you have a completely misseason, essentially last year, then
it reminds you of all the other ones that happened
before that with Carolina, and that to me, that's part
of the position, unlike any other where availability is really
(15:54):
a trait, it's really a skill. It's why I feel
fine taking a guy like Kyron Willy eight, because I
want to have some love for the consistent player.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
A fifth and success rate.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
In his two seasons, he's thirteen hundred and fifty yards
from scrimmage, fourteen hundred and ninety yards from scrimmage. He
played the most snaps last season. This shocked me. Of
any running back in the league that surprise you. You
think of them like bringing in some other backs. But
he's there blocking, He's there as a terrific receiver. He's
there to pick up five when you block three. He's
(16:28):
just consistent, And to me, he is a guy I
am just trusting to be out on the field. So
it's a rare position where I'm not just going for ceiling.
I actually would rather have him than McCaffrey because I'd
rather just have a guy that I know is going
to be there, even though I know at their peaks,
obviously McCaffrey is a better player.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Yeah that, And you know, Kian Williams value to the
Rams is even more noticeable. It's obvious, painfully so when
he's not on the field, because they are so much
worse as a running team without him than they are
with him on the field. He is a special type
of player and a guy that a lot of people
didn't see coming and kind of forget about until he's
back in the field and makes a big play, and
then they're just constantly reminded of how good he is
and they have to accept that he's an excellent running back.
(17:06):
So I agree with you on that, and I'm not
surprised by the total snap count because it's visible. Basically,
if he's available and he's playing a lot, the Rams
are going to win games, and if they win games,
will make the playoffs. And that's basically how last season went.
So that all tracks I'm going to go I'm overdrafting here,
and this is because I believe that the Bills.
Speaker 4 (17:25):
Are treating this man wrong. And it's James Cook.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
It's James Cook because I again workhorseback and a guy
who if you actually get him in the right scheme
and run with him with intent, you're not in the
Ken Dorsey offense. You're more in the Joe Brady offense,
and you're handing it to him many times a game,
and you're letting him get going. He can be a
big time difference maker. And we spent on this time
paying attention to Josh Allen everybody else, and rightfully so.
(17:50):
But he's a big part of that offense that I
think isn't getting the love he deserves from that organization
as he goes into a contract year. And frankly I
would pay him and keep him and put him in
the right situ and ride him as a bell coow.
Speaker 4 (18:01):
So that's why I take him this high.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
Yeah, I love it.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
I had him a few spots lower, but I don't
think it's crazy to go James Cook that high. You
look at the last couple of years very similar in
terms of yards from Scriage fifteen sixty two years ago
than twelve sixteen last year, but out of the eighteen touchdowns,
and he's my type of back that he's just an excellent.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Receiver, a versatile receiver.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
You want him on the field, even though they have
a great third third done back so they don't need
to like lean into it. Cook can do absolutely everything.
So I'm fine with that. I'm struggling with my next pick.
If it was actually my team, that this next group
is all very close, I had to Cook a little lower.
But I'm just going to give James Connor some love
(18:47):
here to wrap out of the top ten. Yes, his
first two thousand yard rushing seasons were the last two,
but he did get over fifteen hundred yards from scriage
last year, and he's really improved as a receiver. He's
very high in terms of forcing mistackles, and he would
rank really high in a stat that doesn't exist that
Adrian Peterson I think would be the all time leader
(19:09):
in at least of players that I watch, which is
running hard per snap. Joe Mixon is going to be
high in this one. I'm sure he'll come up later.
He just the effort on every single run is outstanding.
He's getting better as he gets older, and so there's
a couple of flashier options out there.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
But I'm going James Cooknam I mean James Connor number ten.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
I like that pick because, much like Kian Williams of
the Rams, when you could basically predict the Cardinals outcomes
last year, whether he had a great game or not,
like if he was near one hundred yards in the ground,
they probably won the game.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
If he was bottled up, they probably lost.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
And he was so important to them in that regard
and is such a hard runner.
Speaker 4 (19:48):
I totally agree.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
I'm a big fan of his and every time he
had a big game, I enjoyed it very much. I
am gonna take a guy who statistically resonates with those
who like to scroll down spreadsheets, but those who like
availability little on the sideline here, because that's where he
spent a lot of his time over the last few years.
And it's Jonathan Taylor from the Colts. He finished last
year with fourteen thirty one rushing yards and eleven touchdowns,
(20:12):
and yet here he is going eleventh in our draft.
It was quiet because of the Colts in their dysfunction
at quarterback and his checkered injury passed that. You know,
he hasn't been a reliable player, but when he's there
and he's healthy, and sometimes it's more in spurts than consistent,
it still looks really amazing. So to get him here
at eleventh, I'm gonna take that all day.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
I love it. It's exactly where I had him. But
there's a reason if James Cook is kind of my type,
I think Jonathan Taylor is not. Not that big plays
aren't incredibly valuable, but it's why I'm not going to
knock Kyen Williams too much. If your twenty five to
thirty yard run would have been sixty if it was
(20:53):
Jonathan Taylor for a touchdown like that is a big
edge for Taylor. But the consistency eight on and always
looking for home runs, grinding out the four or five
six yard runs, and then more importantly the receiving. This
he has an old school like box score only one
hundred and thirty six yards as a receiver, just kind
of a zero in that department. Not that he can't
(21:17):
catch the ball though he has some pretty high profile drops,
but they also just don't trust him as a blocker,
and to really understand the full thing. So I think
that's that's why he is a great runner. That's but
that's also why he went eleven.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
All Right, I'm gonna.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
Go Aaron Jones number twelve. Just a guy I love,
and I had this feeling that he kind of faded
at the end of last year, and then I really
like by the end he actually had over fifteen hundred
yards from scrimmage.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
He was not great in the red zone.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
He's not a true just give the ball to him
and he's like your main guy. Like, how many guys
we already have gone through? How many of those are there?
Really not that many. He actually hasn't lost his speed
at all. He is the sixth fastest player according to
Next Gen Stats on a per snap basis in terms
(22:06):
of just the miles per hour that he is running.
So the speed is still there, and I'm going Aaron
Jones number twelve. We're going to take a quick break
and we'll be back and wrap.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Up the rest of the Running back Draft. They're back.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Back on NFL almost daily. Yeah, you probably noticed this
time of year, we're taking a little bit of a
step back, but this week we have regular shows throughout
the week. We've got our crew with Jordan Rodrieg and
Colleen Wolf. For our next show, we'll have a Friday
show as well, and then we've been working on a
(22:51):
really exciting project that's going to start going up next
week and so everyone be on the lookout for that. Also,
thank you to everyone who's listened to me lately and
been writing reviews on iTunes and Spotify giving us five
star reviews. It really helps us out subscribe on YouTube.
We appreciate you all, all right, Number thirteen overall in
(23:13):
the running back draft, Nick, this is your most important pick.
Speaker 4 (23:16):
Oh, this is my most important pick.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
Wow, because it came back after the break and got
to keep the listener engaged. Okay, cool, well, listener, pull
up a chair, because we're going to pick a guy
that I think Greg overlooked, a guy that's been one
of Greg's favorites over the course of this man's career.
It's Alvin Kamara from the New Orleans Saints, a running
back who fits exactly what Greg looks for on a
three down basis. Let's just look at his numbers from
last year. Yes, he finished at nine hundred and fifty
(23:40):
rushing yards and six touchdowns. He played in fourteen games,
but he added another five forty three through the air
with a couple of touchdown catches at greg I think
back to a couple of years ago when the Saints
offense was just dreadful, which we could say for most
of the last three years, and it was a game
in Seattle in which their defense won.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
I think the final score might have been ten.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
To six, and it felt like the entire Saints offense,
Jameis Winston at quarterback was just drop back, let Alvin
Kamara run a choice route and just throw it wherever
he decides to go. And that's how we're going to
move the ball in that game. And that's the type
of running back he can be. I don't know if
he's the home run hitter. In fact, I don't think
he's the home run hitter that he used to be.
But he's still an every down guy that presents a
threat that, when he's healthy, is still one of your
(24:18):
top weapons on the field. So to let him come
down to thirteen, I'm just going to scoop him up
here and ride off into the sunset all happy.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
Well, you're just doing this to annoy me.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
I told you during the break that I forgot someone
and I should make this a sponsored segment. Every single
one of these drafts there is someone. I was like,
oh wait, I meant to take him away earlier, and
I said that during the break. I didn't say who
it was, and you guessed it it was Commaned.
Speaker 4 (24:42):
Yeah. Yeah, Well that's the benefit of knowing you for
a decade.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
I want to apologize to that man.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
So this is why you got to listen to the
pod and not just look at the rankings that we're
going to put out.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
On social We should still do it.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
Because I had Kamara rang to eighth, and it's not
that I forgot him. Like I got my sheet, I
printed it out like an old man. We've got a
printer here, and for some reason I spaced looking past.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
I had him eighth.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
I had him ahead of McCaffrey and Connor and even Taylor.
It kind of snuck up that he proved what I
had believed for the last handful of years, which is
that if they could just block for him, he really
hadn't declined as much as the numbers showed that I
thought he still had juice. That I thought he's very
intelligent reminds me a lot of Frank core in terms
(25:27):
of his intelligence in the passing game. And then yeah,
you mentioned it last. I mean he went for fourteen
hundred and ninety three yards from scrimmage. He had the
highest target rate by far of running backs in the league.
Actually had one of the highest target rates of any player.
I think it was top five including wide receivers. So
if he's on the field, what that means is they're
throwing him the ball like sixty eight catches for five
(25:48):
hundred and forty yards and you're like, Okay, he's just
catching a bunch of dumpops. No, he's running a lot
of different routes. And yes, he doesn't have the long speed.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
He just doesn't.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
You're absolutely right, top five Nick according to Next Gen
Stats in speed crossing the line of scrimmage. So that's
that initial burst and when you watch him, I see
that too, And yeah, he's those long plays that maybe
earlier in his career, like that's not quite as there,
but he can he can increase you if you can block,
(26:18):
and so I think he's gonna have a good year.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
I really regret that I let him.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
If I could trade I would trade him up higher,
but I'm not allowed to.
Speaker 3 (26:27):
Well, the only trade I'm accepting is Ashton Genty for
Alvin Kamaras, So I don't think that's all.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
That's too rich. I would give you Kyron at the
eighth pick. I don't even know what that means. Since
we're not actually playing fantasy here, I will go my
next pick. That broke my heart. I'm just such a
space at it. Maybe we can put a little note
with the top twenty rankings that we put out that
that Greg just forgot, forgot and apologizes Bucky Irving.
Speaker 4 (26:52):
Oh yeah, I love this pick.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
The highest rate of Forcemiths tackles in the entire league
over five yards per carry on inside runs and outside runs.
There were there were some number numbers, and this is
you know, in large part due to the great Bucks
offensive line. But when teams played single high safety and
Bucky Irving was on the field, like he averaged a
(27:16):
preposterously high h yards per carry, just like you literally
could not play single high against Bucky Irving. You took
that extra guy from not in the box like he
is gonna have some space, he is gonna make you miss.
And the numbers, like the advanced numbers and the raw
numbers would actually tell you he was already like a
(27:38):
top eight to ten back. I'm not ready to go there,
but I'm happy to put him deside.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
Yeah, ninth and success rate right behind Saquon Barclay by
just a zero point one percent difference. A player who
finished with one hundred and eighty six rushing yards over expected,
and a guy.
Speaker 4 (27:53):
Who I think is just scratching the surface.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
One of my favorite guys out of the combine in
his class went to Tampa.
Speaker 4 (27:59):
They needed a running back.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
He took Rashad White's job rightfully, so he's on the
path the success. I love that pick up. Now you've
kind of wiped out a little bit of what was
remaining of my board. But we're gonna go to a
guy that I think, Look, yeah, he had a couple
of ankle injuries last year. Yes one was caused, if
not both, by hip drop tackles. But we're going with
Joe Mixon in Houston because I think Joe Mixon was
(28:25):
kind of not treated poorly, but undervalued a little bit
by Cincinnati. They col let go of him for a
seventh round pick. They were gonna cut him. He ends
up going to Houston. He has a really good start
gets hurt, misses some time, comes back, has a nice little,
you know, period of games before he gets hurt again.
If he was healthy over the course of the season,
he'd be an unquestioned weapon in that offense more than
(28:46):
he is. And the idea of him with the Texans
with Cjstraw, with everybody they have receiver, and then adding
in whatever is left of Nick Chubb.
Speaker 4 (28:54):
I'm just I feel good about him going into the season. Now.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
It might be one of his last productive seasons of
his career, considering how long he's been in the NFL.
Speaker 4 (28:59):
But he's just a guy that I like.
Speaker 3 (29:01):
He runs hard, he can hit the home run, he
can make plays. He's just one of my favorite running
backs to watch. So that's one I take him here.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
Yeah, the only question is really if he can keep
not just on the field, but when he comes out
at the beginning of the season and he's fully healthy,
he looks one way, or sometimes if he has a
week or two off and then it's coming back, like
he looks one way and then you see it fade
just a little bit if he loses some of the bursts,
some of the physicality. But he's averaged over thirteen hundred
(29:30):
and fifty yards from scrimmage over the last four years,
so extremely consistent.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
This is right where I had him in the draft
as well.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
I'm going back to another rookie here for sixteen because
when it comes down to it, I am confident enough
in Amari and Hampton. He is one of my favorite
like running back evaluations over the last handful of years.
I think he is complete, like a great blocker. I
think he's gonna matter in the passing game. He can
be a big playmaker. I think he in a perfect world,
(30:00):
he's a little bit bigger and a little more complete
of a Jonathan Taylor type of player. Probably not gonna
make you miss as much as a lot of the
running backs ahead of him, but that's okay when you
have the juice. And I think that the third down
availability that he's going to have, so I would take
him over the rest of the veterans on the list.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
I feel good about the unc back at sixty.
Speaker 4 (30:23):
Yeah. I like that pick too.
Speaker 3 (30:24):
And this kind of goes back to what I was
saying about rooms is I really love the Chargers room.
The balance between Najee Harris and o'mari and Hampton is
really exciting for me, especially with their identity as a
team that wants to be physical, that wants to win
on the ground. They have two different backs that can
do a lot of different things. They can balance them
well together and make quite a tandem. I think it's
going to be very benful, beneficial for them going into
(30:44):
twenty twenty five. Next up on my list, we're gonna
go Devon a Chan and I'm going there because of
the big play capability, because he is a guy you
always have to account for on the field, because of
that home run speed that he has. I don't see
him as an every downback. I do see him as
the best option that they have in that backfield who
could grow into something more if the rest of their
(31:06):
offense could get back on track, because they certainly weren't
last year. I like his raw potential, the untapped potential
that we've yet to see him what we've already seen
from him with the big plays.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
I mean, a ridiculously efficient like rookie season. Last year
was kind of the opposite, where felt like he left
yards on the field. Not great blocking, certainly, but he
was hunting big plays. He's a guy who won't look
good in terms of yards over expected. I think he
was under because he was trying to make things happen.
I'm not going to say it's a reach, but I
(31:37):
had him more like around twenty five. But I think
it's more styles. It depends what you're looking for the
runners at this spot. It's kind of like pick your favorite.
I do think one back has been underrated in our
draft more than any other, and you know, I've taken
other guys over him, so that's on me too, and
that's Tony Pollard, Like what does Tony Pollard need to.
Speaker 2 (31:58):
Do to get a little more respect.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
He's actually been consistent in terms of production, despite you know,
you think of him at the end of Dallas getting hurt,
but that was at the end of a season over
thirteen hundred yards from scrimmage in three straight. He was
sixth last season in terms of yards after contact. So
he's a guy who actually makes plays on his own.
I thought last season was about as good as he's
(32:21):
ever run, but really no one noticed because it was
in Tennessee, and so he was someone if you were
still sticking around with your game pass condensed or whatever.
Deep into Week thirteen fourteen, it was like man Pollard
is the guy I think that they wanted him to
be when they when they brought it him to Tennessee,
the guy that Dallas almost never let him be, Like
(32:43):
a real one, a type of guy, complete guy. And
really nothing I could say was wrong with Pollard. Maybe
not like the number one guy you would pick to
like get two yards when it's fourth in gold and
like run through tackles, but not a zero in that
respect either, And so I really like him here at
at I'm glad he got out the list at least.
Speaker 4 (33:03):
Yeah, yeah, I agree with that too.
Speaker 3 (33:05):
And I think that he, unfortunately is a representation of
the mismanagement of the running back position on the part
of the Dallas Cowboys over the last two to three years,
because they had a chance to make him their guy
and stick with him, and they let him walk, and
he walked it Tennessee, where he obviously didn't have He
wasn't in a good scenario because their quarterback situation was
in flux and you know, they're still a rebuilding team,
(33:25):
but the talent is undeniable there I and everything that
you just said I totally agree with, and that if
he's in the right situation, if they get better as
an offense, you know, with cam Ward being there and
they've showed up the offensive line again.
Speaker 4 (33:35):
I think we could see great things for him because
he's got the juice for sure.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
He's making seven million dollars a year too, Nick Like.
Speaker 4 (33:41):
I know he's chaged. It doesn't Did you not keep him? Dallas?
What are you doing?
Speaker 1 (33:45):
There is a level of veteran running back that becomes
available in free agency that the second contracts are very
much worth it because then the Titans don't have to
worry about that position, and that is not a lot
to pay.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
No, your last pick shook?
Speaker 4 (33:57):
Is it last?
Speaker 2 (33:58):
Making sure you get whoever you want on this list
needs to be back.
Speaker 3 (34:02):
Well, we're throwing it back. I'm gonna take the other
half of the Lions tandem. I'm going David Montgomery. That's
a guy who I watched and multiple ones in his
last year. Just win the war of attrition, the ground
and pound. I'm bigger and stronger, I'm gonna run harder
than you, and I'm gonna close this game right now
by running between the tackles and doing what my coaches want.
Speaker 4 (34:21):
I want a guy like that on my team.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
I don't care if he doesn't bring everything to the
table in every area that you get from other running backs.
That's a guy that I want in my depth chart
and the capability, Like you just said, to get fourth
and two two yards, I'm giving it to David Montgomery.
I can trust him. He's a gritty type of old
school running back.
Speaker 4 (34:37):
I love him. He's my last pick.
Speaker 1 (34:39):
He was first in the NFL last year in success
rate on under center runs, So it's exactly what you say.
How did the NFL used to be played like under center?
He's gonna get you four to five yards. He was
absolutely my next pick two. We've reached twenty and now
it's like, who do I want to make sure is
on this list because a lot of them aren't my types.
(35:01):
Some options I'm just gonna throw to give people some love.
Speaker 2 (35:04):
We didn't.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
We didn't pick Trayvon Henderson and I'm not going to,
but just wanted to send him some love. Pa Checko's
coming off a bad season, so he's not going to
get drafted. Chewba Harvard really improved, but I think doesn't
quite have the juice to make this list. I like
what I saw out of Tyrone Tracy. I think Chase
Brown is an ascending player, but ultimately this last spot
(35:24):
comes down to three players for me, either Breese Hall,
ken Walker or Remandre Stevenson. Now it was the next
three on my list, Okay, Now, in my heart, Remandre
is more my type of guy. He's coming off a
season where he fumbled, he was not good. He's not
coming off of a good season. Neither neither is Breese Hall.
(35:49):
And yet like Remandre is to me the most complete
of these guys, and like the guy that would be
my style. But I'm so you know, anxiety ridden about
being called just a Patriots homer. I will take ken Walker,
who I had written down next, who it is fun
to have a runner who can run one way, look
(36:09):
like he's got to get tackled for five yard loss
and run for forty the other way. And he was
hit behind the line of scrimmage so often and was
playing in such a bad situation. I know Vermandre was too,
but ultimately, man, that guy. It would be great to
see him behind a good offensive line, and I think
can be a really dynamic playmaker, has the highest ceiling.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
I'm torn.
Speaker 1 (36:30):
If it was actually my team, maybe I would take
Rimondre I think he's got a bounce back season coming
up and is a really good NFL player, But I
will go Kenneth Walker for just the highlight, real place.
Speaker 3 (36:40):
Yeah, I don't hate this pick at all for everything
that you just stated, I'm on board with that. I
am curious though, because it was such a forgettable season
for bresee Hall, where does he because we don't know
what the Jets are going to be They have a
new identity, new quarterback, new everything else, But like, do
you see a bounce back year for him that reminds
us of the guy he was? Because you want to
talk about home run hitters, he was a home run
(37:02):
hitter a couple of years ago, and that's maybe that's
more my style.
Speaker 4 (37:04):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (37:05):
I'm kind of bouncing between the two. But do you
think that that is within him going into twenty twenty
five and maybe even twenty twenty six, even though we're
not considering that year in this draft.
Speaker 1 (37:14):
Absolutely, this is a confirming my prior situation. There is
something about running backs of you know it when you
see it, and I like instincts. I like the feel
of making people miss in a small area in a hole,
like the vision, like I think Remondri's very good at that,
even though he's not going to be a big playmaker.
He's more like the Frank Gore type of mold. Yeah,
(37:37):
Breese Hall, I've never like wrapped my arms around too,
because to me, he doesn't feel as talented as he is.
He doesn't feel as instinctive as a back as some
of these other guys. Just like a truly great natural
just runner. But he's an athlete and he could make
this ranking look very disrespectful with a big season.
Speaker 4 (37:58):
He could.
Speaker 3 (37:58):
He could, And you know what, we can eat that crow.
That's fine. That's how this thing works.
Speaker 1 (38:02):
Yeah, And I don't know if the Jets are like
totally in on him that he was like dangled a
little bit, so I think they'll they'll spread it around.
But it is a position where opportunity makes all the
difference in the world.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
So who knows, Like maybe uh, maybe an R. J.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
Harvey or or quinchin Junk And I'm trying to think
of some other players that didn't come up to the
Caleb Johnson Travis et and maybe he'll bounce back like
any of those players could bounce on this list for
next year, we will put it out and we will
see who we get made fun of the most shook.
It's gonna be it's gonna be a minute until we
have you back on NFL daily, So enjoy the time off.
Speaker 2 (38:36):
And you know, I don't know what you're doing this offseason.
Speaker 3 (38:41):
Well, I mean, that's that's all good, because yesterday I
narrowly avoided getting a sunburn on the top of my head.
So maybe by the time I come back, I'll be
looking like a tomato.
Speaker 1 (38:49):
You don't know, impossible, And don't don't celebrate the Calves
suddenly being like the favorites in the Eastern Conference just
because halliber And and Tatum are injured going into next year.
Speaker 4 (39:00):
Well, you know, nobody, nobody celebrates. Nobody celebrates injuries.
Speaker 3 (39:04):
But the Cavs had their own injuries in the Eastern
Conference semifinals that they had to deal with too, So
you know, we'll see, we'll see how it goes.
Speaker 4 (39:10):
It's a long way away.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
Watched Game seven on a flight back to LA and
it broke my heart.
Speaker 2 (39:17):
You know, I'm not a patient. We will be back
in your feed on Wednesday morning.
Speaker 1 (39:20):
Yes, Colleen Wolf, myself and uh Jordan rod Red and yeah,
I can't lie this.
Speaker 2 (39:28):
This is the part of the season. Football is not back,
but we're gonna we're gonna make you want to listen anyways.
Welcome to NFL Daily, where running backs have always mattered
to us. I'm Greg Rosenthal and I'm here with Nick
Shook where you are taping this show, Nick. June twenty third,
it is officially the dead zone of the NFL season.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Spoiler alert.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Football is not back for the next couple of weeks,
and yet we're going to be cranking out some fun
NFL Daily content.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
No one I'd rather do it with than.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
You, Nick, you know, judging by your tone in the
way that you made that claim about running backs, I
don't know if I believe you, but I definitely believe
you that we're in the dead zone. Surprisingly, we're we
are operating in a world now in which the NFL
dominates i'd say about fifty weeks out of the year.
So to have two off not bad, good job.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Well, people will still want to come up with it. It
is a weird thing, yeah, for people who aren't as familiar.
This is the one time of year not only a
lot of media goes away and we'll get into our
schedule coming up in the next few weeks, but the
teams are just literally out of the bill until at
least after July fourth. So even though we're getting closer
(01:05):
to training camp when NFL Daily is truly back to
daily again. It is the one time of year even
though we're close, that teams are off. And yet nick
running backs have always mattered to me. I don't know
why you're coming.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
It is at me.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
I mean, it's like the coolest, the most fun position
to watch, and so we're going to talk about them today.
We're going to draft the best twenty running backs in
the league, back and forth, who we would want to
be our running back in our backfield this year. Kind
of a snapshot of where the position is at. And
it's better than it's been in a long time, you know,
since we last taped a show that was kind of
(01:41):
tape that day. It was Patrick and Omar. Great job
by them. They did the JayR Alexander news. Not a
lot of news has popped up since, some updates injury wise,
that Anthony Richardson fully expected to be back for training camp.
I personally thought it was interesting that the Chiefs confirmed
their first round pick Josh Simmons fully ready for camp
including contact.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
That's interesting. And then CJ.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Moseley, the longtime Jets and Ravens linebacker retired so happy
trails to CJ.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Moseley.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
A really good player who just couldn't get medically cleared
to play another year. But a hall of very good guy,
five second team All Pros, like a very steady captain type.
And that's about it. That's all you need for the
news for the last like three or four days.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Yeah, if you think about Mosley's career, I prefer you
think about his career with the Ravens instead of the Jets,
because he went to the Jets as a high price
free agent. They obviously had their struggles. He did make
a Pro Bowl in a second team All Pro in
twenty twenty two, but again, yeah, he had some health
issues in his last season and just felt like he
never quite lived up to the contract. And yet he
was a very good football player over the course of
(02:45):
his career, especially if you think.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
About his Ravens years where he was at his best.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
You know what, I think he gave the Jets leadership
that year he had where he got the second team
All Pro. He was out outstanding, one of the guys
that everyone said that played arount him second in Defensive
Rookie of the Year back in twenty fourteen. Interestingly, was
one of the few people that completely opted out of
the COVID season. If you remember, he didn't play at
all that season, but was a really good player for
(03:12):
the Ravens and yes, had some nice years for the Jets,
So happy trails to him. Let's get to the draft.
I will give you the first overall pick. Again, the
parameters who we want playing running back this year. It
is not a lifetime achievement award. It is not even
just who is the best last year? Who is our
type of guy? It's not fantasy numbers because we're taking
(03:35):
everything into account, receiving, blocking, whatever you want. Who are
the very best right now? Looking forward? You have the
first pick.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
It's gonna be chalk.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
And really, what I found in this exercise was that
I like rooms more than running backs individually. Like, I'm
a big fan of certain rooms in the league, and
we're not drafting rooms. So I'm gonna go with the
guy who's on the cover of Madden twenty six.
Speaker 4 (03:58):
I'm going with sa Kwan Barkley, simple as that. There's
no argument.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
I think there could be an argument.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
It would be just that he's coming off this incredible
season and maybe we'd knock him for that that the
history of running backs or can you do it like
two years in a row and that this year is
some of the other top five guys, like a slightly
more consistent player on a snap to snap basis. You
(04:24):
could have said that Nick. In Saquon's career before this
last one. The thing that changed in Philadelphia was, for instance,
his success rate in New York was always a little
hit or miss, was kind of low big plays, but
a lot of negative plays, and that was partly because
of the offensive line. But this last season he was
hitting the six to seven, the eight yard games in
addition to the eighty yard games.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
Yeah, and he was a player that was three down
back and was a home run hitter and a closer,
which we hadn't seen from him except for in early
in his career before you know, he kind of those
injury struggles that he ran into in his final years
with the Jets. And I think more than anything, yes,
we'd like to see a guy rush for two thousand yards.
It's fun to watch that. It's cool to be like,
I remember where I was when Saquon broke two thousand yards.
(05:07):
I remember that season. But what really I thought was
most special to me, beyond the Super Bowl victory was
the fact that he was able to overcome all the doubt,
all the naysayers, all the well, Saquon might never be
what we thought he was going to be because of
all these injuries. No, he just went out and rush
for two thousand yards and was an awesome running back.
Can do I think he's gonna do it again.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
I don't know. It's really hard. It's basically almost impossible
to do it two years in a row. So I'm
gonna say no.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
But also, if he's the player he was last year,
which I think he is, I'm and I'm picking him
just for this year. He's at the top of my board.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
He had four hundred and ninety six yards over expected
according to next Gents. That's in the second half of
last season. That number nick would have been more than
any running back in an entire full season since nineteen
or since twenty eighteen when they started keeping truck. So
just in the second half, he was getting more extra
(05:59):
yards than any runner in a full season since twenty eighteen,
except for one guy who did it over the course
of last season. We'll get to him in a minute.
But yeah, he's the man. He would have been my
number one pick. It gets interesting here. I think the
next three backs in my mind could go in any order,
but I'm taking Bajohn Robinson. It's my team, it's who
I want. Last year, it kind of snuck up on
(06:21):
me that he had eighteen hundred and eighty seven yards
from scrimmage and fifteen touchdowns. And one thing that I
love about him is he gets more than what's blocked.
Since he entered the league, he has fifteen more mistackles
forced than anyone else, So that's over a three year span.
Derrick Henry's actually second in that, so that shows that
that's been a skill set since day one.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
But what gets me about him is just how complete
he is.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Obviously he's good as a pass catcher, but I mentioned
success rate hasn't been as consistent for Saquon as great
as Saquon was, and I'm sure we'll get to Derrick
Henry sooner than later. The league leader in success rate
last year, and that you can measure it in different ways.
Different come and he's measured differently, but essentially it's getting
a certain amount of yardage or a first down on
(07:06):
plays like over four yards on first down. The leader
in success rate was Bijon Robinson last year, so he
was extremely consistent in addition to giving you all the
eye popping plays that you expect from him.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
Yeah, you know, when I think about the Falcons, I
think about the players that are actually quite talented that
maybe don't get the exposure league wide that they should,
and he's one of them, because people don't necessarily pay
attention to the Falcons all the time. They did early
in the season last year because they got off the
hot start, but then they fell apart down the end,
and it feels like they're in the shadows there. Players
like Bijon are always in the shadows there. Kyle Pitts
(07:37):
was the subject of that before and now he's going
into a pivot year, of course, so I just want
them to succeed as a team so that then he
has elevated Bjhon Robinson to a larger stage that the
rest of the football world can appreciate him properly, because
those numbers that you just listed absolutely do not lie, right.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
He he has improved steadily in each one of his seasons.
I think we expect running back to come into the
league and just blow the doors off and rookies are eligible.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
By the way, Nick, I don't know if I mentioned.
Speaker 4 (08:05):
They're eligible and fantasy drafts too.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Okay, okay, they're eligible. He has gotten just a little
bit better. He came in already I think better than
people realize, like a top ten type of back, and
he's gotten just a little savvier, a little better in
each one of the seasons.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
All right, give me who you have number three over.
Speaker 4 (08:21):
My number three is going to be Derrick Henry.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
And this was a pick that I may not have
made even a year ago because I thought, look, this guy,
a lot of the tread has been worn off those tires.
He's gotten a high volume of carries over the course
of his career. He's been the rushing leader multiple times.
He is the model of being a superhuman running back
who will throw defenders through the air if you try
to encounter him and take him home with an arm tackle.
(08:45):
But what he did last year within Baltimore's offense told
me that he's still had plenty of gas left in
that tank. Do I think that he's necessarily going to
flirt with the career year this year? No, because they
spread the ball around so much. But that's what makes
him so effective. So I know we're talking about just
running backs on there and not necessarily taking into account
all the circumstances around him, but you can't evaluate him
without considering the fact that he plays with Lamar Jackson,
(09:06):
that he plays behind an offensive line that got a
lot better than most people would expect last year, and
an offense that's balanced enough to throw over Shot Bateman
and z Flowers so that they can't just load the
box against Derreck Henry, which helps him succeed as much
as he did last year. I believe in him for
at least one more year as a guy who's going
to hit home runs, who's going to run guys over.
He's going to go over one thousand yards, and it's
going to be a bell cow back for this team.
So that's why I take him with my second pick.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
It's crazy if you look at the numbers, they were
almost identical to his best season. You know, when everyone
remembers he ran for twenty one hundred yards from scrimmage,
ran for over two thousand in that COVID season where
he was Offensive Player of the Year, and that's what
you think of as his peak. And yet last season
was actually right there. He in a lot of ways,
(09:51):
he was better because he took fifty less carries to
get there, so he led success rate. I mean in
terms of he led an EPA per play or total EPA.
He actually ended up having more rushing yards overexpected than
Saquon Barkley last season. By almost any measure, it was
one of the best rushing seasons of all time. I
saw another interesting stat. You next Gen does a lot
(10:13):
of work for us that you know out of the pistol.
When they ran the pistol, he had the best like
running back season out of the pistol of any running
back ever forty nine for four hundred and ninety two years.
Like he was ten yards per carry out of the pistol.
So he somehow is getting better as he gets older.
I think that's a strong pick for number three, but
I would have disagreed.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
I actually would have had him fourth.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
I would have taken Jamiir Gibbs fourth or third, and
so I'll take him fourth now. And again I'm just thinking,
I am projecting a little bit forward, and I'm thinking
about what I would want on my team, and to me,
he's just so versatile. He led the NFL in terms
of the yards per carry between the tackles. And that's
the thing I think people don't really understand with Gibbs. Obviously,
(10:56):
you have the home run ability that Saquon and Derrek
Henry have. You know, Gibbs had the highest explosive rate
explosive play rate in the league in terms of plus
ten plays. But he's very physical, like he can run inside,
he can run over people, and to me, he's just
hitting his prime. So I'm going to Miror Gibbs next.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Yeah, he was up there on my list too, And
I actually went back and forth with my choice here
because this is where I think it gets a little interesting,
because it's skews toward preference, and I like a guy
who I can trust to make defenders miss, to break tackles,
to be very hard to bring down, and to also
make a difference out of the backfield as a pass catcher.
I like Bell Cows, I like Josh Jacobs. That's where
(11:35):
I'm taking him here. And this might be a little
high from what most people would expect, but you know,
you look at like success rate you want to talk about,
you know, different running backs with higher success rate.
Speaker 4 (11:43):
His actually was lower than it was.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
Outside of the top ten, really out of the top
fifteen when it comes to next gen stats. And yet
when I think about a per down back, if circumstances
are right, the play is schemed up properly, he's going
to make a play. He's going to get those extra yards.
He's going to be a guy that I can look
down my roster and say I would give him the
ball twenty five times a game and feel perfectly fine
about it because I know he's a workhorse.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
So that's why I would take him.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
Yeah, bigger workload certainly than Gibbs, although for instance, gives
two hundred and fifty carries so less, but fifty catches,
so it gives you that receiving game.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
Jay Jacobs does that too.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
He's made people miss in terms of mistackles since the
day he entered the league. No, he would have been
either next or two away on my list. He does
have a little bit of an every other year thing,
but he's kind of earned that spot.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Almost reminds me of a little of.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
A Man Green back in the day for the Packers
in terms of a guy who's like never the best,
but man, it's really awesome to have a guy that
you can give the ball to three hundred times and
you'll know is like a top seven or eight back
and you don't have to worry about him. I think
that's the part of Josh Jacobs's career that he's in.
Now I am going to take a rookie. Now, I'm
(12:55):
going at Ashton Genty. I love a lot of other
running backs in the league. And I know you might
think this is high, this is this is sixth overall,
But I just thought, like, would I rather have Ashton
Genty or let's say Christian McCaffery is going to come
up at some point, or whoever else is coming up next.
I am content, I'm confident enough in Genty. I'm going
(13:16):
sixth overall. It's not a position where you know players
have to ease their way into the league. Often they
peak rather early, like even great all time backs are
great right away, like an Adrian Peterson, like Ladanian Tomlinson.
So the contact balance, the consistency I think he's going
to bring.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
I'm believing in Genty. I don't need to see anything.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
No, And you know what, this is a rare case
in which I would agree with a high evaluation of
a rookie coming into the league. Usually I'm very anti like,
don't put especially when it comes to fantasy. You don't
put a lot of stock and a guy who hasn't
played it down in the NFL yet, because you're just
you're you're playing blind, essentially. But if somebody was buying
stock in teams this year, you are buying all the
stock in the Raiders. So I am not at all
(13:57):
surprised that you're taking Ashton genty here and and what
you just said makes a whole lot of sense because
what you see on tape translates to the pro game.
It's just a matter of how fast can he hit
the ground running? Can they scheme it up well for him,
because you don't want to put him behind an offensive
line that's not good and he has to try to
be a superhero just to gain a few yards. But
if it's in a vacuum, yes, I totally agree with you.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Well, part of the reason I did it nick it out.
I'm curious if you would how you would answer with
your next pick. I thought, like, what would NFL team
who would ret NFL teams rather have for twenty twenty five,
even if it's somehow in a weird universe where they
could only take him for one year. Would they rather
have Ashton Genty or would they rather have the guy
they already have who's coming up on our list. I
bet almost all of them would take Ashton Genty.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
I really do.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
But maybe I'm wrong, and maybe we're all wrong about
our evaluations.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Who do you got?
Speaker 4 (14:43):
No?
Speaker 3 (14:43):
I actually I agree with you on that too. My
next pick is this is where I get a little uncertained,
a little nervous, because I have a hard time putting
stock in running backs who can't stay on the field.
But I'm going with it anyway, and I'm going with
Christian McCaffrey, who never got rolling last year because of injury,
and his season ended prematurely and it was just a
wash or a waste of a season for him. But
I believe in the talent, and I believe that he
(15:04):
would still have one healthy season in him if we're
only playing for one season, And there are few players
who are as dynamic and as explosive as he is
when he's fully healthy. So at this point I'm getting
in with this value Christian McCaffrey.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
I'm taking it.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
Yeah, at first, I had him high on this list,
And as I kept doing, I kept moving him down
and down, and I realized he's only been healthy nick
three out of the last seven years.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
So maybe this is before.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Yeah, that's not enough to me. It's just good enough.
He did the too straight in San Francisco. But then
when you have a completely misseason, essentially last year, then
it reminds you of all the other ones that happened
before that with Carolina, and that to me, that's part
of the position, unlike any other where availability is really
(15:54):
a trait, it's really a skill. It's why I feel
fine taking a guy like Kyron Willy eight, because I
want to have some love for the consistent player.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
A fifth and success rate.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
In his two seasons, he's thirteen hundred and fifty yards
from scrimmage, fourteen hundred and ninety yards from scrimmage. He
played the most snaps last season. This shocked me. Of
any running back in the league that surprise you. You
think of them like bringing in some other backs. But
he's there blocking, He's there as a terrific receiver. He's
there to pick up five when you block three. He's
(16:28):
just consistent, And to me, he is a guy I
am just trusting to be out on the field. So
it's a rare position where I'm not just going for ceiling.
I actually would rather have him than McCaffrey because I'd
rather just have a guy that I know is going
to be there, even though I know at their peaks,
obviously McCaffrey is a better player.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Yeah that, And you know, Kian Williams value to the
Rams is even more noticeable. It's obvious, painfully so when
he's not on the field, because they are so much
worse as a running team without him than they are
with him on the field. He is a special type
of player and a guy that a lot of people
didn't see coming and kind of forget about until he's
back in the field and makes a big play, and
then they're just constantly reminded of how good he is
and they have to accept that he's an excellent running back.
(17:06):
So I agree with you on that, and I'm not
surprised by the total snap count because it's visible. Basically,
if he's available and he's playing a lot, the Rams
are going to win games, and if they win games,
will make the playoffs. And that's basically how last season went.
So that all tracks I'm going to go I'm overdrafting here,
and this is because I believe that the Bills.
Speaker 4 (17:25):
Are treating this man wrong. And it's James Cook.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
It's James Cook because I again workhorseback and a guy
who if you actually get him in the right scheme
and run with him with intent, you're not in the
Ken Dorsey offense. You're more in the Joe Brady offense,
and you're handing it to him many times a game,
and you're letting him get going. He can be a
big time difference maker. And we spent on this time
paying attention to Josh Allen everybody else, and rightfully so.
(17:50):
But he's a big part of that offense that I
think isn't getting the love he deserves from that organization
as he goes into a contract year. And frankly I
would pay him and keep him and put him in
the right situ and ride him as a bell coow.
Speaker 4 (18:01):
So that's why I take him this high.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
Yeah, I love it.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
I had him a few spots lower, but I don't
think it's crazy to go James Cook that high. You
look at the last couple of years very similar in
terms of yards from Scriage fifteen sixty two years ago
than twelve sixteen last year, but out of the eighteen touchdowns,
and he's my type of back that he's just an excellent.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Receiver, a versatile receiver.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
You want him on the field, even though they have
a great third third done back so they don't need
to like lean into it. Cook can do absolutely everything.
So I'm fine with that. I'm struggling with my next pick.
If it was actually my team, that this next group
is all very close, I had to Cook a little lower.
But I'm just going to give James Connor some love
(18:47):
here to wrap out of the top ten. Yes, his
first two thousand yard rushing seasons were the last two,
but he did get over fifteen hundred yards from scriage
last year, and he's really improved as a receiver. He's
very high in terms of forcing mistackles, and he would
rank really high in a stat that doesn't exist that
Adrian Peterson I think would be the all time leader
(19:09):
in at least of players that I watch, which is
running hard per snap. Joe Mixon is going to be
high in this one. I'm sure he'll come up later.
He just the effort on every single run is outstanding.
He's getting better as he gets older, and so there's
a couple of flashier options out there.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
But I'm going James Cooknam I mean James Connor number ten.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
I like that pick because, much like Kian Williams of
the Rams, when you could basically predict the Cardinals outcomes
last year, whether he had a great game or not,
like if he was near one hundred yards in the ground,
they probably won the game.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
If he was bottled up, they probably lost.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
And he was so important to them in that regard
and is such a hard runner.
Speaker 4 (19:48):
I totally agree.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
I'm a big fan of his and every time he
had a big game, I enjoyed it very much. I
am gonna take a guy who statistically resonates with those
who like to scroll down spreadsheets, but those who like
availability little on the sideline here, because that's where he
spent a lot of his time over the last few years.
And it's Jonathan Taylor from the Colts. He finished last
year with fourteen thirty one rushing yards and eleven touchdowns,
(20:12):
and yet here he is going eleventh in our draft.
It was quiet because of the Colts in their dysfunction
at quarterback and his checkered injury passed that. You know,
he hasn't been a reliable player, but when he's there
and he's healthy, and sometimes it's more in spurts than consistent,
it still looks really amazing. So to get him here
at eleventh, I'm gonna take that all day.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
I love it. It's exactly where I had him. But
there's a reason if James Cook is kind of my type,
I think Jonathan Taylor is not. Not that big plays
aren't incredibly valuable, but it's why I'm not going to
knock Kyen Williams too much. If your twenty five to
thirty yard run would have been sixty if it was
(20:53):
Jonathan Taylor for a touchdown like that is a big
edge for Taylor. But the consistency eight on and always
looking for home runs, grinding out the four or five
six yard runs, and then more importantly the receiving. This
he has an old school like box score only one
hundred and thirty six yards as a receiver, just kind
of a zero in that department. Not that he can't
(21:17):
catch the ball though he has some pretty high profile drops,
but they also just don't trust him as a blocker,
and to really understand the full thing. So I think
that's that's why he is a great runner. That's but
that's also why he went eleven.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
All Right, I'm gonna.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
Go Aaron Jones number twelve. Just a guy I love,
and I had this feeling that he kind of faded
at the end of last year, and then I really
like by the end he actually had over fifteen hundred
yards from scrimmage.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
He was not great in the red zone.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
He's not a true just give the ball to him
and he's like your main guy. Like, how many guys
we already have gone through? How many of those are there?
Really not that many. He actually hasn't lost his speed
at all. He is the sixth fastest player according to
Next Gen Stats on a per snap basis in terms
(22:06):
of just the miles per hour that he is running.
So the speed is still there, and I'm going Aaron
Jones number twelve. We're going to take a quick break
and we'll be back and wrap.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Up the rest of the Running back Draft. They're back.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Back on NFL almost daily. Yeah, you probably noticed this
time of year, we're taking a little bit of a
step back, but this week we have regular shows throughout
the week. We've got our crew with Jordan Rodrieg and
Colleen Wolf. For our next show, we'll have a Friday
show as well, and then we've been working on a
(22:51):
really exciting project that's going to start going up next
week and so everyone be on the lookout for that. Also,
thank you to everyone who's listened to me lately and
been writing reviews on iTunes and Spotify giving us five
star reviews. It really helps us out subscribe on YouTube.
We appreciate you all, all right, Number thirteen overall in
(23:13):
the running back draft, Nick, this is your most important pick.
Speaker 4 (23:16):
Oh, this is my most important pick.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
Wow, because it came back after the break and got
to keep the listener engaged. Okay, cool, well, listener, pull
up a chair, because we're going to pick a guy
that I think Greg overlooked, a guy that's been one
of Greg's favorites over the course of this man's career.
It's Alvin Kamara from the New Orleans Saints, a running
back who fits exactly what Greg looks for on a
three down basis. Let's just look at his numbers from
last year. Yes, he finished at nine hundred and fifty
(23:40):
rushing yards and six touchdowns. He played in fourteen games,
but he added another five forty three through the air
with a couple of touchdown catches at greg I think
back to a couple of years ago when the Saints
offense was just dreadful, which we could say for most
of the last three years, and it was a game
in Seattle in which their defense won.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
I think the final score might have been ten.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
To six, and it felt like the entire Saints offense,
Jameis Winston at quarterback was just drop back, let Alvin
Kamara run a choice route and just throw it wherever
he decides to go. And that's how we're going to
move the ball in that game. And that's the type
of running back he can be. I don't know if
he's the home run hitter. In fact, I don't think
he's the home run hitter that he used to be.
But he's still an every down guy that presents a
threat that, when he's healthy, is still one of your
(24:18):
top weapons on the field. So to let him come
down to thirteen, I'm just going to scoop him up
here and ride off into the sunset all happy.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
Well, you're just doing this to annoy me.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
I told you during the break that I forgot someone
and I should make this a sponsored segment. Every single
one of these drafts there is someone. I was like,
oh wait, I meant to take him away earlier, and
I said that during the break. I didn't say who
it was, and you guessed it it was Commaned.
Speaker 4 (24:42):
Yeah. Yeah, Well that's the benefit of knowing you for
a decade.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
I want to apologize to that man.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
So this is why you got to listen to the
pod and not just look at the rankings that we're
going to put out.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
On social We should still do it.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
Because I had Kamara rang to eighth, and it's not
that I forgot him. Like I got my sheet, I
printed it out like an old man. We've got a
printer here, and for some reason I spaced looking past.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
I had him eighth.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
I had him ahead of McCaffrey and Connor and even Taylor.
It kind of snuck up that he proved what I
had believed for the last handful of years, which is
that if they could just block for him, he really
hadn't declined as much as the numbers showed that I
thought he still had juice. That I thought he's very
intelligent reminds me a lot of Frank core in terms
(25:27):
of his intelligence in the passing game. And then yeah,
you mentioned it last. I mean he went for fourteen
hundred and ninety three yards from scrimmage. He had the
highest target rate by far of running backs in the league.
Actually had one of the highest target rates of any player.
I think it was top five including wide receivers. So
if he's on the field, what that means is they're
throwing him the ball like sixty eight catches for five
(25:48):
hundred and forty yards and you're like, Okay, he's just
catching a bunch of dumpops. No, he's running a lot
of different routes. And yes, he doesn't have the long speed.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
He just doesn't.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
You're absolutely right, top five Nick according to Next Gen
Stats in speed crossing the line of scrimmage. So that's
that initial burst and when you watch him, I see
that too, And yeah, he's those long plays that maybe
earlier in his career, like that's not quite as there,
but he can he can increase you if you can block,
(26:18):
and so I think he's gonna have a good year.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
I really regret that I let him.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
If I could trade I would trade him up higher,
but I'm not allowed to.
Speaker 3 (26:27):
Well, the only trade I'm accepting is Ashton Genty for
Alvin Kamaras, So I don't think that's all.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
That's too rich. I would give you Kyron at the
eighth pick. I don't even know what that means. Since
we're not actually playing fantasy here, I will go my
next pick. That broke my heart. I'm just such a
space at it. Maybe we can put a little note
with the top twenty rankings that we put out that
that Greg just forgot, forgot and apologizes Bucky Irving.
Speaker 4 (26:52):
Oh yeah, I love this pick.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
The highest rate of Forcemiths tackles in the entire league
over five yards per carry on inside runs and outside runs.
There were there were some number numbers, and this is
you know, in large part due to the great Bucks
offensive line. But when teams played single high safety and
Bucky Irving was on the field, like he averaged a
(27:16):
preposterously high h yards per carry, just like you literally
could not play single high against Bucky Irving. You took
that extra guy from not in the box like he
is gonna have some space, he is gonna make you miss.
And the numbers, like the advanced numbers and the raw
numbers would actually tell you he was already like a
(27:38):
top eight to ten back. I'm not ready to go there,
but I'm happy to put him deside.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
Yeah, ninth and success rate right behind Saquon Barclay by
just a zero point one percent difference. A player who
finished with one hundred and eighty six rushing yards over expected,
and a guy.
Speaker 4 (27:53):
Who I think is just scratching the surface.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
One of my favorite guys out of the combine in
his class went to Tampa.
Speaker 4 (27:59):
They needed a running back.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
He took Rashad White's job rightfully, so he's on the
path the success. I love that pick up. Now you've
kind of wiped out a little bit of what was
remaining of my board. But we're gonna go to a
guy that I think, Look, yeah, he had a couple
of ankle injuries last year. Yes one was caused, if
not both, by hip drop tackles. But we're going with
Joe Mixon in Houston because I think Joe Mixon was
(28:25):
kind of not treated poorly, but undervalued a little bit
by Cincinnati. They col let go of him for a
seventh round pick. They were gonna cut him. He ends
up going to Houston. He has a really good start
gets hurt, misses some time, comes back, has a nice little,
you know, period of games before he gets hurt again.
If he was healthy over the course of the season,
he'd be an unquestioned weapon in that offense more than
(28:46):
he is. And the idea of him with the Texans
with Cjstraw, with everybody they have receiver, and then adding
in whatever is left of Nick Chubb.
Speaker 4 (28:54):
I'm just I feel good about him going into the season. Now.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
It might be one of his last productive seasons of
his career, considering how long he's been in the NFL.
Speaker 4 (28:59):
But he's just a guy that I like.
Speaker 3 (29:01):
He runs hard, he can hit the home run, he
can make plays. He's just one of my favorite running
backs to watch. So that's one I take him here.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
Yeah, the only question is really if he can keep
not just on the field, but when he comes out
at the beginning of the season and he's fully healthy,
he looks one way, or sometimes if he has a
week or two off and then it's coming back, like
he looks one way and then you see it fade
just a little bit if he loses some of the bursts,
some of the physicality. But he's averaged over thirteen hundred
(29:30):
and fifty yards from scrimmage over the last four years,
so extremely consistent.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
This is right where I had him in the draft
as well.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
I'm going back to another rookie here for sixteen because
when it comes down to it, I am confident enough
in Amari and Hampton. He is one of my favorite
like running back evaluations over the last handful of years.
I think he is complete, like a great blocker. I
think he's gonna matter in the passing game. He can
be a big playmaker. I think he in a perfect world,
(30:00):
he's a little bit bigger and a little more complete
of a Jonathan Taylor type of player. Probably not gonna
make you miss as much as a lot of the
running backs ahead of him, but that's okay when you
have the juice. And I think that the third down
availability that he's going to have, so I would take
him over the rest of the veterans on the list.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
I feel good about the unc back at sixty.
Speaker 4 (30:23):
Yeah. I like that pick too.
Speaker 3 (30:24):
And this kind of goes back to what I was
saying about rooms is I really love the Chargers room.
The balance between Najee Harris and o'mari and Hampton is
really exciting for me, especially with their identity as a
team that wants to be physical, that wants to win
on the ground. They have two different backs that can
do a lot of different things. They can balance them
well together and make quite a tandem. I think it's
going to be very benful, beneficial for them going into
(30:44):
twenty twenty five. Next up on my list, we're gonna
go Devon a Chan and I'm going there because of
the big play capability, because he is a guy you
always have to account for on the field, because of
that home run speed that he has. I don't see
him as an every downback. I do see him as
the best option that they have in that backfield who
could grow into something more if the rest of their
(31:06):
offense could get back on track, because they certainly weren't
last year. I like his raw potential, the untapped potential
that we've yet to see him what we've already seen
from him with the big plays.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
I mean, a ridiculously efficient like rookie season. Last year
was kind of the opposite, where felt like he left
yards on the field. Not great blocking, certainly, but he
was hunting big plays. He's a guy who won't look
good in terms of yards over expected. I think he
was under because he was trying to make things happen.
I'm not going to say it's a reach, but I
(31:37):
had him more like around twenty five. But I think
it's more styles. It depends what you're looking for the
runners at this spot. It's kind of like pick your favorite.
I do think one back has been underrated in our
draft more than any other, and you know, I've taken
other guys over him, so that's on me too, and
that's Tony Pollard, Like what does Tony Pollard need to.
Speaker 2 (31:58):
Do to get a little more respect.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
He's actually been consistent in terms of production, despite you know,
you think of him at the end of Dallas getting hurt,
but that was at the end of a season over
thirteen hundred yards from scrimmage in three straight. He was
sixth last season in terms of yards after contact. So
he's a guy who actually makes plays on his own.
I thought last season was about as good as he's
(32:21):
ever run, but really no one noticed because it was
in Tennessee, and so he was someone if you were
still sticking around with your game pass condensed or whatever.
Deep into Week thirteen fourteen, it was like man Pollard
is the guy I think that they wanted him to
be when they when they brought it him to Tennessee,
the guy that Dallas almost never let him be, Like
(32:43):
a real one, a type of guy, complete guy. And
really nothing I could say was wrong with Pollard. Maybe
not like the number one guy you would pick to
like get two yards when it's fourth in gold and
like run through tackles, but not a zero in that
respect either, And so I really like him here at
at I'm glad he got out the list at least.
Speaker 4 (33:03):
Yeah, yeah, I agree with that too.
Speaker 3 (33:05):
And I think that he, unfortunately is a representation of
the mismanagement of the running back position on the part
of the Dallas Cowboys over the last two to three years,
because they had a chance to make him their guy
and stick with him, and they let him walk, and
he walked it Tennessee, where he obviously didn't have He
wasn't in a good scenario because their quarterback situation was
in flux and you know, they're still a rebuilding team,
(33:25):
but the talent is undeniable there I and everything that
you just said I totally agree with, and that if
he's in the right situation, if they get better as
an offense, you know, with cam Ward being there and
they've showed up the offensive line again.
Speaker 4 (33:35):
I think we could see great things for him because
he's got the juice for sure.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
He's making seven million dollars a year too, Nick Like.
Speaker 4 (33:41):
I know he's chaged. It doesn't Did you not keep him? Dallas?
What are you doing?
Speaker 1 (33:45):
There is a level of veteran running back that becomes
available in free agency that the second contracts are very
much worth it because then the Titans don't have to
worry about that position, and that is not a lot
to pay.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
No, your last pick shook?
Speaker 4 (33:57):
Is it last?
Speaker 2 (33:58):
Making sure you get whoever you want on this list
needs to be back.
Speaker 3 (34:02):
Well, we're throwing it back. I'm gonna take the other
half of the Lions tandem. I'm going David Montgomery. That's
a guy who I watched and multiple ones in his
last year. Just win the war of attrition, the ground
and pound. I'm bigger and stronger, I'm gonna run harder
than you, and I'm gonna close this game right now
by running between the tackles and doing what my coaches want.
Speaker 4 (34:21):
I want a guy like that on my team.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
I don't care if he doesn't bring everything to the
table in every area that you get from other running backs.
That's a guy that I want in my depth chart
and the capability, Like you just said, to get fourth
and two two yards, I'm giving it to David Montgomery.
I can trust him. He's a gritty type of old
school running back.
Speaker 4 (34:37):
I love him. He's my last pick.
Speaker 1 (34:39):
He was first in the NFL last year in success
rate on under center runs, So it's exactly what you say.
How did the NFL used to be played like under center?
He's gonna get you four to five yards. He was
absolutely my next pick two. We've reached twenty and now
it's like, who do I want to make sure is
on this list because a lot of them aren't my types.
(35:01):
Some options I'm just gonna throw to give people some love.
Speaker 2 (35:04):
We didn't.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
We didn't pick Trayvon Henderson and I'm not going to,
but just wanted to send him some love. Pa Checko's
coming off a bad season, so he's not going to
get drafted. Chewba Harvard really improved, but I think doesn't
quite have the juice to make this list. I like
what I saw out of Tyrone Tracy. I think Chase
Brown is an ascending player, but ultimately this last spot
(35:24):
comes down to three players for me, either Breese Hall,
ken Walker or Remandre Stevenson. Now it was the next
three on my list, Okay, Now, in my heart, Remandre
is more my type of guy. He's coming off a
season where he fumbled, he was not good. He's not
coming off of a good season. Neither neither is Breese Hall.
(35:49):
And yet like Remandre is to me the most complete
of these guys, and like the guy that would be
my style. But I'm so you know, anxiety ridden about
being called just a Patriots homer. I will take ken Walker,
who I had written down next, who it is fun
to have a runner who can run one way, look
(36:09):
like he's got to get tackled for five yard loss
and run for forty the other way. And he was
hit behind the line of scrimmage so often and was
playing in such a bad situation. I know Vermandre was too,
but ultimately, man, that guy. It would be great to
see him behind a good offensive line, and I think
can be a really dynamic playmaker, has the highest ceiling.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
I'm torn.
Speaker 1 (36:30):
If it was actually my team, maybe I would take
Rimondre I think he's got a bounce back season coming
up and is a really good NFL player, But I
will go Kenneth Walker for just the highlight, real place.
Speaker 3 (36:40):
Yeah, I don't hate this pick at all for everything
that you just stated, I'm on board with that. I
am curious though, because it was such a forgettable season
for bresee Hall, where does he because we don't know
what the Jets are going to be They have a
new identity, new quarterback, new everything else, But like, do
you see a bounce back year for him that reminds
us of the guy he was? Because you want to
talk about home run hitters, he was a home run
(37:02):
hitter a couple of years ago, and that's maybe that's
more my style.
Speaker 4 (37:04):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (37:05):
I'm kind of bouncing between the two. But do you
think that that is within him going into twenty twenty
five and maybe even twenty twenty six, even though we're
not considering that year in this draft.
Speaker 1 (37:14):
Absolutely, this is a confirming my prior situation. There is
something about running backs of you know it when you
see it, and I like instincts. I like the feel
of making people miss in a small area in a hole,
like the vision, like I think Remondri's very good at that,
even though he's not going to be a big playmaker.
He's more like the Frank Gore type of mold. Yeah,
(37:37):
Breese Hall, I've never like wrapped my arms around too,
because to me, he doesn't feel as talented as he is.
He doesn't feel as instinctive as a back as some
of these other guys. Just like a truly great natural
just runner. But he's an athlete and he could make
this ranking look very disrespectful with a big season.
Speaker 4 (37:58):
He could.
Speaker 3 (37:58):
He could, And you know what, we can eat that crow.
That's fine. That's how this thing works.
Speaker 1 (38:02):
Yeah, And I don't know if the Jets are like
totally in on him that he was like dangled a
little bit, so I think they'll they'll spread it around.
But it is a position where opportunity makes all the
difference in the world.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
So who knows, Like maybe uh, maybe an R. J.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
Harvey or or quinchin Junk And I'm trying to think
of some other players that didn't come up to the
Caleb Johnson Travis et and maybe he'll bounce back like
any of those players could bounce on this list for
next year, we will put it out and we will
see who we get made fun of the most shook.
It's gonna be it's gonna be a minute until we
have you back on NFL daily, So enjoy the time off.
Speaker 2 (38:36):
And you know, I don't know what you're doing this offseason.
Speaker 3 (38:41):
Well, I mean, that's that's all good, because yesterday I
narrowly avoided getting a sunburn on the top of my head.
So maybe by the time I come back, I'll be
looking like a tomato.
Speaker 1 (38:49):
You don't know, impossible, And don't don't celebrate the Calves
suddenly being like the favorites in the Eastern Conference just
because halliber And and Tatum are injured going into next year.
Speaker 4 (39:00):
Well, you know, nobody, nobody celebrates. Nobody celebrates injuries.
Speaker 3 (39:04):
But the Cavs had their own injuries in the Eastern
Conference semifinals that they had to deal with too, So
you know, we'll see, we'll see how it goes.
Speaker 4 (39:10):
It's a long way away.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
Watched Game seven on a flight back to LA and
it broke my heart.
Speaker 2 (39:17):
You know, I'm not a patient. We will be back
in your feed on Wednesday morning.
Speaker 1 (39:20):
Yes, Colleen Wolf, myself and uh Jordan rod Red and yeah,
I can't lie this.
Speaker 2 (39:28):
This is the part of the season. Football is not back,
but we're gonna we're gonna make you want to listen anyways.
Host
Gregg Rosenthal
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