March 24, 2023 • 7 mins
Matt Williamson, Dale Lolley and Mike Prisuta give you their takes on the top running back prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft in the episode of NFL Draft Triple Take
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of NFL Draft
Triple Take, brought to you by UPMC. I'm Mike Pursuita,
joined as always by Matt Williamson and Dale Lawley. We're
getting ready for the NFL Draft and we are doing
that on a position by position basis. Today we take
a look at the running backs on our big board,
and yes we have a big board. And I don't
(00:29):
know about you, but I think running backs are starting
to get a little more popular in the Sunday League
than maybe they were several years back, no question, especially
weapons if you look at it just as an offensive
weapon that can affect the receiving game. Split out wide,
you know, you're seeing all these running quarterbacks, So a
lot of teams are going empty and having the quarterback
as the runner. But if you're running back, you know,
(00:51):
like a guy like Gibbs for example, is a great receiver,
you don't lose much, you know, I mean, you still
really put these linebackers in flux. So this class over
all was really hard for me to narrow down the
top five. I think it's a really deep group. A
really good group of running backs joined the league this year. Yeah,
I think When you look at this group, you see
we have what eight or nine guys on the board here.
(01:11):
They're probably could have easily had twelve guys on our
board here to pick from if we went to six,
you know, if we picked our top six. I think
you're going to see a little more variance here than
you've seen some of our other videos. Yeah, I think
they're out there to be had. It's just a question
of when teams are gonna want to pull the trigger.
I think it's kind of like the twenty seventeen draft
when you look at how deep that one was in
terms of the overall depth here. And well, Bijean Robinson
(01:34):
is a stud so pretty good if you lead us
off and give us your top five and whatever you
choose to. This is a guy I have mixed feelings
about is Zach Evans. He is extremely talented, a five
star recruit type of player, great burst, just a lot
of inconsistencies, and I wonder if he gets those things
ironed out interested what he's like at the next level.
(01:56):
He's kind of a boom er Bus type of guy.
I have a chain at four and I mixed feelings
about him too. I mean, he handled an every down
roll for A and M. This past year Spiller went
the league. They handed it to him. He's very small,
but he has remarkable track speed that shows up. And
I mentioned, you know, being a weapon. He is just
a weapon. I don't think he's gonna get twenty touches
(02:18):
a game or anything like that, but he can change
the game very quickly. UCLA's Zach Charbonet is sort of
a James Conner type. Breaks a lot of tackles, better
speed than Connor had. He has some big playability. I
think he can handle the load really solid all around prospect.
Mentioned Gibbs before. Gibbs is sort of the Austin Eckler
(02:43):
receiver weapon excelled at an extremely impressive program. Obviously carried
the load there, but really where he affects the game
is the passing game. And Dale mentioned Bijon. I mean,
he's right there with sae Quon Barkley in terms of
the best running back prospects we've seen in ten twenty years.
I really have a hard time finding negatives about the player.
(03:05):
He's terrific. Yeah, Dale was like, you're up next to him, Yeah, Robinson,
it's not a question to Kenny, do it it's just
where's he gonna Where's he gonna go? A is the
big question, you know, when the same thing really with Gibbs.
Gibbs get into the bottom of the first round, does
he gets slide somewhere into the second round because he's
really got as Matt mentioned and lr kind of Christian
McCaffrey vibe to him. I'm with Matt. Charbonnet stays at
(03:28):
three for me, but I can't put a chain that
high at one hundred and eighty pounds or eighty plus pounds.
I also don't have Zach Evans up that high. Who
I do have there at four is Taije Spears out
of Tulane, lit up the Senior Bowl, ran really well
at the Combine's. He catches the ball well and does
(03:49):
everything as you want out of today's modern back. And
then at five, I have tanked Bigsby out of Auburn again,
a guy that catches the football. You had to be
able to do that. You had to be a bigger
than two hundred pounds to make my list and catch
the football because that's what you're looking for in today's NFL.
So you know Bigsby does that. He's fast enough he
(04:09):
ran in the mid four fives at the Combine, So
I think, you know, when you look at those guys,
I went for every down running backs, with the exception
of Gibbs, because I think Gibbs is kind of special
in that regard. Not that these other guys don't have
that opportunity, but I do think that these other guys
can all carry the ball for you at least two
hundred times in a season. I went for home run hitters,
and my list is a little different. I'm gonna take
(04:32):
Tech Bigsby and just move him off to the side there.
I've got Spears at number five. I don't think he's
necessarily every down back, but boy did he light up
the Senior Bowl. I mean, maybe it's a little bit
of too much emphasis on something that's not an actual game. Yeah,
but those practices, the burst and acceleration, the gear he
was playing at was different than a lot of those
(04:54):
guys down there. Real quick, Mike, I just noticed he
just cuts differently than anybody else at the Senior Bowl too.
I mean, they'd have pads on, they're upbreaking tackles, but
the way he just sharp cuts were very, very impressive.
Video games hit a button number four. I don't know
if you guys know this about me, and I watched
a big ten fo kids a player, his brother, the
(05:15):
safety as a player Illinois was a story in college
football this year, and this guy was all over I mean, running, catching,
just a yard's gaining machine. And I'm very impressed with
Chase Brown. I'm gonna move Sharbonning over here. I have
eight chain checking in at number three because again that
(05:37):
speed factor, track background. But to me, this isn't Let's
get a track guy and put him in a football
suit and see if he can do a couple of things.
This guy gets to seem he's gone. He is gone,
and he's tough, you know, not the biggest guy out there,
but a track guy who can play football. Not I
(05:58):
would have as much of a problem with him if
he were a wide receiver. But you know, little running
backs take big hits, and that's why I just I
couldn't put him up that high. Gibbs. This, you know,
latest thing off the assembly line in Tuscaloosa. I mean,
go back. But he's different than the other guys that
they put out. He's not one of these you know,
six two, two hundred and thirty pound Greek gods he is.
(06:19):
He's a true two hundred pound guy. Yeah, but they
all are playing in They're all playing and really curious
to see where mister Robinson goes. Uh got some ideas
on that about the perfect fit. I don't know if
the teams that he would be the perfect fit for
are necessarily going to be inclined to take him. I
don't know tenth or fifteenth or wherever their picks come up.
(06:40):
But you're gonna hear a lot about this guy for
a long time. He's the wild card of this draft. Yeah,
one of the best players, without a doubt, top ten,
top five of all the group, but not necessarily gonna
be a top ten or top five pick, but we
shall see. That's gonna do it for our running back group.
On a thank everybody for finding us, however, and wherever
(07:02):
you found us, and remind you that we're gonna be
keep We are going to keep churning these position previews
out and we're gonna do everything we can along those
lines to get you ready for the NFL Draft in
Kansas City in late April. So keep it here, keep
stopping by, and we'll keep trying to get you up
to speed for Matt Williamson and Dale Lali. I'm Mike.
Pursuit of this has been the NFL Draft Triple Take,
(07:25):
brought to you by up MC
Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of NFL Draft
Triple Take, brought to you by UPMC. I'm Mike Pursuita,
joined as always by Matt Williamson and Dale Lawley. We're
getting ready for the NFL Draft and we are doing
that on a position by position basis. Today we take
a look at the running backs on our big board,
and yes we have a big board. And I don't
(00:29):
know about you, but I think running backs are starting
to get a little more popular in the Sunday League
than maybe they were several years back, no question, especially
weapons if you look at it just as an offensive
weapon that can affect the receiving game. Split out wide,
you know, you're seeing all these running quarterbacks, So a
lot of teams are going empty and having the quarterback
as the runner. But if you're running back, you know,
(00:51):
like a guy like Gibbs for example, is a great receiver,
you don't lose much, you know, I mean, you still
really put these linebackers in flux. So this class over
all was really hard for me to narrow down the
top five. I think it's a really deep group. A
really good group of running backs joined the league this year. Yeah,
I think When you look at this group, you see
we have what eight or nine guys on the board here.
(01:11):
They're probably could have easily had twelve guys on our
board here to pick from if we went to six,
you know, if we picked our top six. I think
you're going to see a little more variance here than
you've seen some of our other videos. Yeah, I think
they're out there to be had. It's just a question
of when teams are gonna want to pull the trigger.
I think it's kind of like the twenty seventeen draft
when you look at how deep that one was in
terms of the overall depth here. And well, Bijean Robinson
(01:34):
is a stud so pretty good if you lead us
off and give us your top five and whatever you
choose to. This is a guy I have mixed feelings
about is Zach Evans. He is extremely talented, a five
star recruit type of player, great burst, just a lot
of inconsistencies, and I wonder if he gets those things
ironed out interested what he's like at the next level.
(01:56):
He's kind of a boom er Bus type of guy.
I have a chain at four and I mixed feelings
about him too. I mean, he handled an every down
roll for A and M. This past year Spiller went
the league. They handed it to him. He's very small,
but he has remarkable track speed that shows up. And
I mentioned, you know, being a weapon. He is just
a weapon. I don't think he's gonna get twenty touches
(02:18):
a game or anything like that, but he can change
the game very quickly. UCLA's Zach Charbonet is sort of
a James Conner type. Breaks a lot of tackles, better
speed than Connor had. He has some big playability. I
think he can handle the load really solid all around prospect.
Mentioned Gibbs before. Gibbs is sort of the Austin Eckler
(02:43):
receiver weapon excelled at an extremely impressive program. Obviously carried
the load there, but really where he affects the game
is the passing game. And Dale mentioned Bijon. I mean,
he's right there with sae Quon Barkley in terms of
the best running back prospects we've seen in ten twenty years.
I really have a hard time finding negatives about the player.
(03:05):
He's terrific. Yeah, Dale was like, you're up next to him, Yeah, Robinson,
it's not a question to Kenny, do it it's just
where's he gonna Where's he gonna go? A is the
big question, you know, when the same thing really with Gibbs.
Gibbs get into the bottom of the first round, does
he gets slide somewhere into the second round because he's
really got as Matt mentioned and lr kind of Christian
McCaffrey vibe to him. I'm with Matt. Charbonnet stays at
(03:28):
three for me, but I can't put a chain that
high at one hundred and eighty pounds or eighty plus pounds.
I also don't have Zach Evans up that high. Who
I do have there at four is Taije Spears out
of Tulane, lit up the Senior Bowl, ran really well
at the Combine's. He catches the ball well and does
(03:49):
everything as you want out of today's modern back. And
then at five, I have tanked Bigsby out of Auburn again,
a guy that catches the football. You had to be
able to do that. You had to be a bigger
than two hundred pounds to make my list and catch
the football because that's what you're looking for in today's NFL.
So you know Bigsby does that. He's fast enough he
(04:09):
ran in the mid four fives at the Combine, So
I think, you know, when you look at those guys,
I went for every down running backs, with the exception
of Gibbs, because I think Gibbs is kind of special
in that regard. Not that these other guys don't have
that opportunity, but I do think that these other guys
can all carry the ball for you at least two
hundred times in a season. I went for home run hitters,
and my list is a little different. I'm gonna take
(04:32):
Tech Bigsby and just move him off to the side there.
I've got Spears at number five. I don't think he's
necessarily every down back, but boy did he light up
the Senior Bowl. I mean, maybe it's a little bit
of too much emphasis on something that's not an actual game. Yeah,
but those practices, the burst and acceleration, the gear he
was playing at was different than a lot of those
(04:54):
guys down there. Real quick, Mike, I just noticed he
just cuts differently than anybody else at the Senior Bowl too.
I mean, they'd have pads on, they're upbreaking tackles, but
the way he just sharp cuts were very, very impressive.
Video games hit a button number four. I don't know
if you guys know this about me, and I watched
a big ten fo kids a player, his brother, the
(05:15):
safety as a player Illinois was a story in college
football this year, and this guy was all over I mean, running, catching,
just a yard's gaining machine. And I'm very impressed with
Chase Brown. I'm gonna move Sharbonning over here. I have
eight chain checking in at number three because again that
(05:37):
speed factor, track background. But to me, this isn't Let's
get a track guy and put him in a football
suit and see if he can do a couple of things.
This guy gets to seem he's gone. He is gone,
and he's tough, you know, not the biggest guy out there,
but a track guy who can play football. Not I
(05:58):
would have as much of a problem with him if
he were a wide receiver. But you know, little running
backs take big hits, and that's why I just I
couldn't put him up that high. Gibbs. This, you know,
latest thing off the assembly line in Tuscaloosa. I mean,
go back. But he's different than the other guys that
they put out. He's not one of these you know,
six two, two hundred and thirty pound Greek gods he is.
(06:19):
He's a true two hundred pound guy. Yeah, but they
all are playing in They're all playing and really curious
to see where mister Robinson goes. Uh got some ideas
on that about the perfect fit. I don't know if
the teams that he would be the perfect fit for
are necessarily going to be inclined to take him. I
don't know tenth or fifteenth or wherever their picks come up.
(06:40):
But you're gonna hear a lot about this guy for
a long time. He's the wild card of this draft. Yeah,
one of the best players, without a doubt, top ten,
top five of all the group, but not necessarily gonna
be a top ten or top five pick, but we
shall see. That's gonna do it for our running back group.
On a thank everybody for finding us, however, and wherever
(07:02):
you found us, and remind you that we're gonna be
keep We are going to keep churning these position previews
out and we're gonna do everything we can along those
lines to get you ready for the NFL Draft in
Kansas City in late April. So keep it here, keep
stopping by, and we'll keep trying to get you up
to speed for Matt Williamson and Dale Lali. I'm Mike.
Pursuit of this has been the NFL Draft Triple Take,
(07:25):
brought to you by up MC
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