Factoid
Running backs aren’t the coveted commodity they were in the past. NFL teams just don’t have the burning desire to select them anymore. Their careers aren’t as long, and there are plenty of good ones available in the second, third and fourth rounds. You don’t go after a running back early in the first round unless you’re sure he’s going to be really special.
Trent Richardson of Alabama should be selected with a top-20 pick this year. Many thing he’ll go in the top 10. But he’ll be just the third running back selected with a top-20 pick in the last three years (following C.J. Spiller and Ryan Mathews).
That’s just the continuation of a trend that’s been in the works for years. In the ‘70s, there were 36 running backs selected with top-20 picks. That dropped to 34 in the ‘80s and 23 in the ‘90s. There were only 16 of those backs in the first 10 years of this century. (If you want to see that in chart form, go to our Facebook page, “Fantasyindex.com”).
But it’s clear that running backs are in decline. Less valued by NFL teams, anyway.
RUNNING BACKS SELECTED WITH TOP-20 PICKS, 1970-2011
Year Running back (pick) team
1970 Larry Stegent (8) Cardinals
1970 Bobby Anderson (11) Broncos
1970 Norm Bulaich (18) Colts
1970 Steve Owens (19) Lions
1971 John Riggins (6) Jets
1971 Joe Profit (7) Falcons
1971 John Brockington (9) Packers
1971 Joe Moore (11) Bears
1971 Leon Burns (13) Chargers
1971 Rocky Thompson (18) Giants
1972 Franco Harris (13) Steelers
1973 Otis Armstrong (9) Broncos
1973 Sam Cunningham (11) Patriots
1973 Chuck Foreman (12) Vikings
1973 George Amundson (14) Oilers
1974 Bo Matthews (2) Chargers
1974 Wilbur Jackson (9) 49ers
1974 John Cappelletti (11) Rams
1974 Barty Smith (12) Packers
1974 Woody Green (16) Kansas City
1975 Walter Payton (4) Bears
1975 Don Hardeman (15) Oilers
1976 Chuck Muncie (3) Saints
1976 Joe Washington (4) Chargers
1976 Mike Pruitt (7) Browns
1976 Bubba Bean (9) Falcons
1976 Lawrence Gaines (16) Lions
1977 Ricky Bell (1) Buccaneers
1977 Tony Dorsett (2) Cowboys
1978 Earl Campbell (1) Oilers
1978 Terry Miller (5) Bills
1978 Elvis Peacock (20) Rams
1979 Ottis Anderson (8) Cardinals
1979 Charles Alexander (13) Bengals
1979 Eddie Lee Ivery (15) Packers
1979 Ted Brown (16) Vikings
1980 Billy Sims (1) Lions
1980 Curtis Dickey (5) Colts
1980 Earl Cooper (13) 49ers
1981 George Rogers (1) Saints
1981 Freeman McNeil (3) Jets
1981 Randy McMillan (12) Colts
1981 David Overstreet (13) Dolphins
1982 Darrin Nelson (7) Vikings
1982 Gerald Riggs (9) Falcons
1982 Marcus Allen (10) Raiders
1982 Walter Abercrombie (12) Steelers
1982 Barry Redden (14) Rams
1982 Butch Woolfolk (18) Giants
1983 Eric Dickerson (2) Rams
1983 Curt Warner (3) Seahawks
1983 Michael Haddix (8) Eagles
1983 James Jones (13) Lions
1983 Gary Anderson (20) Chargers
1985 Ethan Horton (15) Kansas City
1985 George Adams (19) Giants
1986 Bo Jackson (1) Buccaneers
1986 Keith Byars (10) Eagles
1986 John L. Williams (15) Seahawks
1986 Ronnie Harmon (16) Bills
1987 Alonzo Highsmith (3) Oilers
1987 Brent Fullwood (4) Packers
1987 D.J. Dozier (14) Vikings
1987 Paul Palmer (19) Kansas City
1988 Gaston Green (14) Rams
1988 John Stephens (17) Patriots
1989 Barry Sanders (3) Lions
1989 Tim Worley (7) Steelers
1989 Sammie Smith (9) Dolphins
1989 Eric Metcalf (13) Browns
1990 Blair Thomas (2) Jets
1990 Emmitt Smith (17) Cowboys
1990 Darrell Thompson (19) Packers
1990 Steve Broussard (20) Falcons
1991 Leonard Russell (14) Patriots
1992 Tommy Vardell (9) Browns
1992 Tony Smith (19) Falcons
1993 Garrison Hearst (3) Cardinals
1993 Jerome Bettis (10) Rams
1994 Marshall Faulk (2) Colts
1995 Ki-Jana Carter (1) Bengals
1995 Tyrone Wheatley (17) Giants
1995 Napoleon Kaufman (18) Raiders
1995 James Stewart (19) Jaguars
1996 Lawrence Phillips (6) Rams
1996 Tim Biakabutuka (8) Panthers
1996 Eddie George (14) Oilers
1997 Warrick Dunn (12) Buccaneers
1998 Curtis Enis (5) Bears
1998 Fred Taylor (9) Jaguars
1998 Robert Edwards (18) Patriots
1999 Edgerrin James (4) Colts
1999 Ricky Williams (5) Saints
2000 Jamal Lewis (5) Ravens
2000 Thomas Jones (7) Cardinals
2000 Ron Dayne (11) Giants
2000 Shaun Alexander (19) Seahawks
2001 LaDainian Tomlinson (5) Chargers
2002 William Green (16) Browns
2002 T.J. Duckett (18) Falcons
2005 Ronnie Brown (2) Dolphins
2005 Cedric Benson (4) Bears
2005 Cadillac Williams (5) Bucs
2006 Reggie Bush (2) Saints
2007 Adrian Peterson (7) Vikings
2007 Marshawn Lynch (12) Bills
2008 Darren McFadden (4) Raiders
2008 Jonathan Stewart (13) Panthers
2009 Knowshon Moreno (12) Broncos
2010 C.J. Spiller (9) Bills
2010 Ryan Mathews (12) Chargers
—Ian Allan
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