Running backs aren’t as coveted as they used to be. Back in the day (as in ‘70s and ‘80s) you’d always see a running back picked in the top 5 or top 10, and those guys would be counted on to instantly turn around franchises. Think Earl Campbell, Billy Sims, Walter Payton, Eric Dickerson, Curt Warner, etc.
Nowadays, it’s rare to see a running back picked in the top 10. Last year, there wasn’t even one selected in the first round. And it might play out that way again this season – probably the second round for the first running back this time.
So you would think that when that rare running back is selected in the top 10 today, he would be a can’t-miss butt-kicker kind of back. But it’s not playing out that way.
In the last 10 years, there’s been Adrian Peterson, who was the No. 7 pick in 2007. He’s great, and he should have gone sooner. But of the other seven running backs selected in the top 10 in the last 10 years, in hindsight none of them should have been top-10 picks.
I’m not saying all of these guys are busts. C.J. Spiller, Ronnie Brown, Cedric Benson and Reggie Bush have all had 1,000-yard seasons. Cadillac Williams, Darren McFadden and Trent Richardson have had their moments – so all of these backs have some value.
But if you could wind back the clock, none of the seven teams that have selected those backs would for a second consider choosing those running backs again.
The track record gets a little bit better if you cast the net back a few more years. Jamal Lewis, a No. 5 pick in 2000, worked out fine for the Ravens. And LaDainian Tomlinson (the No. 5 pick the next year) in hindsight should have been selected even sooner. The No. 7 pick in 2000, Thomas Jones, had a nice career, but his best ball (by far) came after he was no longer with Arizona.
| RUNNING BACKS SELECTED IN THE TOP 10 SINCE 2000 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Pick | Player | Team |
| 2000 | 5 | Jamal Lewis | Balt. |
| 2000 | 7 | Thomas Jones | Ariz. |
| 2001 | 5 | LaDainian Tomlinson | S.D. |
| 2005 | 2 | Ronnie Brown | Mia. |
| 2005 | 4 | Cedric Benson | Chi. |
| 2005 | 5 | Cadillac Williams | T.B. |
| 2006 | 2 | Reggie Bush | N.O. |
| 2007 | 7 | Adrian Peterson | Minn. |
| 2008 | 4 | Darren McFadden | Oak. |
| 2010 | 9 | C.J. Spiller | Buff. |
| 2012 | 3 | Trent Richardson | Clev. |
—Ian Allan