Tampa Bay selected Charles Sims in the third round of last month's draft, and New England selected James White in the fourth. Both of those teams have crowded backfields, but both players appear have a good chance of emerging as significant players. Later if not sooner.
Sims has been talked up as a passing downs back right away, as he's considered a better receiver than Doug Martin. Offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford, though, seems to foresee bigger things in Sims' future.
"He's a bigger back who can run between the tackles," says Tedford. "He runs with a low pad level and catches the ball really, really well." We'd been thinking last year's sixth-rounder Mike James had the inside track on the backup job to Martin, but it sounds like Sims is a contender for that handcuff role, in addition to the favorite for third-down duties.
As for White, the Patriots have plenty of other running backs, but neither Stevan Ridley nor Shane Vereen is signed beyond the 2014 season. The Patriots view White as similar to Vereen, and that's obviously an important role in New England's offense. Nothing can be counted on with the Patriots, but it's not far-fetched to think White could be the starter in New England by next season, if not sooner.
Those who like to select backup running backs in the later rounds of fantasy drafts should have both of these players on their radar.
--Andy Richardson