Which rookie running back will have the best season? Recent history tells us it will likely be Bishop Sankey, Jeremy Hill, or Carlos Hyde, the three running backs drafted in the first two rounds. Far less likely it will be the running backs select outside those two rounds, like Terrance West (3rd), Devonta Freeman (4th) or Andre Williams (4th).
Over the past decade, 36 rookie running backs have put up at least 750 total yards (rushing and receiving) in their rookie seasons. Of those players, nearly three quarters (26) were selected in the first two rounds of the draft. Three of the remaining 10 were drafted in the third round, and the other seven were drafted in the fourth round or later, if they were drafted at all.
One thing that can be said for those running backs selected outside the top two rounds is that the trends seem to be in their favor. Eight of the 10 runners selected from the third round on to go over 750 total yards have done it in the last four seasons. Good news for Williams and Freeman; maybe they'll be the next Alfred Morris, Andre Ellington or Zac Stacy.
The top rookie running backs from the past decade in terms of total yards, including the round they were drafted in, are presented below. Backs selected after the first two rounds are in bold.
TOP ROOKIE RUNNERS, TOTAL YARDS, 2004-2013 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Rd | Player | Run | Rec | Tot | TD |
2012 | 1 | Doug Martin | 1454 | 472 | 1926 | 12 |
2008 | 2 | Matt Forte | 1238 | 477 | 1715 | 12 |
2012 | 6 | Alfred Morris | 1613 | 77 | 1690 | 13 |
2008 | 3 | Steve Slaton | 1282 | 377 | 1659 | 10 |
2007 | 1 | Adrian Peterson | 1341 | 268 | 1609 | 13 |
2008 | 1 | Chris Johnson | 1228 | 260 | 1488 | 10 |
2013 | 2 | Eddie Lacy | 1178 | 257 | 1435 | 11 |
2006 | 1 | Joseph Addai | 1081 | 325 | 1406 | 8 |
2006 | 2 | Maurice Jones-Drew | 941 | 436 | 1377 | 16 |
2012 | 1 | Trent Richardson | 950 | 367 | 1317 | 12 |
2004 | 1 | Kevin Jones | 1133 | 180 | 1313 | 6 |
2006 | 1 | Reggie Bush | 565 | 742 | 1307 | 9 |
2007 | 1 | Marshawn Lynch | 1115 | 184 | 1299 | 7 |
2008 | 3 | Kevin Smith | 976 | 286 | 1262 | 8 |
2013 | 2 | LeVeon Bell | 860 | 399 | 1259 | 8 |
2005 | 1 | Cadillac Williams | 1178 | 81 | 1259 | 6 |
2013 | 2 | Giovani Bernard | 695 | 514 | 1209 | 8 |
2009 | 1 | Knowshon Moreno | 947 | 213 | 1160 | 9 |
2005 | 1 | Ronnie Brown | 907 | 232 | 1139 | 5 |
2013 | 5 | Zac Stacy | 973 | 141 | 1114 | 8 |
2011 | 3 | DeMarco Murray | 897 | 183 | 1080 | 2 |
2010 | 1 | Jahvid Best | 555 | 487 | 1032 | 6 |
2013 | 6 | Andre Ellington | 652 | 371 | 1023 | 4 |
2010 | U | LeGarrette Blount | 1007 | 14 | 1021 | 6 |
2011 | 4 | Roy Helu | 640 | 379 | 1019 | 3 |
2012 | 5 | Vick Ballard | 814 | 152 | 966 | 3 |
2009 | 2 | LeSean McCoy | 637 | 308 | 945 | 4 |
2006 | 1 | Laurence Maroney | 745 | 194 | 939 | 7 |
2009 | 1 | Beanie Wells | 793 | 143 | 936 | 7 |
2004 | 2 | Julius Jones | 819 | 107 | 926 | 7 |
2006 | 4 | Leon Washington | 650 | 270 | 920 | 4 |
2008 | 1 | Jonathan Stewart | 836 | 47 | 883 | 10 |
2004 | 1 | Steven Jackson | 673 | 189 | 862 | 4 |
2010 | 1 | Ryan Mathews | 678 | 145 | 823 | 7 |
2006 | 1 | DeAngelo Williams | 501 | 313 | 814 | 2 |
2008 | 1 | Darren McFadden | 499 | 285 | 784 | 4 |
--Andy Richardson,