Yesterday we posted a list of the running backs selected in the first round of the NFL Draft since 2000. With some debate, it appeared that roughly a quarter of those 39 backs turned out great; maybe a third, depending on how generous you want to be with the word great. The vast majority, though, have been either ordinary or far worse. A reader asked what the list would look like for ensuing rounds.
Looking at the second round, over the same span of time, your odds of landing a great player look a little worse. (Which is to be expected, since they were drafted later.) There have been 37 running backs selected in the second round over the past 15 years. Using the same subjective, unscientific approach, it looks like 8 of them (a little over 20 percent) turned out great. There are five that it seems too early to say on: Christine Michael, Giovani Bernard, and a trio of rookies from last year (Jeremy Hill, Bishop Sankey, Carlos Hyde). We can have early opinions about some of those guys, but it's hard to say if they'll ever be great or not.
As with the first-rounders, note that most -- not all, but most -- of the hits started putting up good numbers from the get-go. Five of the eight deemed "great" rushed for more than 850 yards in their rookie seasons.
The second-rounders, sorted by their rookie year rushing yards, are presented below.
| SECOND-ROUND RUNNING BACKS, 2000-2014 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Pk | Player | Team | Att | Yds | TD | Great? |
| 2002 | 51 | Clinton Portis | Broncos | 273 | 1508 | 17 | Yes |
| 2008 | 44 | Matt Forte | Bears | 316 | 1238 | 12 | Yes |
| 2001 | 38 | Anthony Thomas | Bears | 278 | 1183 | 7 | No |
| 2013 | 61 | Eddie Lacy | Packers | 284 | 1178 | 11 | Yes |
| 2014 | 55 | Jeremy Hill | Bengals | 222 | 1124 | 9 | ? |
| 2006 | 60 | Maurice Jones-Drew | Jaguars | 166 | 941 | 16 | Yes |
| 2013 | 48 | LeVeon Bell | Steelers | 244 | 860 | 8 | Yes |
| 2004 | 43 | Julius Jones | Cowboys | 197 | 819 | 7 | No |
| 2001 | 58 | Travis Henry | Bills | 213 | 729 | 4 | Yes |
| 2013 | 37 | Giovani Bernard | Bengals | 170 | 695 | 8 | ? |
| 2009 | 53 | LeSean McCoy | Eagles | 155 | 637 | 4 | Yes |
| 2011 | 62 | Daniel Thomas | Dolphins | 165 | 581 | 1 | No |
| 2014 | 54 | Bishop Sankey | Titans | 152 | 569 | 2 | ? |
| 2013 | 58 | Montee Ball | Broncos | 120 | 559 | 4 | No |
| 2008 | 55 | Ray Rice | Ravens | 107 | 454 | 0 | Yes |
| 2004 | 41 | Tatum Bell | Broncos | 75 | 396 | 3 | No |
| 2005 | 44 | J.J. Arrington | Cardinals | 112 | 370 | 2 | No |
| 2014 | 57 | Carlos Hyde | 49ers | 83 | 333 | 4 | ? |
| 2010 | 51 | Toby Gerhart | Vikings | 81 | 322 | 1 | No |
| 2002 | 56 | Ladell Betts | Washington | 65 | 307 | 1 | No |
| 2001 | 49 | LaMont Jordan | Jets | 39 | 292 | 2 | No |
| 2007 | 63 | Brandon Jackson | Packers | 75 | 267 | 1 | No |
| 2006 | 45 | LenDale White | Titans | 61 | 244 | 0 | No |
| 2004 | 55 | Greg Jones | Jaguars | 62 | 162 | 3 | No |
| 2002 | 54 | Maurice Morris | Seahawks | 32 | 153 | 1 | No |
| 2012 | 61 | LaMichael James | 49ers | 27 | 125 | 0 | No |
| 2007 | 50 | Chris Henry | Titans | 31 | 119 | 2 | No |
| 2013 | 62 | Christine Michael | Seahawks | 18 | 79 | 0 | ? |
| 2011 | 56 | Shane Vereen | Patriots | 15 | 57 | 1 | No |
| 2012 | 50 | Isaiah Pead | Rams | 10 | 54 | 0 | No |
| 2002 | 34 | DeShaun Foster | Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | No |
| 2011 | 38 | Ryan Williams | Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | No |
| 2007 | 49 | Kenny Irons | Bengals | 0 | 0 | 0 | No |
| 2005 | 54 | Eric Shelton | Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | No |
| 2011 | 57 | Mikel Leshoure | Lions | 0 | 0 | 0 | No |
| 2010 | 58 | Ben Tate | Texans | 0 | 0 | 0 | No |
| 2010 | 59 | Montario Hardesty | Browns | 0 | 0 | 0 | No |
--Andy Richardson
