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Factoid

Robert Kelley

Washington has fared well with lightly regarded runners

Robert Kelley had an impressive rookie season for Washington, rushing for 704 yards and 7 TDs despite being undrafted in April and not emerging as the starting running back until Week 8. It's not the first time Washington has turned a nobody running back into somebody as a rookie.

Just five years ago, 2012 sixth-rounder Alfred Morris had a huge rookie season, rushing for 1,613 yards and 13 TDs. Morris' star burned out relatively quickly in Washington, but that's the top season by any late-round (5th-7th) or undrafted back in the last decade. Second goes to a 2016 rookie, Chicago fifth-rounder Jordan Howard.

In the last 10 years, 20 running backs selected from the fifth round on or undrafted have had some degree of success as rookies; at least 400 total yards. Washington, with Morris and Kelley, has two of the 10 best of those backs. Three other teams have produced two such backs in that span: the Cardinals, the Rams and the Raiders -- who uncovered two such backs from the fifth round on last April.

The best of the late-round or undrafted rookie running backs from the last 10 years are shown below, sorted by total yards.

LATE-ROUND / UNDRAFTED ROOKIE RBS, 2007-2016 (500-PLUS YARDS)
YearRdPkPlayerRunRecTotTD
20126173Alfred Morris, Wash.161377169013
20165150Jordan Howard, Chi.131329816117
20135160Zac Stacy, St.L.97314111148
20136187Andre Ellington, Ariz.65237110234
2010U-LeGarrette Blount, Tenn.10071410216
20125170Vick Ballard, Ind.8141529663
2015U-Thomas Rawls, Sea.830769065
2014U-Branden Oliver, S.D.5822718534
2016U--Robert Kelley, Wash.704827867
2014U-Isaiah Crowell, Clev.607876948
2016U--Jalen Richard, Oak.4911946853
20146181Alfred Blue, Hou.5281136413
20127252Daryl Richardson, St.L.4751636380
20085149Tim Hightower, Ariz.39923763610
20127229Bryce Brown, Phil.564566204
20165149Paul Perkins, N.Y.4561626180
20155155Karlos Williams, Buff.517966139
20165143DeAndre Washington, Oak.4671155822
20087227Peyton Hillis, Den.3431795226
2007U-Pierre Thomas, N.O.2521514032

--Andy Richardson

Fantasy Index