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Second-round running backs

Cook, Mixon and the uphill battle of second-round running backs

We all tend to get excited by the potential of running backs selected in the second round, and I’m as guilty as the next guy. I’m of the school of thought that Joe Mixon and Dalvin Cook will be very good. But when you look closer at the track record of those chosen in the second round, it’s pretty darn awful.

In this century, there have been 40 running backs picked in the second. Only five of those backs hit it really big, putting up top-10 numbers in their first year. Those guys are in bold on the chart, and with three of them (Clinton Portis, Maurice Jones-Drew and Jeremy Hill) it took awhile for them to get going.

Four others at least put up top-20 numbers, which is something. But that’s not a great overall success rate – 9 of 40.

None of the other 31 backs ranked higher than 28th among running backs in their first year (using standard fantasy coring). And 65 percent of these 40 backs didn’t rank higher than 40th.

Not all of these backs were coveted, of course. I will leave it to you to skim down the list and try to remember if you would have been excited to select each player in the third, fourth or fifth round of your draft back in the day. I remember there being some buzz around the likes of Montee Ball, Bishop Sankey, Tatum Bell, Toby Gerhart, Ryan Williams and LenDale White. Carlos Hyde and Ameer Abdullah both enhanced their value as rookies by busting a couple of notable runs in the preseason.

Some of these running backs ended up being very good, it just happened later. LeSean McCoy, Ray Rice, LaMont Jordan.

But mostly misses, and consider that a warning if you’re thinking the key to your draft will be selecting Mixon and Cook. Maybe these guys are good (I believe I’ll have both of them in my top 20), but there is risk involved.

For me, a selling point on both Cook and Mixon is that I consider them to be a lot better than most of these second-round picks. They’re more talented. Under different circumstances, I think Cook and Mixon could have been chosen in the first round.

PRODUCTION OF SECOND-ROUND RUNNING BACKS
YearPlayerRecRunTotalTDPointsRnk
2001• Anthony Thomas, Chi.1781,1831,3617180.113
2001Travis Henry, Buff.1797299084114.828
2001LaMont Jordan, NYJ44292336245.662
2002 Clinton Portis, Den.3641,5081,87217289.24
2002Ladell Betts, Wash.154307461152.155
2002Maurice Morris, Sea.25153178123.886
2002DeShaun Foster, Car.0000.0--
2004Julius Jones, Dall.1098199287134.829
2004Tatum Bell, Den.80396476365.648
2004Greg Jones, Jac.13162175335.577
2005J.J. Arrington, Ariz.139370509262.955
2005Eric Shelton, Car.0000.0--
2006 Maurice Jones-Drew, Jac.4369411,37716233.78
2006LenDale White, Tenn.60244304030.472
2007Brandon Jackson, G.B.130267397145.769
2007Chris Henry, Tenn.53119172229.281
2007Kenny Irons, Cin.0000.0--
2008 Matt Forte, Chi.4771,2381,71512243.54
2008Ray Rice, Balt.273454727072.755
2009LeSean McCoy, Phil.3086379454120.536
2010Toby Gerhart, Minn.167322489154.960
2010Montario Hardesty, Clev.0000.0--
2011Ben Tate, Hou.989421,0404128.028
2011Daniel Thomas, Mia.72581653171.350
2012• Mikel Leshoure, Det.2147981,0129155.220
2012Shane Vereen, N.E.149251400464.050
2012Ryan Williams, Ariz.44164208020.897
2012LaMichael James, S.F.29125154015.4104
2012Isaiah Pead, St.L.16547007.0130
2013 Eddie Lacy, G.B.2571,1781,43511209.57
2013• LeVeon Bell, Pitt.3998601,2598173.915
2013• Giovani Bernard, Cin.5146951,2098168.917
2013Montee Ball, Den.145559704494.442
2014 Jeremy Hill, Cin.2151,1241,3399187.910
2014Bishop Sankey, Tenn.133569702282.243
2014Carlos Hyde, S.F.68333401464.154
2014Christine Michael, Sea.12175187018.799
2015T.J. Yeldon, Jac.2797401,0193119.928
2015Ameer Abdullah, Det.183597780396.042
2016Derrick Henry, Tenn.137490627592.740

—Ian Allan

Fantasy Index