A few days ago I ran a Josh Jacobs-related item about running backs in their final year of college. The gist was that most running backs drafted in the first three rounds have put up big numbers in their final seasons, while Jacobs played in a tandem with Damien Harris. Jacobs will be selected early, but some teams may hesitate. But they've got to be intrigued by the overall potential.
Jacobs has the power and decisiveness to pick up extra yards than what initially seems to be there, not just as a runner but in the passing game. He averaged 12.4 yards per catch last year. Among the 52 running backs who rushed for at least 500 yards and also caught 20-plus passes, only three had a higher average than Jacobs.
COLLEGE RUNNING BACKS, YARDS PER CATCH | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | School | Run | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD |
Elijah Mitchell | Louisiana | 985 | 13 | 20 | 349 | 17.5 | 3 |
Darwin Thompson | Utah State | 1044 | 14 | 23 | 351 | 15.3 | 2 |
Ben LeMay | Charlotte | 1243 | 11 | 21 | 282 | 13.4 | 0 |
Josh Jacobs | Alabama | 640 | 11 | 20 | 247 | 12.4 | 3 |
Ronnie Rivers | Fresno State | 743 | 10 | 26 | 311 | 12.0 | 3 |
Austin Walter | Rice | 564 | 4 | 44 | 525 | 11.9 | 2 |
CJ Verdell | Oregon | 1018 | 10 | 27 | 315 | 11.7 | 2 |
Jason Huntley | New Mexico State | 505 | 7 | 47 | 529 | 11.3 | 3 |
Gerold Bright | Utah State | 888 | 10 | 22 | 232 | 10.5 | 3 |
Chuba Hubbard | Oklahoma State | 740 | 7 | 22 | 229 | 10.4 | 2 |
Trayveon Williams | Texas A&M | 1760 | 18 | 27 | 278 | 10.3 | 1 |
J.K. Dobbins | Ohio State | 1053 | 10 | 26 | 263 | 10.1 | 2 |
A.J. Ouellette | Ohio | 1306 | 12 | 21 | 212 | 10.1 | 2 |
Deon Jackson | Duke | 847 | 7 | 26 | 253 | 9.7 | 2 |
Alex Barnes | Kansas State | 1355 | 12 | 20 | 194 | 9.7 | 0 |
D'Andre Swift | Georgia | 1049 | 10 | 32 | 297 | 9.3 | 3 |
Michael Warren II | Cincinnati | 1329 | 19 | 25 | 232 | 9.3 | 1 |
Damien Harris | Alabama | 876 | 9 | 22 | 204 | 9.3 | 0 |
Trey Ragas | Louisiana | 1181 | 8 | 25 | 229 | 9.2 | 2 |
Toa Taua | Nevada | 872 | 6 | 22 | 202 | 9.2 | 1 |
Braeden West | SMU | 589 | 6 | 39 | 356 | 9.1 | 1 |
Pooka Williams | Kansas | 1125 | 7 | 33 | 289 | 8.8 | 2 |
Devine Ozigbo | Nebraska | 1082 | 12 | 23 | 203 | 8.8 | 0 |
Tra Minter | South Alabama | 801 | 6 | 23 | 201 | 8.7 | 0 |
Steven Peoples | Virginia Tech | 786 | 6 | 21 | 182 | 8.7 | 1 |
Raheem Blackshear | Rutgers | 586 | 3 | 44 | 367 | 8.3 | 2 |
Warren Wand | Arkansas State | 792 | 4 | 26 | 213 | 8.2 | 1 |
Deandre Torrey | North Texas | 977 | 15 | 25 | 205 | 8.2 | 2 |
Salvon Ahmed | Washington | 608 | 7 | 21 | 170 | 8.1 | 0 |
Kylin Hill | Mississippi State | 734 | 4 | 22 | 176 | 8.0 | 4 |
Marquis Young | Massachusetts | 778 | 9 | 22 | 173 | 7.9 | 0 |
Connor Heyward | Michigan State | 529 | 5 | 32 | 249 | 7.8 | 0 |
Eno Benjamin | Arizona State | 1642 | 16 | 35 | 263 | 7.5 | 2 |
James Williams | Washington State | 560 | 12 | 83 | 613 | 7.4 | 4 |
Rakeem Boyd | Arkansas | 734 | 2 | 23 | 165 | 7.2 | 0 |
Joshua Kelley | UCLA | 1243 | 12 | 27 | 193 | 7.1 | 0 |
David Montgomery | Iowa State | 1216 | 13 | 22 | 157 | 7.1 | 0 |
D.J. Knox | Purdue | 883 | 8 | 27 | 180 | 6.7 | 1 |
Tre Watson | Texas | 786 | 3 | 22 | 143 | 6.5 | 3 |
Alexander Mattison | Boise State | 1415 | 17 | 27 | 173 | 6.4 | 0 |
Keaontay Ingram | Texas | 708 | 3 | 27 | 170 | 6.3 | 2 |
Izzy Matthews | Colorado State | 717 | 4 | 27 | 169 | 6.3 | 1 |
Cam Akers | Florida State | 706 | 6 | 23 | 145 | 6.3 | 2 |
LeVante Bellamy | Western Michigan | 1228 | 6 | 30 | 185 | 6.2 | 1 |
Jermar Jefferson | Oregon State | 1380 | 12 | 25 | 147 | 5.9 | 0 |
Miles Sanders | Penn State | 1274 | 9 | 24 | 139 | 5.8 | 0 |
Patrick Laird | California | 961 | 5 | 51 | 288 | 5.6 | 4 |
Michael Carter | North Carolina | 597 | 2 | 25 | 135 | 5.4 | 1 |
Mike Weber | Ohio State | 954 | 5 | 21 | 112 | 5.3 | 1 |
Bryce Love | Stanford | 739 | 6 | 20 | 99 | 5.0 | 0 |
Derrick Gore | Louisiana-Monroe | 662 | 6 | 21 | 80 | 3.8 | 0 |
Myles Gaskin | Washington | 1268 | 12 | 21 | 77 | 3.7 | 1 |
Jacobs is solidly built at 5-foot-10 and 220 pounds, so teams shouldn't be afraid to run him between the tackles. But they'll probably look at his receiving potential and want to get him in space as a pass catcher. There's definite three-down potential, which is why he'll be the top rookie selected in most fantasy drafts. Depending on landing spot, probably.