Those who picked RJ Harvey thinking he’d become Denver’s main running back might finally see what he looks like in the starting lineup. J.K. Dobbins suffered a foot injury in last night’s game against the Raiders.
Dobbins is undergoing tests, leaving his status up in the air for the team’s next game (at home against Kansas City). He complained on social media that no flag was thrown on the play. “BAN OR AT LEAST CALL THE MUTHER F**KIN HIP DROP TACKLE!”, he wrote.
Dobbins has been starting all year, averaging 77 rushing yards in 10 games, albeit with only 4 TDs. They don’t use him much in the passing game (he’s caught only 11 passes for 37 yards all year).
Some might say a Dobbins injury is long overdue, with him long having problems staying healthy. He’s never played a full season. In his final three years in Baltimore, he played in only 9 of 51 possible games. He missed four games last year with the Chargers.
If Dobbins misses Week 11, they’ll presumably move Harvey into more of a featured role. His biggest contributions so far have been as a pass catcher (he’s caught 25 passes, including 4 TDs).
As a runner, Harvey had a 50-yard run in the opener and a 40-yard touchdown against Dallas but otherwise is averaging only 12 rushing yards.
Expectations were higher coming into the season, as they often are. But preseason hype often falls short of in-season reality.
In the last 15 years, 39 running backs have been selected with second-round picks. Only 14 of those backs (just over a third) finished as the most productive back on their own team. And only finished with top-40 numbers (using PPR scoring).
In this light, not surprising at all that it looks like 2025 rookies will be batting .333 (Quinshon Judkins will be the best running back in Cleveland, but TreVeyon Henderson has been falling short in New England).
In the chart below, players are ordered not chronologically but by draft order (with earlier picks listed first). Players tagged with black dots were the most productive running backs on their own team as rookies.
| SECOND-ROUND RUNNING BACKS (last 15 yrs) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Pk | St | Rushing | Receiving | PPR | Rk |
| 2020 | • D'Andre Swift, Det. | 35 | 4 | 114-521-8 | 46-357-2 | 193.8 | 16 |
| 2021 | • Javonte Williams, Den. | 35 | 1 | 203-903-4 | 43-316-3 | 206.9 | 17 |
| 2018 | • Nick Chubb, Cle. | 35 | 9 | 192-996-8 | 20-149-2 | 194.5 | 17 |
| 2015 | • T.J. Yeldon, Jac. | 36 | 12 | 182-740-2 | 36-279-1 | 155.9 | 28 |
| 2022 | Breece Hall, NYJ | 36 | 2 | 80-463-4 | 19-218-1 | 117.1 | 42 |
| 2010 | Dexter McCluster, K.C. | 36 | 7 | 18-71-0 | 21-209-1 | 61.0 | 65 |
| 2013 | • Giovani Bernard, Cin. | 37 | 0 | 170-695-5 | 56-514-3 | 224.9 | 13 |
| 2018 | Ronald Jones, T.B. | 38 | 0 | 23-44-1 | 7-33-0 | 20.7 | 95 |
| 2011 | Ryan Williams, Ari. | 38 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0-0-0 | .0 | -- |
| 2020 | • Jonathan Taylor, Ind. | 41 | 13 | 232-1169-11 | 36-299-1 | 254.8 | 6 |
| 2022 | • Kenneth Walker, Sea. | 41 | 11 | 228-1050-9 | 27-165-0 | 202.5 | 18 |
| 2017 | Dalvin Cook, Min. | 41 | 4 | 74-354-2 | 11-90-0 | 67.4 | 72 |
| 2018 | • Kerryon Johnson, Det. | 43 | 7 | 118-641-3 | 32-213-1 | 141.4 | 33 |
| 2016 | Derrick Henry, Ten. | 45 | 2 | 110-490-5 | 13-137-0 | 105.7 | 45 |
| 2024 | Jonathon Brooks, Car. | 46 | 1 | 9-22-0 | 3-23-0 | 7.5 | 114 |
| 2013 | • LeVeon Bell, Pitt. | 48 | 13 | 244-860-8 | 45-399-0 | 218.9 | 15 |
| 2017 | Joe Mixon, Cin. | 48 | 7 | 178-626-4 | 30-287-0 | 145.3 | 33 |
| 2012 | Isaiah Pead, St.L. | 50 | 1 | 10-54-0 | 3-16-0 | 10.0 | 130 |
| 2010 | Toby Gerhart, Min. | 51 | 1 | 81-322-1 | 21-167-0 | 75.9 | 58 |
| 2023 | Zach Charbonnet, Sea. | 52 | 2 | 108-462-1 | 33-209-0 | 106.1 | 45 |
| 2020 | Cam Akers, LAR | 52 | 5 | 145-625-2 | 11-123-1 | 103.8 | 45 |
| 2019 | • Miles Sanders, Phil. | 53 | 11 | 179-818-3 | 50-509-3 | 220.7 | 15 |
| 2014 | • Bishop Sankey, Ten. | 54 | 9 | 152-569-2 | 18-133-0 | 100.2 | 44 |
| 2015 | Ameer Abdullah, Det. | 54 | 9 | 143-597-2 | 25-183-1 | 121.0 | 44 |
| 2014 | • Jeremy Hill, Cin. | 55 | 8 | 222-1124-9 | 27-215-0 | 214.9 | 10 |
| 2020 | • J.K. Dobbins, Balt. | 55 | 1 | 134-805-9 | 18-120-0 | 168.5 | 24 |
| 2011 | Shane Vereen, N.E. | 56 | 0 | 15-57-1 | 0-0-0 | 11.7 | 122 |
| 2014 | Carlos Hyde, S.F. | 57 | 0 | 83-333-4 | 12-68-0 | 76.1 | 61 |
| 2011 | Mikel Leshoure, Det. | 57 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0-0-0 | .0 | -- |
| 2013 | Montee Ball, Den. | 58 | 0 | 120-559-4 | 20-145-0 | 114.4 | 43 |
| 2010 | Ben Tate, Hou. | 58 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0-0-0 | .0 | -- |
| 2010 | Montario Hardesty, Cle. | 59 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0-0-0 | .0 | -- |
| 2018 | Derrius Guice, Was. | 59 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0-0-0 | .0 | -- |
| 2013 | • Eddie Lacy, G.B. | 61 | 15 | 284-1178-11 | 35-257-0 | 244.5 | 8 |
| 2012 | LaMichael James, S.F. | 61 | 0 | 27-125-0 | 3-29-0 | 18.4 | 116 |
| 2011 | Daniel Thomas, Mia. | 62 | 2 | 165-581-0 | 12-72-1 | 83.3 | 51 |
| 2020 | AJ Dillon, G.B. | 62 | 0 | 46-242-2 | 2-21-0 | 40.3 | 83 |
| 2013 | Christine Michael, Sea. | 62 | 0 | 18-79-0 | 0-0-0 | 7.9 | 131 |
| 2022 | James Cook, Buff. | 63 | 0 | 89-507-2 | 21-180-1 | 107.7 | 44 |
—Ian Allan