For a late-round sleeper, how about Jonathon Brooks? Doctors say he’s ready to roll.
Brooks, as a refresher, would have been a first-round pick in the 2024 draft, if not for a torn ACL. In his final season at Texas, he averaged 6.1 yards per carry – just like Bijan Robinson had in the previous season.
Not that Brooks was ever quite in the Bijan class (he doesn’t catch the ball as well) but he’s a back everyone was excited. Despite the knee injury, the Panthers selected him in the first half of the second round.
That hasn’t paid off so far. Brooks carried the ball 9 times for 22 yards as a rookie before re-injuring the ACL. That kept him out for all of the 2025 season.
But Brooks is fully healthy now, with a real chance to maybe – knock on wood – carve out a real role in Carolina’s offense.
Chuba Hubbard should start for the Panthers. Rico Dowdle ran for 1,076 yards for them last year, but he signed with the Steelers.
Brooks doesn’t look like anything more than a flyer-type pick right now, but who knows? Frank Gore overcame multiple ACL injuries, going on to put together a long and productive career.
Time will tell. There have been 36 running backs chosen in the first round in the last 10 years (2016 to 2025). Thus far Brooks has been the least productive of those guys. All but six of the others have had at least one season with top-26 numbers (PPR scoring).
| BEST SEASONS BY BACKS TAKEN IN FIRST TWO ROUNDS (last 10 yrs) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Pk | Yr | G | Run | Rec | TD | PPR | Rk |
| 2019 | Christian McCaffrey, Car. | 8 | 3 | 16 | 1387 | 1005 | 19 | 471.2 | 1 |
| 2021 | Jonathan Taylor, Ind. | 41 | 2 | 17 | 1811 | 360 | 20 | 377.1 | 1 |
| 2024 | Jahmyr Gibbs, Det. | 12 | 2 | 17 | 1412 | 517 | 20 | 364.9 | 1 |
| 2018 | Saquon Barkley, NYG | 2 | 1 | 16 | 1307 | 721 | 15 | 385.8 | 2 |
| 2025 | Bijan Robinson, Atl. | 8 | 3 | 17 | 1478 | 820 | 11 | 376.8 | 2 |
| 2020 | Dalvin Cook, Min. | 41 | 4 | 14 | 1557 | 361 | 17 | 343.8 | 2 |
| 2016 | Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 4 | 1 | 15 | 1631 | 363 | 16 | 327.4 | 2 |
| 2023 | Breece Hall, NYJ | 36 | 2 | 17 | 994 | 591 | 9 | 290.5 | 2 |
| 2020 | Derrick Henry, Ten. | 45 | 5 | 16 | 2027 | 114 | 17 | 337.1 | 3 |
| 2022 | Josh Jacobs, L.V. | 24 | 4 | 17 | 1653 | 400 | 12 | 330.3 | 3 |
| 2021 | Najee Harris, Pitt. | 24 | 1 | 17 | 1200 | 467 | 10 | 300.7 | 3 |
| 2023 | Travis Etienne, Jac. | 25 | 4 | 17 | 1008 | 476 | 12 | 282.4 | 3 |
| 2021 | Joe Mixon, Cin. | 48 | 5 | 16 | 1205 | 314 | 16 | 289.9 | 4 |
| 2025 | James Cook, Buff. | 63 | 4 | 17 | 1621 | 291 | 14 | 308.2 | 6 |
| 2022 | Nick Chubb, Cle. | 35 | 5 | 17 | 1525 | 239 | 13 | 283.4 | 6 |
| 2021 | Leonard Fournette, T.B. | 4 | 5 | 14 | 812 | 454 | 10 | 255.6 | 6 |
| 2025 | Ashton Jeanty, L.V. | 6 | 1 | 17 | 975 | 346 | 10 | 247.1 | 11 |
| 2025 | Javonte Williams, Dall. | 35 | 5 | 16 | 1201 | 137 | 13 | 246.8 | 12 |
| 2025 | D'Andre Swift, Chi. | 35 | 6 | 16 | 1087 | 299 | 10 | 232.6 | 15 |
| 2019 | Miles Sanders, Phil. | 53 | 1 | 16 | 818 | 509 | 6 | 220.7 | 15 |
| 2022 | Kenneth Walker, Sea. | 41 | 1 | 15 | 1050 | 165 | 9 | 202.5 | 18 |
| 2020 | Ronald Jones, T.B. | 38 | 3 | 14 | 978 | 165 | 8 | 190.3 | 19 |
| 2025 | RJ Harvey, Den. | 60 | 1 | 17 | 540 | 356 | 12 | 208.6 | 20 |
| 2025 | TreVeyon Henderson, N.E. | 38 | 1 | 17 | 911 | 221 | 10 | 208.2 | 21 |
| 2020 | Clyde Edwards-Helaire, K.C. | 32 | 1 | 13 | 803 | 297 | 5 | 176.0 | 22 |
| 2021 | AJ Dillon, G.B. | 62 | 2 | 17 | 803 | 313 | 7 | 187.6 | 23 |
| 2024 | J.K. Dobbins, LAC | 55 | 5 | 13 | 905 | 153 | 9 | 191.8 | 24 |
| 2024 | Zach Charbonnet, Sea. | 52 | 2 | 17 | 569 | 340 | 9 | 186.9 | 25 |
| 2025 | Quinshon Judkins, Cle. | 36 | 1 | 14 | 827 | 171 | 7 | 169.8 | 26 |
| 2019 | Sony Michel, N.E. | 31 | 2 | 16 | 912 | 94 | 7 | 154.6 | 31 |
| 2018 | Kerryon Johnson, Det. | 43 | 1 | 10 | 641 | 213 | 4 | 141.4 | 33 |
| 2022 | Cam Akers, LAR | 52 | 3 | 15 | 786 | 117 | 7 | 145.3 | 34 |
| 2025 | Omarion Hampton, LAC | 22 | 1 | 9 | 545 | 192 | 5 | 135.7 | 35 |
| 2021 | Rashaad Penny, Sea. | 27 | 4 | 10 | 749 | 48 | 6 | 121.7 | 42 |
| 2019 | Derrius Guice, Was. | 59 | 2 | 5 | 245 | 79 | 3 | 57.4 | 69 |
| 2024 | Jonathon Brooks, Car. | 46 | 1 | 3 | 22 | 23 | 0 | 7.5 | 114 |
—Ian Allan

