- Jake Hunter
- Apr 24, 2023
- 3 min read
These short posts over the course of the week leading up to Thursday night will detail my personal opinions on how the NFL should approach this draft class. I'll try to give some hard-core analysis for some guys, but a lot of this is going to be gut-instinct, armchair-quarterback musings. All correct opinions come directly from me and me alone. All incorrect opinions may be roasted appropriately at a later date.
RB1: Bijan Robinson, Texas
Not even a contest here. Barring injury, this guy will put up huge numbers in one or both of his first two seasons before inevitably crashing and burning from a production standpoint as soon as someone ranks him as the #1 player in fantasy football (I kid, I kid). In all honesty, he has elite vision, outstanding footwork, tremendous ability as a receiver out of the backfield, and tremendous athleticism to round it all out. He's the best RB prospect since Saquon (perhaps even better), and he might be the surest pick in the draft. He's basically a Madden create-a-player for the RB position. I'm not a fan of drafting RBs in Round 1, but if you're going to do it, you better be picking someone like Bijan.
RB2: Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama
Great speed, great hands, good strength as a runner. Alvin Kamara is a common comparison, and I think that's fairly apt. I doubt he'll be that good, but he'll be a three-down, versatile weapon for a 6-8 years in this league, with upside to be a Pro-Bowl guy a couple times. Expect him to be more of a receiving back as his career unfolds.
RB3: Zach Charbonnet, UCLA
More of a bell-cow running back than perhaps either of the two mentioned above. Great production, tremendous strength, some upside as a receiver. His top-end speed doesn't match Gibbs, which ultimately slots him here for me, but I would bet on Charbonnet having a sustained, productive career that could end up being more impressive than most expect. He's not the same player, but a James Conner-type career is very plausible. Unspectacular in terms of the peaks, but shockingly effective from a production standpoint.
RB4: Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh
He's one of my favorite players from this past college football season that just flew way under-the-radar for far too long. Elite explosiveness as a runner. His frame suggests that he should be a stronger runner than he is, which is why he's not higher on this list. From an athletic upside perspective, however, this dude could end up being the best RB in the class even if Bijan hits his absolute ceiling. This is a guy I would "pound the table for" if I was a team looking for a RB in the middle rounds. His upside is freaky.
RB5: Tyjae Spears, Tulane
He's had multiple knee injuries, which gives me some pause, but for where he'll likely be drafted, NFL teams should be more than willing to roll the dice for 1-3 years of outstanding play. He's undersized, but he's explosive and decisive as a runner with upside as a pass-catcher. He's been rising up draft boards for the past few months, and I think there's a pretty substantial chance you'll see him coming off the board as one of the first four RBs (and maybe even higher). In short, I think he'll end up being a pick that looks genius fairly quickly next year, and he'll be a very productive asset in a diverse offense for multiple seasons. I'm not sold on his longevity as a player, but that's not what teams are necessarily looking for at this position, especially in Rounds 3-5 (where he'll likely be drafted).
