Top 10 running backs in the 2019 NFL Draft

Just missed the cut

Benny Snell

Benny Snell, Kentucky

Snell truly was a workhorse for the Wildcats, but more importantly, he was the heart and soul of that entire team while he was there, on his way to becoming Kentucky’s all-time leading rusher in just three seasons, as he went for almost 4000 yards and 48 touchdowns on the ground.

He is an incredibly violent runner at 225 pounds with a compact build. Snell runs with a strong, low center of gravity and he packs a mean stiff-arm. Arm tackles will never work with this guy getting some steam, as you see defenders torque his pads while trying to bring Snell down and he just shrugs them off.

It seems like Snell crushes collarbones every time he and a tackler lower their shoulders, as the runner loads up his forearm and rips it upwards to shrug the tackler off. He improved his agility going into 2018 and doesn’t mind hurdling an opponent either.

Snell has excellent vision for peaking defensive linemen and the leverage on defenders at the second level, which he can take advantage of by cutting the other way and he has a good enough jump-cut to the outside to bounce a run that a defense is loading up inside to stop. Snell stands in strong as a pass protector and was used a lead-blocker on draw and pure ISO plays for his quarterback as well.

However, he ducks his head on too many occasions and tends to shift his weight incorrectly. While he has improved his catch numbers a little every year, he combined for just 29 career receptions, which mostly came on check-downs. That leaves me with questions about his ability to be a part of a passing game open.

The one big concern I have with the hard-nosed runner is the stiffness of his hips, as I feel like he fails to avoid contact by bending runs at times and combine that with the appropriate footwork.

He also lacks some patience to allow the blocking to get set up in favor of just running into the backs of his offensive linemen. Snell reminds me a little bit of a young Marshawn Lynch when I look at his style of play and the personality he brings to the table. He ran all over strong defenses in Mississippi State and Penn State last year on his way to picking up 81 first downs and gaining over 800 yards after contact.

Dexter Williams, Notre Dame

Even though the Irish already had a strong rushing attack with the offensive line pushing people backwards, Williams’ explosiveness took that to a different level when he returned from a four-year suspension in 2018. He went for just under 1000 yards and 12 touchdowns in nine games, giving him an average of 6.3 yards a carry.

The 5’11”, 215-pounder had his first touch this past season result in a 45-yard score versus Stanford, as you saw how quickly he can go the distance when he has some daylight – and he doesn’t need a lot of it.

Williams operates very well in tight quarters, sorting his through trash while putting his off-hand on the backs of his offensive linemen while complementing that with the appropriate footwork.

When he shoots through an opening, he dips the shoulder to avoid contact with a defender reaching out. The Irish back is an expert at side-stepping behind blocks in order to create a running lane for himself.

Williams has excellent fluidity in his hips, not having to waist any steps when cutting upfield and basically being able to change directions by about 150 degrees in one motion, plus once he does decide to turn it back he has the speed kill get to the sideline before someone can get an angle on him.

Williams looks and runs bigger than he actually measures and when he has momentum it is tough to slow him down, as he breaks a ton of tackles when a defender on the edge doesn’t get his head across on the tackle and the running back can pull his legs out of the reaching arms.

With that being said, Williams needs to do a better job protecting the ball when he is swarmed by defenders instead of trying to reach out or these NFL defenders will knock it out of his hands at a much higher rate. He doesn’t really push the pile but instead tries to escape and loses yards in the process.

The former Irish RB is a willing pass-protector but gets overpowered on some occasions. Williams was probably the best running back all Senior Bowl week, showing a lot of burst and peripheral vision for cutback opportunities while carrying it all the way to the endzone on every single rep to go with that home-run mentality.

Williams also caught the ball pretty well in practice down in Mobile, after all of his 16 catches came at or behind the line of scrimmage last season.

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Wild Card: Rodney Anderson, Oklahoma

It took Anderson a while to get going and take over the starting role for Oklahoma in 2017, but once he received more than ten touches per game from week seven one, he averaged 166.6 yards and two touchdowns from scrimmage, totalling 1343 yards through the final seven weeks.

He really started looking more and more like a young Beastmode, running with tremendous power and contact balance and he seemed to get stronger towards the end of the season, but also it is his unique running style that gives me flashes of Marshawn Lynch.

While it doesn’t quite look the same, Anderson is also a guy who uses different stride length and subtle changes of direction to rumble through defenses. That entire stretch was highlighted by a 200-yard rushing performance versus Georgia in the Rose Bowl.

While he started off smoking hot in 2018’s season-opener against FAU, going for 100 yards and two scores on just five carries, Anderson was lost for the season early on against UCLA the week after. At 6’1”, 220+ pounds, Anderson carries a thick and strong lower body.

He runs through a multitude arm and ankle tackles, has good leg drive and people just bounce off him. Anderson runs with great forward lean and becomes a load to bring down, welcoming the contact and running through it.

He has a good stiff-arm and uses it to just push off and move even faster at times. It has to be demoralizing for a defense when they have this guy all stacked up and somehow he still ultimately lands a couple of yards ahead of that point.

For a guy his size, you wouldn’t think the bruising runner would blow anybody away with his acceleration and top-end speed, but you see him run away from pursuing defenders constantly and when somebody gets a hand on him along the sideline it doesn’t really slow him down.

Anderson produced some big plays in the passing game, coming out of the backfield as well as split out in the slot. Oklahoma targeted him on wheel or seam routes and you saw excellent adjustments reaching around for the football, but he can also simply be a check-down option, run angle routes or different types of screens and make things happen in the open field.

He is pro-active in protection and stays balanced towards the arriving blitzer. He plays a little top-heavy in that department and some NFL linebackers will take advantage of it, but that can be corrected with proper coaching.

The biggest question mark surrounding the Oklahoma one-year wonder is his health going forward – a broken leg pretty much cost him all his freshman year, he had to sit out the entire 2016 season due to a fractured vertebra in training camp and when he had finally emerged as one of the top backs in the nation, he suffered a torn ACL last year.

Therefore medical evaluations will be key to his draft position and the career he might have at the next level.

The next guys up

Travis Homer (Miami), Mike Weber (Ohio State), Bryce Love (Stanford), Jordan Scarlett (Florida), Elijah Holyfield (Georgia), Jalin Moore (Appalachian State), Alexander Mattison (Boise State), James Williams (Washington State), Bruce Anderson (North Dakota State), Tony Pollard (Memphis), Alex Barnes (Kansas State), Ryquell Armstead (Temple), Karan Higdon (Michigan)

If you have any more questions on the prospects mentioned or any other ones, just let me know in the comments or via mail and I can share my notes with you!