Today’s NFL isn’t the same one we all grew up with. Before a couple years ago running backs were the stars of the NFL and every team wanted a couple good ones. But that’s when they were hard to find and were still picked in round one of the draft. Now quarterbacks and receivers have stolen the thunder of this once great position group. But lately we have seen a group of young guys that have brought life back to the backfield. Very talented runners that ooze potential and talent. These guys give fans of the running game like me hope for the future and I can’t wait to see these young fellas mature and evolve as players.
These are the top five young running backs in the league. They are the guys I think have the right mix of talent, potential, and desire to be great in the league. So without further ado I present to you here is my top five counting down to one. Watch out for these guys and hope that their on your favorite team.
5. Eddie Lacy
I really like Lacey he’s straight up old school when it comes to running the pill and you have to just love to watch him. He’s one of the guys that isn’t trying to be Reggie Bush and dance around for the highlight tapes. No this is Walter Payton and Adrian Peterson to sum it up. He is also what the Green Bay Packers have been praying for since I can remember. He really completes the offense and allows them to be more balanced. But what I really like about Lacey is his intelligence as a runner. A couple weeks ago when the Packers faced the Baltimore Ravens Lacey made a lot of veteran like decisions to help the to win the game. One of the most impressive ones is when he slid to the ground after getting the first down to keep the clock running in the fourth quarter. Many guys would have went for the touchdown but Lacey understood where he was on the field and that he needed to get down to run the clock.
4. Giovani Bernard
The young guy was one of the most talked about rookies in the off season thanks to HBO’s Hard Knocks. This year he’s been sharing touches with the Law Firm aka BenJarvus Green-Ellis. He’s averaging nine carries a game but the Cincinatti Bengals have been working him in more and more as the season goes on. If you just watch this guy one time you can tell he has a lot of talent and skill. He has the size to carry the ball between the tackles and the athleticism to catch the ball and create out the back field. I’m very excited to see him get more opportunities and cement himself as the guy for the Bengals running game.
3. Doug Martin
He wasn’t playing as good as he was his rookie season but I’m not sure how much of that is to blame on him. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been a walking disaster zone all season and not much has gone right. But Martin is a very talented back on a very talented offense with a lot of potential. If Mike Glennon does indeed turn into a franchise quarterback him and Martin could become the type of weapons defenses fear. Martin reminds me of a young Marshawn Lynch and I don’t need to tell fantasy owners what that means. I mean he has everything size, skill, and athleticism. It is also hard for me to put him at number three because I feel like the top three guys on my list can all easily be number one. Martin fell a little in my mind because this year was a down one for him and his team and he will also be out for the rest of this year. But if the Buccaneers were looking a tad better and he was averaging over four yards a carry he would’ve easily been number one.
2. Stevan Ridley
I may be alone on this one because I don’t hear a lot of people talk about him as much as the other younger guys. But after watching him play a couple times I can honestly say that I really REALLY like the way this guy runs the ball. He runs with an attitude and swagger that everyone wants their running back to have. He’s also a big guy at 5’11 220 I don’t see defenders looking forward to tackling him. He also averages 4.6 yards per carry in his three years in the NFL in a pass heavy system. Also if needed he is decent at catching the ball out of the back field and doing some good things with the ball. My only knock on him is his fumbling issue, he lost the ball four times in his sophomore season and twice this year. If he can improve his ball protection he has a chance to be a top back in this league.
1. Alfred Morris
Morris is the running back that I’ve prayed for every night and asked Santa for every Christmas. He isn’t a combine start, no they thought he would have to play fullback in the NFL. He can’t really catch the ball out the back field, ok whatever you have receivers for that. And he wasn’t a star in college he was drafted in the sixth round, PERFECT. Morris is more old school than some of the old school backs of the golden age. He weighs less the Martin and Ridley but if you watch him you wouldn’t know it. He is so strong and has so much balance you see defensive lineman hanging on for dear life praying a teammate or the sideline will be there soon to help end the nightmare. He also has probably the best system for running backs in the league.
Mike Shanahan is known for drafting and raising successful running backs and they seem to flourish in his zone run system. Morris broke the franchise record last year and was second in the league in rushing as a rookie with 1,613 yards, and this year he’s averaging 5.2 yards per carry. I’m really looking forward to see him grow and keep these numbers up for the next couple years.