Every year Running Back is one of the positions that is labeled as “replaceable”. This year is no different, with a very deep crop at RB. The running back position has changed over there years. It is very rare to see a guy get 25 carries a game and run into the ground. Nowadays, almost every team uses running back by committee and with the rule changes, everyone seems to run a pass 1st offense. However, as we saw in the Superbowl with James White, even if you aren’t a 20-carry guy, you can still have a huge impact on your team winning or losing.
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This year is a special year for the RB position. There are about 10 guys that stand out depending on what you are looking for with a top 4 that I think have 1st round talent, even though, one of them may not go until round 4. There seems to be a split on the top RB and it all depends on what you want. Dalvin Cook from Florida State is more of the new aged RB. He can catch passes out the backfield and will be split out wide at times. Leonard Fournette of LSU is 240 pounds and the type of back that is more of the old school, 20+ carry back.
Other backs that I have in my top 10 include Christian McCaffrey, Wayne Gallman, Alvin Kamara, Samaje Perine, D’Onta Foreman, Elijah Hood, Jamal Williams. You may notice only 9 names above in my top 10. The reason is 1 player, who to some may be the most talented back of them all, isn’t invited to the combine, that player is Joe Mixon. The 6’1 227 pound RB from Oklahoma received national attention from a video that surfaced of him punching a woman. The incident could drop him out of the draft altogether, but I feel someone will take a chance on his immense talent around round 4.
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With Mixon excluded from the combine, below are the Running Backs measurements from the 2017 NFL Combine.
| Player | School | Height | Weight | Hand | Arm |
| Christopher Carson | Oklahoma State | 6-0 | 218 | 9 5/8 | 33 1/4 |
| Corey Clement | Wisconsin | 5-10 | 220 | 9 3/4 | 30 1/2 |
| Tarik Cohen | North Carolina A&T | 5-6 | 179 | 10 1/8 | 29 3/4 |
| James Conner | Pittsburgh | 6-1 | 233 | 9 7/8 | 31 1/4 |
| Dalvin Cook | Florida State | 5-10 | 210 | 9 1/4 | 32 3/8 |
| Justin Davis | USC | 6-1 | 208 | 9 5/8 | 31 |
| Matt Dayes | N.C. State | 5-9 | 205 | 10 1/2 | 30 |
| D’Onta Foreman | Texas | 6-0 | 233 | 10 1/8 | 31 3/8 |
| Leonard Fournette | LSU | 6-0 | 240 | 9 1/4 | 31 5/8 |
| Wayne Gallman | Clemson | 6-0 | 215 | 9 1/8 | 32 5/8 |
| De’Angelo Henderson | Coastal Carolina | 5-7 | 208 | 9 1/2 | 29 |
| Brian Hill | Wyoming | 6-1 | 219 | 8 7/8 | 31 3/8 |
| Elijah Hood | North Carolina | 6-0 | 232 | 9 3/8 | 30 3/8 |
| Kareem Hunt | Toledo | 5-10 | 216 | 9 5/8 | 31 3/8 |
| Aaron Jones | UTEP | 5-9 | 208 | 9 1/2 | 32 1/2 |
| Alvin Kamara | Tennessee | 5-10 | 214 | 9 1/4 | 32 3/4 |
| T.J. Logan | North Carolina | 5-9 | 196 | 9 | 32 |
| Marlon Mack | South Florida | 5-11 | 213 | 9 | 32 |
| Christian McCaffrey | Stanford | 5-11 | 202 | 9 | 30 |
| Elijah McGuire | La.-Lafayette | 5-10 | 214 | 9 | 31 |
| Jeremy McNichols | Boise State | 5-9 | 214 | 10 | 31 1/2 |
| Dare Ogunbowale | Wisconsin | 5-11 | 213 | 9 1/8 | 31 3/8 |
| Samaje Perine | Oklahoma | 5-11 | 233 | 10 | 30 3/8 |
| D.J. Pumphrey | San Diego State | 5-8 | 176 | 8 1/2 | 29 |
| Devine Redding | Indiana | 5-8 | 205 | 9 5/8 | 29 1/4 |
| Sam Rogers | Virginia Tech | 5-10 | 231 | 9 3/4 | 30 1/4 |
| Rushel Shell | West Virginia | 5-10 | 227 | 9 5/8 | 30 |
| De’Veon Smith | Michigan | 5-11 | 223 | 9 | 29 1/2 |
| Freddie Stevenson | Florida State | 6-0 | 234 | 9 5/8 | 32 3/4 |
| Jahad Thomas | Temple | 5-10 | 190 | 9 | 30 1/8 |
| Jamaal Williams | BYU | 6-0 | 212 | 10 | 31 1/4 |
| Joe Williams | Utah | 5-11 | 210 | 9 3/8 | 30 3/4 |
| Stanley Williams | Kentucky | 5-7 | 190 | 8 5/8 | 30 |