Ranking the Top Five RBs of 2023
The NFL33 20223 NFL Draft Rankings will be updated through the evaluation cycle and up until Day 1 of the NFL Draft. Prospects evaluation reports will be linked below as they are updated.
There hasn’t been much if any, question about the running back everyone would gush about in the 2023 draft class. Bijan Robinson has been the belle of the ball since he took the field for the Texas Longhorns in 2020. This is a class that has the jewel at the top as well as a plethora of talented backs that have revealed themselves as the season’s gone along. Now that we are into the thick of draft season, where everyone is getting eyes on these guys, it’s time to sort out some of the best.
The best part of this running back class is how deep it is at the top and through the draft. There are going to be tons of not only draftable running backs but guys that could be serious contributors in the NFL, given the way the NFL is leaning into committee backfields. This class is gonna be fun to watch at the next level!
Disclaimer: I’ve watched at least three total games of each prospect.
Running back #1: Bijan Robinson
Shocked? I know. It’s not easy to have the most talked about running back prospect since Saquon Barkley as the best runner in this class. All jokes aside, he’s been the talk of the draft for a reason. He’s put up nearly 3500 yards on the ground in his career at Texas and he added over 800 as a receiver, putting up 41 total touchdowns. He’s as clean of a running back prospect as they come and he could be an even better pro than he was in college. Better offensive line play is bound to allow him to utilize all of his assets to his advantage.
Strengths:
-Vision -Lateral agility
-Contact Balance -Reciever
Areas to Improve:
-Quicken decision making
Running Back #2: Jahmyr Gibbs
Gibbs started his career at Georgia Tech, making a name for himself as a dual-threat running back but wanted to get more eyes on himself before he entered the draft. He transferred to Alabama and took over the backfield as the starter. He ran for nearly 950 yards while adding 444 receiving yards and scored 10 total touchdowns at Alabama. He never averaged less than 5.2 yards per carry in his college career and while still receiving under 200 rushes at Alabama, averaged 6.1 yards per carry. He showed what he could do, with a bump in defensive competition as well.
Strengths:
-Explosive -Footwork
-Body Positioning -Breakaway Speed
Areas to Improve:
-Contact balance -Between the tackles processing
Running Back #3: Zach Charbonnet
Charbonnet began his college career as a highly recruited back at Michigan. He was the starter as a freshman, but after Hassan Haskins took Charbonnet’s job in 2020, he chose to transfer to UCLA and be closer to his family. In his two seasons with UCLA, he combined for nearly 2500 yards and 518 receiving yards and added 27 touchdowns. The transfer got him into a much more open offense where Chrabonnet benefited and made UCLA’s offense difficult to stop.
Strengths:
-Contact Balance -Power/gap scheme
-Grinds out tough yards -Light feet for a big man
Areas to Improve:
-Between the tackles inconsistency -pass protection technique
Running Back #4: Tyjae Spears
This may come as a surprise to many, as Tyjae wasn’t on many radars before the 2022 season, but he turned many heads down the stretch, in his bowl game, and at the Senior Bowl. A back that came out of a tough ACL rehab before his Junior year, Spears lit his senior year on fire. He rushed for over 1500 yards, tacked on over 250 yards receiving, and scored 24 touchdowns. He put on about ten pounds of muscle for the Senior Bowl and impressed everyone there. We noticed.
Strengths:
-Space mover -Quick footwork
-Body angles -Route runner
Areas to Improve:
-Pass Protection -Contact balance
Running Back #5: Kendre Miller
With the departure of Zach Evans to Mississippi in 2022, Miller inherited the reigns of the TCU Backfield and he ran with them, literally. He handled 224 rushes and was one yard away from 1400 on the year, added only 116 yards receiving, but had 16 touchdowns. The physical profile for Miller will be appealing to NFL teams and seeing him shine with the touches he got will do the rest, averaging 6.2 yards per rush as the majority shareholder in the backfield is a great number.
Strengths:
-Patience -Contact Balance
-Speed to the edge -Between the tackle vision
Areas to Improve:
-Hip stiffness -3rd down role