NFL Draft Stock Report: Running Backs
With the college football season winding down, we take a look at some of the NFL prospects who have helped or hurt their stock for April’s draft and those who remain stock steady. We continue today with the running backs.
NFL STOCK REPORT: Quarterbacks
STOCK GOING UP
Recruiting: In January of his senior year, the five-star running back committed to Alabama over a serious push from Kentucky and Ohio State. Harris had been committed to Michigan earlier in his recruitment.
Stats: Harris leads the Crimson Tide with 823 yards and 11 touchdowns on only 98 attempts. He’s averaging 8.4 yards per carry.
Farrell’s take: Harris has added speed and is tougher to tackle than he was a year ago. I liked him on film quite a bit, but the level of competition worried me – until I saw him at the Under Armour All-America Game. He was thicker and stronger than I expected, his jump cut was awesome and he had vision and power. He not only held his own against the best in the country, but was dominant at times. A thick, powerful back with the speed to bounce it outside, Harris was our No. 1 running back when all was said and done for 2015. Now that he’s dropped weight and added speed, he’s simply dynamic.
Recruiting: Shortly before National Signing Day, Love picked Stanford over North Carolina, NC State, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and East Carolina.
Stats: On 181 carries so far this season, Love has 1,622 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging nine yards per carry.
Farrell’s take: Love showed serious flashes of talent last season filling in for McCaffrey at times but he has taken it to the next level this year and has popped up near the top of many draft boards. Love was a four-star out of high school known for his ability in space as well as his receiving ability, so he fits in greatly as a replacement for McCaffrey. He still won’t match the overall numbers of McCaffrey, no one will, but he could rush for more yards and that’s impressive. Back-to-back Stanford first-rounders at running back? It could happen.
STOCK HOLDING STEADY
Recruiting: Barkley committed to Rutgers as a junior and called it his dream school at the time. After a junior day visit to Penn State, where then-new coach James Franklin laid out his recruiting pitch and described how the four-star would be used, Barkley flipped to the Nittany Lions.
Stats: Barkley has totaled 899 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 166 attempts this season, averaging 5.4 yards per rush. He’s also second on the team with 40 receptions for 524 yards and three scores.
Farrell’s take: Barkley was No. 1 on everyone’s board entering the season and he remains on top now. He was an upright slasher who showed good receiving skills out of high school, so it's not a huge surprise he's made a big impact his first three years. But to this level? That’s a bit of a surprise as he’s become the dominant Big Ten back and has jumped all the way to a potential No. 1 overall pick. His lower body strength and power to run through some arm tackles has improved greatly. A very athletic kid, Barkley was a guy who pushed for Rivals100 status but is showing us he should have been ranked higher, much higher.
Recruiting: Adams committed to Notre Dame over Pitt in the summer before his senior season. Stanford, Penn State, Boston College and Temple were others involved in his recruitment. His visit for Irish Invasion was his first to South Bend.
Stats: Adams leads the Irish with 1,231 rushing yards on 153 carries and he also has nine rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Brandon Wimbush leads Notre Dame with 13 rushing scores.
Farrell’s take: Adams' breakaway runs and decisive running style have impressed scouts and kept him high on draft boards. He had a major injury in high school as he tore his ACL his junior year. He rebounded with a big senior season but never cracked four stars again for us because he didn’t look like he had the same burst he had as a sophomore when he rushed for over 2,000 yards. Now he’s showing that sophomore burst again and is having a season that is making everyone wonder why we had him rated so low.
STOCK GOING DOWN
Recruiting: Guice committed to LSU in the spring prior to his senior season as the Tigers were always considered the favorite. Alabama, Texas and others were also involved in his recruitment.
Stats: On 164 carries so far this season, Guice has 929 rushing yards and nine scores, averaging 5.7 yards per touch.
Farrell’s take: Injuries have hurt Guice a bit and he hasn’t had the breakout season many expected. That being said, he’s been very impressive at times. I loved Guice out of high school because he was mean and nasty. He was the kind of kid, similar to Eddie Lacy, who hated to be tackled and would fight hard for extra yardage and wear down defenses. He also had very good speed and vision and light feet, but it was his desire when running, something clear on tape and in person, that pushed him to five stars. We were the only major recruiting network to have him as a five-star, and he’s making us look smart but others like Love might have jumped ahead of him.
Recruiting: A few days before National Signing Day, Penny picked San Diego State after an excellent visit to campus. Fresno State and Utah State were the two other serious contenders. Penny had no Pac-12 offers.
Stats: Penny has carried the ball 229 times so far this season for 1,602 yards and 15 touchdowns. He’s averaging seven yards per rush. Penny is also second on the Aztecs with 17 catches for 136 yards and two scores.
Farrell’s take: This isn’t about what Penny hasn’t done because he’s been impressive this season, but with guys such as Love and Harris making a name for themselves, Penny has fallen off the radar a bit. He’s still a potential second- or third-rounder and could rise however. Penny was a mid-level three-star prospect who had to overcome some speed questions and didn’t earn a ton of big offers. He was a good-sized runner and had good feet, but we didn’t see breakaway speed at the next level, and he didn’t turn the corner that well. He’s improved greatly since then and has turned into one of the best running backs in the country.