With the pass happy NFL rules, it is not surprising the running-back position has become so devalued.
First of all, the fullback position has become all but extinct, and gone are the days when a running-back goes as the top pick of a draft. In fact, the last time a running back was the top pick of a draft was 1995 when Ki-jana Carter from Penn State, was taken by the Cincinnati Bengals. The gifted Carter was powerful and swift, but on the third carry of his first pre-season game, he tore a knee ligament.