Just about any NFL running back can pick up what’s blocked for them. It’s not overly difficult to grab the football and plow downhill through a gaping B-gap for four yards after the right guard and right tackle create a big hole.
What running backs get paid to do is pick up yardage beyond what is blocked for them.
To figure out whether a particular running back is a star, a solid player, or a JAG (Just A Guy), all we have to do is ask the simple question: how much production does he create on his own?