As posited by NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, each NFL Combine has its own flavor, its different strengths based on the crop of defensive and offensive players. But the last few years have challenged that belief thanks to a consistent crop of running backs, which have made immediate impacts on their teams and begun to reverse the idea that they aren’t first-round draft pick material.
A simple scan of recent prospects taken in the first round – Ezekiel Elliott, Todd Gurley, Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey – over the last few years confirms the trend has roots and that the running back position continues to boast depth.