In an NFL landscape where running backs can be had in the latter rounds (including undrafted free agents post-draft), taking backfield studs early has almost become as extinct as the dinosaur.
That is until the Dallas Cowboys took a chance on Ezekiel Elliott two years ago with the No. 4 overall selection. Suspension notwithstanding, it was a brilliant move by Jerry Jones and company.
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This recent new trend of taking a chance on running backs early continued last year when the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Leonard Fournette – ironically also with the fourth overall pick – who rewarded the team with a 1,000-yard season and 10 overall touchdowns.
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The success of Elliot and Fournette the past few seasons begs one very important question for the 2018 NFL Draft: Which of these gentlemen below can keep the trend going established by the Cowboys' and Jaguars' running backs?
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Saquon Barkley — Penn State
With a plethora of free agent QBs set to hit the market this offseason, the Cleveland Browns may want to spend their number one overall selection on one of the most dynamic running backs in the country.
Barkley gutted defenses for 1,271 yards on the ground and 18 rushing touchdowns. He added 54 receptions for 632 yards and another 3 scores in the air. And just for good measure, he took two kickoffs to the house.
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Derrius Guice — LSU
The recently declared Guice followed up last year's 1,387 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns with another 1,251 yards on the ground and 11 scores in 2017. His best performance came against Ole Miss when he went off for 276 yards on just 22 carries to give him a 12.5-yard-per-carry average on the day.
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Ronald Jones II — USC
Jones finished his career fifth on the Trojans' all-time leading rusher list with 3,619 yards.
Pretty impressive for a school that produced Charles White, Marcus Allen, O.J. Simpson, Reggie Bush, and LenDale White.
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Nick Chubb — Georgia
Chubb returned from a horrific knee dislocation and ligament tears in 2015 to finish his career with 4,769 yards and 44 TDs on the ground, which included a 6.3-yard-per-carry average.
The 5' 10", 225-pound back's low center of gravity gives him outstanding leverage, especially when running between the tackles.
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Sony Michel — Georgia
Michel ended his Bulldogs' career just two yards short of a 100-yard performance in the title game against Alabama.
His most impressive stat from 2017 probably isn't the 17 total touchdowns he produced but rather the insane 7.9-yards-per carry that kept the chains moving.
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Rashaad Penny — San Diego State
Penny could very well be the next Kareem Hunt.
Unless you're a die-hard college football fan, most NFL fanatics didn't know much about Hunt when he came out of Toledo. All he did was lead the league in rushing this season.
Penny has similar explosiveness and would be an absolute steal should he fall to the second or even third round.
