It's widely believed that for the second straight year there won't be a running back selected in the first round of next month's draft. That doesn't mean there won't be some great fantasy prospects at the position, nor does it suggest there won't be plenty of debate over which one is the best.
Tre Mason (Auburn) and Carlos Hyde (Ohio State) are most often mentioned; they've got the measurables, and playing in a couple of high-profile January Bowl games (Mason in the title game) doesn't hurt. Both project as second-round picks and possibly immediate NFL starters. But another guy getting some attention lately is Towson's Terrance West.
West rushed for 2,509 yards and scored 41 TDs last season, ending up at Towson after academic issues kept him from attending Clemson. He's got enough size (5-foot-9, 225 pounds) and speed (4.54 at the combine) to be considered in the feature back discussion with Hyde, Mason and maybe Arizona's KaDeem Carey , Washington's Bishop Sankey and Louisiana State's Jeremy Hill. All of those backs could go off the board in the second round, like Giovani Bernard, Montee Ball, LeVeon Bell, Eddie Lacy and Christine Michael did last year. Not being a first-round pick won't make those backs any less appealing in fantasy leagues this year.
As the linked article notes, at least 22 NFL teams were in attendance at Towson's Pro Day yesterday, with West one of the main attractions.
Should anyone care if none of these backs is selected in the first round? Probably not. The rookie numbers of last year's five second-round picks are presented below. Three of those players went over 1,200 total yards. Only Christine Michael didn't do anything, and he's a talented guy who just happens to be stuck behind Marshawn Lynch right now. He could still wind up being the best back in last year's draft.
| 2013 SECOND-ROUND RUNNING BACKS | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pick | Player, Team | College | Run | No | Rec | Tot | TD |
| 37 | Giovani Bernard, Cin. | North Carolina | 695 | 56 | 514 | 1209 | 8 |
| 48 | LeVeon Bell, Pitt. | Michigan State | 860 | 45 | 399 | 1259 | 8 |
| 58 | Montee Ball, Den. | Wisconsin | 559 | 20 | 145 | 704 | 4 |
| 61 | Eddie Lacy, G.B. | Alabama | 1178 | 35 | 257 | 1435 | 11 |
| 62 | Christine Michael, Sea. | Texas A&M | 79 | 0 | 0 | 79 | 0 |
--Andy Richardson