Ranking the Top 15 Running Backs in the 2015 NFL Draft

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Among the position groups in the 2015 NFL Draft, the running back class is arguably the deepest. There’s lots of debate on who deserves to be the top back selected; many love Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon because of his exceptional college production, while others have concerns about his ability to translate his skill set to the next level, and many are wowed by the speed and athleticism of Georgia’s Todd Gurley, but then again some are worried about his ability to bounce back from a torn ACL that prematurely ended his 2014 season.

All in all, there are nine or ten running backs in this year’s draft who have a legitimate chance of being selected during the draft’s first two rounds. Of course, all those players won’t end up being picked that early—there hasn’t even been a running back taken in the first round since the underwhelming trio of Trent Richardson, Doug Martin, and David Wilson was taken in the 2012 draft—but there will be plenty of options for teams to consider.

With nearly every team in the NFL now utilizing a multi-back approach, there will be sufficient opportunities for several of these guys to make an impact very early on in their careers. At the same time, however, running backs seem to be increasingly disposable, with guys who were impactful rookies such as Giovani Bernard and Zac Stacy seeing their roles decrease in their sophomore seasons while new rookies in Jeremy Hill and Tre Mason took over. With that in mind, these backs must be prepared to contribute in short order if they want to create an impression.

Note: There are two players who were among my top 15 graded running backs that I’m not including on this list. Florida State’s Karlos Williams would be among my top 10, but with the NFL having boycotted an already-established player in Ray Rice who had visual evidence of domestic violence brought against him, I figure that Williams, whose pregnant girlfriend posted photos to Facebook of the bruises he’d inflicted upon her last October, will be avoided as well.

Yale’s Tyler Varga, who played tailback in college, would be here as well, but he’s been listed as a fullback through the pre-draft process, and I assume that he’ll be moved to that position upon entering the league.

Without further ado, here are my top 15 graded running backs in the 2015 NFL Draft class:

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