2015 RB Prospects

1A) Todd Gurley – Georgia

There is no true #1 RB in this class as the first two guys could both turn into future All-Pro candidates. Gurley was undoubtedly the top ranked RB coming into the 2014 college football season but a suspension (which is really not a big deal) and an ACL injury derailed his season. He should still be selected in the first round as he is a dynamic athlete and will be a stud in the NFL. Gurley has the athleticism to run between the tackles and he has the speed to beat defenders around the edge. Gurley can also catch passes and block pretty well. He is going to need at least half his rookie season off to recover from the knee injury but whoever drafts him will be set at the RB position for a very long time.

1B) Melvin Gordon III – Wisconsin

There is sure to be people screaming that Gordon should easily be rated the top RB in the class especially given the injury to his only true competition in Gurley. The main snag with Gordon is that he has amassed 631 carries in college already. The recent history with teams drafting Wisconsin based RB’s has not been too kind to Gordon either. All that aside Gordon is a top athlete in this draft and an absolute beast on the field. He has all the tools to turn into an outstanding NFL caliber RB.

3) Ameer Abdullah – Nebraska

The next four RBs can all be interchanged and swapped out depending on what team is actually going to be drafting them. Each of the next four guys brings their own offensive game and specialties to their prospective new homes. Abdullah was an absolute stud at the combine which probably pushed him above the other RBs in this group. Abdullah can go anywhere from round two to round five. He is big, fast, and can carry an offense.

4) Duke Johnson – Miami

Johnson was a stud on a mediocre Miami team for the last three years. The type of production he had for the level of talent that he was surrounded by speaks for itself. As Miami struggled to win this past season Johnson ran for over 1,600 yards even though teams were double and often times triple teaming him to stop the run. Johnson could be anywhere from the third to ninth RB taken and he could very well end up being the most complete RB out of all the draft eligible RBs.

5) Tevin Coleman – Indiana

Coleman ran for more yard and TDs than anyone on this list not named Melvin Gordon. Coleman had essentially no talent around him at Indiana and still was able to churn out a season where he ran for over 2,000 yards. Coleman has a lot of carries in his time at Indiana and that could scare some teams off. He could be the type of RB to come right in and steal carries from whomever the current starter is given his solid production for such a crummy college team.

DARKHORSE CANDIDATES

Jeremy Langford – Michigan St

Langford was the star of the NFL combine in the RB group. He averaged over five yards per carry during college so he could just be an underutilized star waiting to shine.

TJ Yeldon – Alabama

Yeldon was a very high recruit coming in out of high school. He had flashes of his potential throughout his career at Alabama. He is big and fast and plays football the good old fashioned way.

Buck Allen – USC

Allen was underused at USC and he has the talent and tools to explode in the NFL. He is a big RB that is hard to take down. He is not scared of contact and his break-away speed is exceptional. He has a tendency to have huge games when his team needs him the most. He could be the steal of the draft.