Top 5 RBs for the 2014 NFL Draft and What Team Should Draft Them

 This quietly could be one of the best groups of RBs available to be drafted in some time and none of the RB prospects are getting the love they truly deserve. Here is a look at the top five RB prospects in the 2014 NFL Draft and which team they should be drafted by in order to use them for their full athletic capabilities.

1)      {C}Kadeem Carey 5’9 207lbs                                        Atlanta Falcons

2013-2014: 1,885 Yards and 19 TDs

Carey was on fire to end the 2012 season when he won the Doak Walker award for the Nation’s best RB, then in the offseason he ran into some trouble and was suspended for a game and a half. Once Carey started playing he never looked back on his way to another amazing rushing season. The kicker for Carey is that he ran a slow 40 time at the Combine and didn’t improve much at his Pro Day, but Carey plays must faster than the clock times read. Along with that Carey rarely gets taken down by one defender and constantly keeps his legs moving to pick up extra yards. Carey fits in with the Falcons in more ways than one; he is essentially what the Falcons have at the RB position combined in one. They have Steven Jackson who is their bruising short yardage RB and they have JaQuizz Rodgers who is their scat back-screen passing RB. Carey has it all, not only is he an exceptional RB but he was a pretty solid receiving threat in check downs and in the screen game. The Falcons could use him as their every down RB for years to come.

2)      {C}Carlos Hyde 5-11 230lbs                                           Cleveland Browns

2013-2014: 1500 Yards and 15 TDs

Hyde may have the most NFL ready body for a RB and my prediction is that he will have the longest NFL career due to his big frame. It only fits that the Browns would be the perfect fit for Hyde the Ohio St. product who played college ball in the same state. Besides QB, the Browns next biggest need is RB and Hyde could be their every down RB for years to come (you know how they envisioned Trent Richardson). Hyde will most likely be working with a new QB so he will need to improve his pass catching ability but Hyde has stud written all over him and the Browns seem like a match made in heaven.

3)      {C}Tre Mason 5-8 207lbs                                               Arizona Cardinals

2013-2014: 1800 Yards and 23 TDs

Mason is essentially a house hold name by now given the show he put on in the second half of last year’s NCAA season. Mason had more TDs than anyone on this list so his nose for the end-zone above and beyond the other prospects. Mason also is the biggest risk/reward situation because he really only had one good college season, sure that season took place in the best conference in the NCAA as he was a part of the SEC but who knows if Mason wasn’t just a one hit wonder? I like him for the Cardinals because of what they have on their roster already, Andre Ellington and the recently acquired Jonathan Dwyer should be more than capable of handling the load until Mason gets over the learning curve (see Ellington’s usage over last season). Ellington was a rookie last year and gradually over the season he saw more and more playing time and started to really engage in his own role. Mason can be the do-it-all RB for the Cardinals and pairing him with Ellington can be a dangerous duo for a long time coming.

4)      {C}Lache Seastrunk 5-9 201lbs                                                 Minnesota Vikings

2013-2014: 1100 Yards and 11 TDs

Seastrunk is my wild card out of this RB group, I really see him developing into a Darren Sproles or a Danny Woodhead type of threat. You look at his totals from last year and you see he only ran for 1100 yards and you think maybe this is a bit farfetched. His total yardage is deceiving because he has a 7.3 YPC average, meaning that he didn’t completely carry the whole rushing load. This is exactly why I think pairing him with Adrian Peterson could pay huge dividends. The Vikings just lost Toby Gerhart to free agency but he didn’t really work out how they had envisioned him. Give the Vikings a competent scat-back that has big play abilities every time he touches the ball and that could take away the pain of not having a QB. Seastrunk + Peterson could equal fantasy gold for both players.

5)      {C}Jeremy Hill 6-0 233lbs                                                           Jacksonville Jaguars

2013-2014: 1400 Yards and 16 TDs

Hill has been mocked all over the draft boards, as it seems no one can really peg what type of RB they think he will be. I have seen him as high as the first RB taken in some mock drafts to be drafted in the 7^th round. Hill has some serious off-field concerns and has some legal issues in the past so some teams won’t even give him the time of day but most of his issues were dumb college kid mistakes. Hill has the power and speed to be a dominant every down RB in the NFL. Insert the Jaguars who just let their long time franchise RB Maurice Jones-Drew walk in free agency. Hill can come in and start on day one for the Jaguars, who actually have an above average offensive line. His size alone gives some GMs a little more comfort in drafting a RB especially with how many injuries have hampered RB in the NFL over the last few years.