Trent Richardson – The Browns decided that Richardson was worth moving up to the third pick in the draft for and odds are they are correct. Ordained the best running back prospect to enter the NFL since Adrian Peterson, Richardson’s game has no large flaws and he’ll carry the load for the team immediately. He can run with power, has good speed, very good lateral cutting ability, excellent hands out of the backfield and he can block. Those skills and a solid offensive line make him a back to target in redraft leagues while his name will be the first one off the board in many dynasty leagues.

Doug Martin – The Bucs traded up ahead of the Giants to grab Martin in the first round. That type of pedigree means we should expect him to be no worse than the busier of two backs while in a rotation with LeGarrette Blount, but it won’t be a shock to see him garner the lion’s share of the work. Martin is an exceptionally strong inside runner with good acceleration, good speed and solid hands. Ball security and pass protection are areas to work on. Martin profiles as a back of interest with solid upside in redraft leagues while dynasty leagues are likely to hear his name called within the top half of 12-team leagues.

David Wilson – The Giants selected Wilson with the final pick in the first round and stated that he was the second-best running back on their draft board. Wilson showcases exceptional speed and quickness which will help him turn the corner at the next level while also playing with surprising power. Still a bit raw as an inside runner, he nonetheless led the nation in yards after contact last year. He’ll play in a rotation with Ahmad Bradshaw where he’ll be the more explosive of the two backs. Wilson will add solid depth, especially in PPR, in redraft leagues while he’ll likely get called in the bottom half of Round 1 in dynasty leagues who will look for greater things from him as his career progresses.

Isaiah Pead – The Rams were pleased to find Pead on the board in the second round. He’ll be a complementary back to Stephen Jackson to start his career, but the Rams feel that he will inherit Jackson’s role when the time is right. Pead features very good speed and a solid all-around game that would allow him to be a three-down back. His vision is good, not great, and he’ll need to work on his strength to excel at the next level. Pead will have interest in redraft leagues as a capable handcuff to Jackson with some PPR value. Dynasty owners who are ok with seeing their payback further out than this year should consider him in the late first or early second round.

LaMichael James – Perhaps no running back selection made me scratch my head more than the 49ers choosing James in the second round. James has exceptional quickness and will be given the ball in space, but with Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter ahead of him, how much action he’ll get on third downs will need to be defined. He’ll be a liability in pass protection and his size will also hamper him between the tackles. He’ll be an end-of-the-bench back in PPR leagues due to restricted touches while dynasty leagues may be prone to over-drafting him due to his high-selection in the NFL Draft.

Ronnie Hillman – The Broncos chose Hillman early in the third round with the idea rotating him in the backfield with Willis McGahee. Hillman is an extremely good open-field back who has both the elusiveness and long speed to be very dangerous. He’s going to need to improve his pass protection and strength to be a more well-rounded back. Playing in a Peyton Manning offense will draw interest in redraft leagues while dynasty owners will likely be drawn like a moth to the flame for the same reason sometime after the first ten or so picks are off the board.

Bernard Pierce – The Ravens hope they found a solid backup to Ray Rice with the selection of Pierce late in the third round. While being a physical back that will not go down easily with solid vision, Pierce is also not a very strong back who may be prone to injury due to his upright running style. He doesn’t flash good third-down skills which will keep his role limited in his rookie year. He’s a late round stash if you want to handcuff Rice in redraft leagues. He’s someone that dynasty league owners might take a chance on later in the draft to see if he develops.

Lamar Miller – The Dolphins traded up in the fourth round to select Miller. Looked at as a developmental back at this time, Miller will use his speed and lateral quickness on special teams while learning the pro game. Durability and an extensive injury history will be two major knocks against him, but pass protection issues are in that mix as well. Redraft leagues should likely avoid him at draft time while putting him on your watch list for free agents. Dynasty league owners see that Miller is stuck behind Reggie Bush at this time but like LaMichael James, he’ll likely be over-drafted due to all the press he had going through the draft process.

Robert Turbin – The Seahawks selected Turbin in the fourth round to provide some depth behind Marshawn Lynch. Turbin is a big, powerful back with an amazing size/speed profile but even with all of that going for him, he never was able to be a dominant back in college. A torn ACL in 2010 may be one reason that his lateral quickness is not that good, so there may be some upside further away from that injury. If he carves out a niche as a red-zone back, he could be intriguing in redraft leagues. Dynasty owners will be drawn to him sometime in the second round due to his size and speed along with the propensity for Lynch to get complacent.

Chris Rainey – The Steelers found Rainey on the board in the fifth round and added him at that point. Rainey has elite speed and quickness which shows in his track background, but he wants no part of the physical aspect of the game. This suggests that although he was listed as a running back in college, we’ll more likely see him in the slot and/or on special teams at the next level. Redraft owners should feel free to ignore him in his rookie year while dynasty owners should only be interested if you are looking to fill out your roster late in the draft.

Vick Ballard – The Colts added Ballard in the fifth round to help round out their skill positions. Ballard offers a physical, hard-nosed running style that allows him success running inside the tackles. While he has good vision, he lacks the lateral quickness that would allow him greater success and thus may pigeon-hole him as a short-yardage specialist. Unless you play in a touchdown-only league, there’s little that he can offer to either redraft or dynasty owners at this point.

Alfred Morris – The Redskins, in another surprising move, added Morris in the sixth round. Morris is a solid between-the-tackles runner who fits this offense very well, but he’s lacking in the top-end physical skills to take advantage of that. He can pass protect which will help his cause but sticking on the active roster is going to be a challenge for him. He’s not on the Fantasy draft radar in any type of league at this point.

Cyrus Gray – The Chiefs selected Gray in the sixth round where he’ll provide depth behind Jamaal Charles. Gray is a solid all-around back who can run and catch with good elusiveness while exhibiting better short speed than long speed. The ultimate team player, Gray doesn’t have great physicality which affects him in pass protection. He’s a handcuff to Charles in redraft leagues, but I find him a very intriguing talent in dynasty leagues though Charles is an obstacle to be overcome.

Dan Herron – The Bengals supplemented their backfield with the selection of Herron in the sixth round. Herron has good speed and agility and showed growth in his ability to wait for holes to open as his career progressed. On the negative side, he does not have good hands in the passing game and he’s never met a pass rusher that he’s felt compelled to stop. Playing behind BenJarvus Green-Ellis, he’s more likely to be spotted on special teams than as part of the offense. Redrafters should pass on him while dynasty owners with large rosters might throw a late-round prayer his way.

Michael Smith – The Bucs added another running back to their roster with the selection of Smith in the seventh round. Smith will add great speed and quickness and he also offers the size to be a change-of-pace rather than just be a third-down back behind Doug Martin and LeGarrette Blount. Playing behind Robert Turbin in college, he does not have a lot of mileage on him at this point which also means he has little experience. He might be an interesting PPR back in redraft leagues while he offers more upside than a good number of the backs chosen ahead of him for those in dynasty leagues.

Terrance Ganaway – The Jets added to their stable of backs by selecting Ganaway in the sixth round. A powerful runner with good balance, Ganaway can grind inside to get the tough yards that are needed. He can be guilty of dancing too much at the second level which does not play to his strengths. He’ll do his best to press Shonn Greene for playing time. Likely no more than a niche back, it’s hard to find room for him on Fantasy rosters at this point.

Chris Polk – Polk went undrafted due to medical concerns about his shoulders, but he was signed by the Eagles as an undrafted free agent. Polk is considered by some to be the best receiving back that was available in the draft, but he’s also a very capable inside runner as well where he breaks a lot of tackles by never stopping his legs. He’s a back to monitor. Redraft owners will want to see what role he lands in and draft him accordingly. Dynasty owners should ignore that he went undrafted and consider using a late second-round pick on him.