Chargers News: Pro Football Network Experts Place Austin Ekeler in Surprising Spot in NFL RB Rankings

Ekeler placed out side of this top 5 RB ranking

The Los Angeles Chargers will be going into the 2023 season with a ton of talent on their roster. Any other team wishes they had this type of talent on their roster, and luckily for the Chargers, they have talents galore. 

However, they were close to losing one of their best players this offseason, Austin Ekeler. He requested a trade early this offseason, but the Chargers didn't budge, and he will now play the final year of his contract with the Bolts. 

Ekeler is coming off arguably the best season of his career, and that says a lot considering how his 2021 season went. The 28-year-old is among the best, and arguably the best at his position, and the numbers show it. However, many aren't too high on Ekeler, including NFL analyst for Pro Football Focus Dallas Robinson. Robinson ranked the best running back going into this season and placed him outside of the Top 5, putting him at number six. 

6) Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers

In 2022, Austin Ekeler ranked fifth in the NFL in receptions. Not fifth among running backs. Fifth,

period

. His 107 catches trailed only Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and Stefon Diggs, all of whom — as you may be aware — are elite pass catchers. While Ekeler doesn’t create as many big plays in the passing game as McCaffrey can, he’s become an incredibly valuable checkdown weapon for Justin Herbert, especially when injuries to L.A.’s receivers and offensive line forced the Chargers to work the short game. Ekeler isn’t a pounder, but he’s a tough runner. He took the most carries of his career in 2021 (206) and remained effective, but Los Angeles had been adamant that they want to keep Ekeler’s usage rates in check. Although Ekeler requested a trade this offseason, the Chargers didn’t move him, meaning he’ll likely play out the final year of his contract in Los Angeles before looking for a payday next offseason.

The running backs in front of Ekeler are Josh Jacobs, Jonathan Taylor, Derrick Henry, Nick Chubb, and Christian McCaffrey. 

Mccaffrey may be the best running back in the league; that's debatable, and I'm not mad at that. The others, however, should not be in. front of Ekeler, especially how they ended their 2022 season. 

Jacobs is coming off a career year, but even he didn't have a better season than Ekeler. The only edge he had over Austin was rushing yards, but that's because they needed Ekeler to do much more than just run the ball; he was out there catching passes and being a multi-facet player. 

Jonathan Taylor is also coming off a 2022 season in which he underachieved after a surprisingly great 2021 season. Taylor was rather disappointing, and for him to still be above Ekeler in this ranking is unacceptable. 

Nonetheless, it's Robinson's list and opinion; however, it's still surprising how low Ekeler is. He'll once again showcase his talents this season and prove he is the most underrated player in the league.