What is the State of the Jaguars’ Running Back Group Ahead of the Draft?

The Jaguars have three talented running backs on their roster heading into 2020, but could they still look to add to the position?

In only a few weeks, the 2020 NFL Draft will at last commence. This year's draft will obviously be dramatically different due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced the draft to become a completely virtual event. But nonetheless, the show marches on.

While we gear up in preparation for the draft, we will be looking at each position group on the Jaguars' roster to gauge where it stands before this month's draft. Which groups need more attention, and which appear to be set?

In this edition, we take a look at the Jaguars' running position, which is headlined by fourth-year veteran Leonard Fournette, the team's former No. 4 overall draft pick in 2017. Are the Jaguars likely to add to the position with one of their draft picks or with an additional free agency signing?

What the Jaguars have said about the group

“I think [Leonard Fournette] had a very nice year. I think he was trending in the top three in the league in yards from scrimmage and had close to 80 catches and ended up finishing sixth in the league in yards from scrimmage with missing the last game. He probably would have finished in the top five," general manager Dave Caldwell said at the NFL Scouting Combine.

"Really outside of the offensive line and the quarterback, every other player there is going to be a substitute in there at some time whether it be on the outside at receiver or even in the backfield as much as Leonard [Fournette] played last year, there’s still time where someone else has to come in the game for him," head coach Doug Marrone said on March 31.

"We feel good about our running back situation with Leonard [Fournette] and Rock [Ryquell Armstead] and a couple of other guys back there who’ve done a good job, but at that same point, who is someone that’s going to come in there that’s different? Like we had in the past with a real speed back that might be able to run routes...."

Who the Jaguars have lost in 2020:

Technically, the Jaguars haven't lost any running backs this offseason, though there are a few running backs who were on the roster at one point or another who are presently not on the roster.

Veteran running back Alfred Blue signed a small deal with the Jaguars during the 2019 offseason, but he never took a carry for Jacksonville in a regular season game. He was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury before the season began and was then released from the team in October. With the logjam at running back behind Fournette, Blue likely wouldn't have been on the 2020 roster even if he stayed healthy in 2019.

Tyler Ervin was a running back and returner the Jaguars claimed off of waivers before Week 1 began but he also didn't make it through the season as a Jaguar. He played in six games for Jacksonville and returned five punts for six yards and five kicks for 107 yards. In six games with the Jaguars, Ervin only played four snaps on offense, but he didn't touch the ball. Ervin was cut by the Jaguars after the mid-point of the season and picked up by the Green Bay Packers, who utilized Ervin as a return man and rotational back.

Aside from these two, the Jaguars are bringing back each of the three running backs who carried the ball last season, meaning the group will more or less look the same.

Who the Jaguars currently have at the position:

Leonard Fournette: 25-years-old, 36 career starts. Entering fourth season. Rushed 265 times for 1,152 yards (4.3 yards per carry average) and three touchdowns. Caught 76 passes for 522 yards.

Ryquell Armstead: 23-years-old. One career start. Entering second season. Rushed 35 times for 108 yards (3.1 yards per carry average). Caught 14 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns.

Devine Ozigbo: 23-years-old. Zero career starts. Entering second season. Rushed nine times for 27 yards (3.0 yards per carry average). Caught three passes for 23 yards.

The Jaguars have three young running backs on the roster with the trio of Fournette, Armstead, and Ozigbo, and each of the three got some experience last year, which likely makes the Jaguars feel eve more confident in the group.

Fournette is coming off of the best season of his career sans his inability to find the end zone, and even that wasn't his fault as the Jaguars' rushing attack suffered from poor red-zone execution from the offensive line and the play-caller.

As a whole, Fournette showed more flashes of his 2017 form than he had the year before, and he was able to stay healthy for almost the entire season. He also displayed a lot of ability as a pass-catcher and as a pass protector. He may not be the most dynamic back on the Jaguars' roster, but he is a terrific blocker when it comes to picking up blitzers and keeping the quarterback clean, so there stands good reason for him to continue to play on third downs.

Armstead had a few encouraging games as a runner but was ultimately never in the game enough to get a true rhythm as a ball-carrier, sapping his effectiveness in the ground game. But on the bright side, he was extremely effective as a pass-catcher, catching more touchdowns than Fournette and Armstead combined. He has good hands, runs good routes, works himself open on extended plays, and is solid at picking up yards after the catch.

Ozigbo didn't get much work until Week 17, but he flashed a lot of explosiveness in the lone game in which he got involved in the offense. The Jaguars could keep him as a third running back since his physical tools are obvious, but he also hasn't gotten a lot of time to prove himself.

The Jaguars could realistically look to add a space back to utilize as a pass-catcher, whether via a cheap free agent like Chris Thompson or with a mid-round draft pick. But regardless of what other moves the team makes at the position, expect Fournette to once again be the offense's workhorse.