The Ultimate Packers Draft Preview: Running Backs

What is Green Bay's long-term need, and what does history suggest on who might be coveted and who might not be a consideration at all?

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Here’s a look at the Green Bay Packers’ running back situation ahead of the NFL Draft, including pertinent history and 10 potential draft picks.

State of the Packers

With Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams, Green Bay has one of the better one-two punches in the NFL. On the list of immediate needs, running back would be at the bottom. However, the best general managers draft with one eye on the future. Jones, who is coming off a prolific season, and Williams will be free agents at the end of the season. Jones could price himself out of Green Bay and Williams lacks the dynamic ability to be a true No. 1, meaning general manager Brian Gutekunst would be wise to invest a pick to groom behind Jones and Williams and challenge second-year player Dexter Williams.

Based on History, Maybe You Can Forget …

The Packers don’t draft short guys at any position. Of Green Bay’s 11 picks during the Ted Thompson- Gutekunst era (for the sake of this, we’re including Ty Montgomery as a running back, even though he was drafted as a receiver), Jones was the shortest at 5-foot-9 1/8. That means Georgia’s D’Andre Swift (5-foot-8 1/4) and LSU’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire (5-foot-7 1/4), who are two of the top all-around backs in the draft, could be off the board. Other quality backs who are shorter than 5-foot-9 include Arizona State’s Eno Benjamin and Maryland’s Anthony McFarland Jr.

No running back had hands smaller than 9 inches. One of the more intriguing players in the draft is Antonio Gibson, who wasn’t used often by Memphis but was a big-play machine when he got a chance. With 8 3/8-inch hands, he might not be on the board. Others whose name might have been erased on Gutekunst’s board include Benjamin, McFarland, Illinois’ James Robinson and Vanderbilt’s Ke’Shawn Vaughn.

Interestingly, the Packers haven’t been beholden to any of the athletic formulas. SPARQ, for instance, attempts to streamline the testing results by size. In 2017, Jones was in the 88th percentile, Devante Mays in the 64th and Jamaal Williams in the 37th; in 2019, Dexter Williams was in the 70th percentile.

Potential Draft Fits

First Round

Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins (5-9 1/2, 209; DNP 40; 9 1/2 hands): It’s not just that Dobbins rushed for 2,003 yards last season, it’s who those yards came against. The Buckeyes faced eight teams that finished in the top 25 in rushing defense. He ran for 140-plus yards in each of those games, including a total of 365 yards and three touchdowns in two games against Wisconsin.

“I always work for the spotlight moments,” Dobbins said at the Scouting Combine. “(But) it's about what I do outside of the lights. When the lights aren't on me, there are things that I do to try to be ready for when that time comes. Prime time isn't always really prime time to me. It's like a normal day at the office because I work so hard for it. So, whenever it comes to those games, I'm very prepared for it.”

He’s a well-rounded prospect with the toughness to protect and 88 receptions in three seasons.

Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor (5-10 1/4, 226; 4.39 40; 9 1/2 hands): Taylor had one of the great careers in college football history with a three-year total of 6,174 rushing yards (6.7 average) and 50 touchdowns. As a junior in 2019, he rushed for 2,003 yards (6.3 average) and 21 touchdowns and added career highs of 26 catches, 252 yards and five scores to be a unanimous first-team All-American. His 26 total touchdowns led the nation. He’s the only player in FBS history with three seasons of 1,900 rushing yards. His three-year rushing total obliterated the old record of 5,596 yards set by Herschel Walker while at Georgia in the early 1980s.

Green Bay’s best backs have been the ones who can catch, and that’s the question mark with Taylor, who generally wasn’t on the field in passing situations. His fumbling problems are a huge red flag for a team that historically has placed such a huge focus on ball security.

“Coach (Paul) Chryst did a good job making that a focal point my junior year,” Taylor said of catching the ball. “Kudos for him for being consciously aware of that throughout the game. It really didn’t matter to me in the game whether he wanted to hand it off to me or throw it to me. I was willing to do whatever it took for us to win as many games as possible.”

Second and Third Rounds

Round 1 leftovers: It’s supply and demand. There’s quite a supply of excellent running backs in this year’s draft. The demand may not be strong, just because there’s too many teams like the Packers that found their stud running back in the fifth round and see no reason to burn a pick in the first round. Thus, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a top back fall deep into the second round.

RELATED: GET TO KNOW THE TOP RUNNING BACKS

Cam Akers, Florida State (5-10 3/8, 217; 4.47 40; 9 hands): Akers had the best season of his career in 2019 with 1,144 rushing yards (5.0 average) and 14 touchdowns, plus 30 receptions for 225 yards and four more scores. His three-year totals included 2,875 rushing yards – sixth-most in school history – and 69 catches. He played behind a horrendous offensive line, unlike Dobbins and Taylor. He is a three-down back.

“Just an all-around running back,” Akers said. “Somebody who’s, of course, able to run the ball but another important aspect of running back is being able to block also. I just think I’m a complete back from catching to blocking to running.”

Utah’s Zack Moss (5-9 3/8, 223; 4.65 40; 9 1/4 hands): Moss piled up 4,067 rushing yards, 38 rushing touchdowns and 66 receptions during a superb four-year career. The yardage and touchdown totals set school records. As a senior, he produced career-high totals of 1,416 rushing yards, 15 rushing touchdowns and 13.9 yards per catch; his 28 receptions were one off his career high. He had three consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons to cap his career, even though he missed the final five games of the 2018 season with a knee injury sustained at practice. Moss is a sledgehammer of a back that can wear down a defense and would be an especially good fit when the weather is bad.

“Over my career, I’ve seen guys make a lot of business decisions. That’s what I try to do,” he said. “When the next team puts on that tape, I want the guys know that it’s not going to be an easy game.”

A.J. Dillon, Boston College (6-0 3/8, 247; 4.53 40; 9 5/8 hands): The mammoth Dillon rushed for school records of 4,382 yards and 38 touchdowns in three seasons. He topped 1,000 yards each year, including career-high totals of 1,685 rushing yards, 5.3 yards per carry and 14 rushing touchdowns in 2019. He had only 21 career receptions but has shown he can protect.

“A player who can do everything on the field. I've got size, obviously that's just God given, but I have speed, I can catch the ball, pass protect. So, I bring everything to the table,” he said.

Fourth and Fifth Rounds

Deejay Dallas, Miami (5-10 1/8, 217; 4.58 40; 9 1/4 hands): Dallas rushed for 1,527 yards in three seasons, including 617 yards (5.7 average) and six touchdowns as a sophomore and 693 yards (6.0 average) and eight touchdowns as a junior. Half of his 28 career catches came in 2019, a season cut short by a gruesome arm injury. Dallas spent part of his freshman season at receiver before moving to running back. In 2019, he averaged an impressive 3.7 yards after contact per rush and 28 missed tackles for every 100 touches. In 2018, he fumbled four times and went to a sports psychologist to get that squared away; he didn’t fumble in 2019.

Darrynton Evans, Appalachian State (5-10 3/8, 203; 4.41 40; 9 1/4 hands): Evans finished with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. As a sophomore, he replaced injured starter Jalin Moore and led the Sun Belt Conference with 1,187 rushing yards. As a junior, he had 1,480 rushing yards (5.8 average) and 18 touchdowns and 21 receptions for 198 yards and five touchdowns to win Sun Belt Player of the Year. He joined Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey (2015) and East Carolina’s Chris Johnson (2007) as only FBS players this millennium with at least 1,400 rushing yards, five TD receptions and a kickoff return for a score in same year. He’s a home run threat who thrived in an outside-zone scheme. However, his missed tackle rate of 19 for every 100 touches and 2.4 yards after contact per rush were unimpressive.

Sixth and Seventh Rounds

Lamical Perine, Florida (5-10 3/4, 216; 4.62 40; 10 1/4 hands): Perine’s four-year totals were 2,485 rushing yards (5.0 average) and 22 touchdowns and 72 receptions for 674 yards and eight more scores. As a senior, he rushed for 676 yards and caught 40 passes with five scores. He’s got huge hands to secure the ball (zero fumbles, one drop) and is a proven pass protector.

Joshua Kelley, UCLA (5-10 5/8, 212; 4.49 40; 9 5/8 hands): Kelley spent two seasons at UC-Davis before transferring to UCLA. After sitting out the 2017 season to fulfill NCAA transfer obligations, Kelley rushed for 1,243 yards (5.5 average) and 12 touchdowns in 2018 and 1,060 yards (4.6 average) and 12 touchdowns as a senior. Kelley caught 27 passes as a junior but is only so-so in protection. His 2.3 yards after contract per carry and 14 missed tackles per 100 touches are well below average.

Michael Warren, Cincinnati (5-9 1/8, 226; NA 40; 9 1/8 hands): In three seasons, Warren rushed for 2,918 yards with a 5.2-yard average. Most of the damage came as a sophomore (1,329 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns) and junior (1,265 yards and 14 touchdowns. In 2019, he caught 21 passes and didn’t fumble. He’s good in pass pro, too.

Top 15 Running Backs

No. 1: Georgia’s D’Andre Swift

No. 2: Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins

No. 3: Florida State’s Cam Akers

No. 4: Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor

No. 5: Utah’s Zack Moss

The best of the rest leads with LSU standout