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Top Running Backs in NFL Draft: J.K. Dobbins

Ohio State’s big-play, big-game J.K. Dobbins checks in at No. 2 in our ranking of the top running backs in the NFL Draft.

Bill Huber

Ohio State’s big-play, big-game J.K. Dobbins checks in at No. 2 in our ranking of the top running backs in the NFL Draft.

J.K. Dobbins was unstoppable at Ohio State.

It’s not just the 2,003 rushing yards in 2019. It’s how he piled up those yards. The Buckeyes faced eight teams that finished in the top 25 in rushing defense. Check out this list from Sports Info Solutions’ Corey March.

“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.”

Dobbins had a remarkable career, starting with becoming only the sixth true freshman in school history to start in the opener. In three seasons, he rushed for 4,459 yards and caught 71 passes. He topped 1,000 yards in each season, including the banner final season in which he rushed for 21 touchdowns and added 23 receptions for 247 yards and two more scores. With an all-around skill-set, he finished his career with 5,104 scrimmage yards.

According to Pro Football Focus, Dobbins ranked first in the nation with 31 carries of 15-plus yards and fourth with 1,208 yards after contact. He averaged an impressive 3.5 yards after contact per carry. While he didn’t test at the Combine – other than an impressive 23 reps on the bench press – and the coronavirus pandemic eliminated his pro day, his big-play ability speaks volumes about his speed.

“I think I have tremendous vision. I can do it all,” he said. “I can be explosive. I can grind it out. And I'm also a leader. I think I make everyone around me play better.”

Being drafted will provide a nice ending to his childhood story. Dobbins’ father died of a stroke while in jail; he was only 33. His mom was his guiding light. “My dad taught me a lot of things through actions and through words,” Dobbins said. “Seeing what he was doing, and the trouble he got in, I didn't want to be like that and he told me he didn't want me to be like that. So that's how I see it. I didn't want to go to there.”

What we like

At 5-foot-9 1/2 and 209 pounds, Dobbins is well-built. He’s got breakaway speed as a runner and good hands as a receiver. Most of his action came on zone runs, which allowed him to use his vision to find cutback lanes.

“I think I have vision that's out of this world. It's definitely a God-given talent. I think that's the best thing about my game,” he said. “I think it's always something that I had. As a little kid in pee-wee football, we'd run a play and a play would be going this way and I'd see a hole all the way back here and guys were like, ‘How did you see that?’ So, I always feel like I've always had it. As I got to college and I started learning the blocking schemes and what the defense was going to do, it just elevated it even more.”

What we don’t like

Dobbins can fire through a hole and into the clear in an instant but he’s not going to create much in a bruising role. According to SIS, his missed-tackle rate was 20 for every 100 carries. Of the six best backs in this draft class, he finished fifth in that category. He had a couple drops in 2019.

Bill's NFL Draft Series

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

Top 13 Quarterbacks

No. 1: LSU’s Joe Burrow

No. 2: Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa

No. 3: Oregon’s Justin Herbert

No. 4: Utah State’s Jordan Love

No. 5: Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts

The best of the rest

Published
Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.

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