Saints Draft Outlook: Running Back

On the surface, the Saints running back room seems pretty set for the new Klint Kubiak offense, so should they look at adding competition from the draft?

Jan 7, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller (25) reacts / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

In just three weeks, we're going to find out what the Saints will do in the first round of the NFL Draft. The latest mock draft madness picks project a new left tackle, which is hardly a surprise. Soon enough, we'll get a clearer picture of where the team stands going into the new season. New Orleans will obviously be looking to put together a 90-man roster, having 63 players on it currently with a little less than $10 million in cap space currently.

We keep looking at each position to assess why or why not the Saints should consider drafting them. We previously looked at the quarterback position and now turn our attention to the running back room.

Current Depth Chart: Alvin Kamara, Jamaal Williams, Kendre Miller, Jordan Mims, James Robinson, Adam Prentice (Fullback), Zander Horvath (Fullback)

Saints Draft Prospect Outlook - Running Back

• Day 1 Options: None projected
• Day 2 Options: Blake Corum (Michigan), Jonathon Brooks (Texas), Jaylen Wright (Tennessee), Trey Benson (Florida State), MarShawn Lloyd (USC), Braelon Allen (Wisconsin)
• Day 3 Options: Will Shipley (Clemson), Audric Estimé (Notre Dame), Ray Davis (Kentucky), Jase McCllelan (Alabama), Frank Gore Jr. (Southern Miss), Kimani Vidal (Troy), Isaiah Davis (South Dakota State), Rasheen Ali (Marshall), Daijus Edwards (Georgia), Cody Schrader (Mizzou), Jarveon Howard (Alcorn)
• UDFAs: Michael Wiley (Arizona), Emani Bailey (TCU), George Halani (Boise State), LaDarius Owens (Texas Southern)

THE CASE FOR DRAFTING

Well, as you can tell based off many of the prospect rankings and mock drafts, it's not a strong running back class this year. The first projected player to go off the board will likely be Blake Corum, but it's most assuredly a Day 2 pick right now. Now, when it comes to the middle rounds and later, there will be a lot of players that should get some looks.

You could say that drafting a running back would help push competition and also help New Orleans get a bit younger at the position. Both Jamaal Williams (Apr. 3) and Alvin Kamara (July 25) turn 29 this year, and another boost to the room could make things interesting. This is a real big year for Kamara, as the overall production dipped for the second year in a row.

THE CASE FOR NOT DRAFTING

For the most part, the Saints appear to be set at the running back position. A lot will hinge on what Kendre Miller brings to the table in his second year, while Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams are both in the plans for this season. Miller obviously needs to be healthy and available for New Orleans this year, as he could be one of the biggest benfeciaries to the Klint Kubiak offense. For Kamara, hopefully better usage can lead to more efficient production, and Williams is also in that same boat.

I'm curious to see more of Jordan Mims. The Saints really liked him a lot during the pre-draft process, but the Bills snatched him up. New Orleans pounced on him the day after he got waived from Buffalo. The same could be said for James Robinson, who is just a few seasons removed from shining in Jacksonville. Special teams may be more of a factor for them to find playing time.

Last season, the Saints were the only team who did not have a single running back that went for over a 20-yard gain. They got that from Taysom Hill and Lynn Bowden Jr. New Orleans regressed in their running attack statistically year over year, dropping from 116.6 yards/game on the ground (19th) to 102.5 (21st). They also dropped in yards/attempt from 4.26 (22nd) to 3.63 (31st). While this doesn't solely fall on the running back group, it does need to see tremendous improvement under Kubiak and Senior Offensive Assistant Rick Dennison.