This year’s NFL draft had 20 RBs selected. This article features and focuses on rookie RBs. I assure you that 20 RBs will not be discussed in this article. However, depending on which format you play in will determine how many RBs you care about and how deep your depth chart is.
For example, I’m in a 12-team dynasty league with five rounds. Of the 60 players, 20 rookie RBs were picked. I’m also in a 12-team redraft league, with only six rookie RBs selected.
Although I’m not writing about all 20 RBs who were drafted, I am going to write about the best options to help you in the here and now for the 2024 season, as well as the handful of RBs who will be standouts over the next three to five seasons.
It goes without saying that a running back who has the potential to help your team immediately will be an asset over the long haul. But depending on their circumstance and the team they are on, and if they are blocked on the depth chart, they will contribute heavily to their personal timetable. It is very rare for a rookie RB to join the league and leave training camp as their team’s RB1.
In fact, of the 20 drafted RBs, not one is currently listed as their team’s RB1…and only seven are listed as their team’s RB2. Five are their team’s RB3, and the rest are RB4 or worse. This list consists of nine RBs, two of whom I am highlighting as immediate contributors. Of the other seven, four are listed as their team’s RB2, with huge roadblocks ahead of them. They may contribute this year but will be beasts over the next three to five seasons. The remaining three consist of two RB3 and one RB4, who will absolutely be studs down the line.
Brooks is currently only behind Chuba Hubbard on the depth chart. The team is offensively challenged, to put it mildly. They finished 2023 tied with the Patriots for the fewest pts scored. Hubbard is entering the last season of his rookie deal, and if Brooks shows anything this season, Hubbard will be more than expendable. He’s never had a 1000-yard rushing season, while Brooks had over 1400 yards from scrimmage as a junior for the Longhorns. And over his 23-game college career, he averaged over 6 yards per rush.
Last season, Hubbard had 1145 total yards and scored five TDs. By the end of the season, Brooks will supplant Hubbard as RB1 and will gain over 1000 total yards with at least five touchdowns.
Tracy is very sneakily moving up draft boards. People sometimes are late to the show with offseason moves, and it took a while for some to shake the cobwebs out. Saquon Barkley is no longer with the Giants. The team’s current RB1 is Devin Singletary, with Tracy right behind him. Singletary is a nice RB but he’s not Barkley. HC Brian Daboll needs to get out of the gate fast and will employ any asset he has to get his offense moving. Tracy is a shifty 5’11 back who was a five-year senior in the Big10, first at Iowa, then with Purdue. But what makes him a unique prospect is his first two seasons as a WR. In his full season as a RB, he rushed for 716 YDs, scored eight TDs, and averaged 6.3 yds per rush.
Singletary has been an extremely consistent abc and is now with his third team. He’s had over 800 rushing yards each of the last three seasons but never cracked 900 yards. Barring injury, he won’t lose his RB1 status, but this is definitely shaping up as a 60%/40% tandem backfield. Tracy will gain 600-800 rushing yds and find the endzone a half dozen times. And, with his pass-catching skills, he will be useful in the passing game out of the backfield.
Benson is my favorite back in this year’s draft. He has the size at 6’1, 215lbs, and is a power runner who also possesses an elusive quality normally reserved for smaller backs. He is reminiscent of Marcus Allen. In his final two seasons with the Seminoles, he averaged 6.1 rushing yards, scored 23 rushing yards, and had 1896 rushing yards.
He’s currently blocked by James Conner. Conner is a bona fide veteran but still on the right side of 30 years old. Coming off of his first 1000 rushing season and third consecutive with over 1000 combined YDs, the Cardinals will rely heavily on him. Conner is the only reason Benson isn’t No. 1 on this list, but Benson is too good not to be used in this offense. Benson is a must-draft, especially if you’re in a dynasty league.
Allen is another runner reminiscent of Marcus Allen and one of my favorite backs to come out of this draft. With Aaron Rodgers as his QB for the next couple of years, the offense will be vastly improved. Breece Hall, the Jets RB1, was able to gain nearly 1600 total YDs with Rodgers on the injured reserve for the entire season,
With Rodgers back healthy, there will be much more offense with more yardage to gain and TDs to score. Allen is the perfect supplement to Hall. He is a powerful back who will absolutely vulture his share of TDs. In college, he scored 35 while gaining nearly 3800 total YDs in his three seasons at Wisconsin.
Irving is backing up Rachaad White, who is only entering his third season. Last year was a breakout year for White, gaining over 1500 total YDs while scoring nine combined TDs. It’s hard to imagine Irving breaking through and supplanting White as the Bucs RB1 this season. But based on his college stats, this dynamic runner will get his share of playing time and touches. White is one of the league’s best pass-catching RBs, with 64 receptions last year. Irving possesses the same skill set, having caught 56 passes last year with Oregon. And he, like White, had nearly 1600 total YDs last season. In many ways, Irving is the perfect compliment to White, and QB Baker Mayfield will be able to integrate him into the offense seamlessly.
Corum is backing up one of the league’s most dynamic runners, in Kyren Williams. In Williams’ first year as a starter, he rushed for 1144 YDs and scored 12 TDs. Although Williams isn’t going anywhere, with HC Sean McVey’s offensive creativity and Corum’s nose for the endzone, Corum may lead all rookie RBs in TDs. The four-year starter at Michigan had three consecutive seasons with over 1000 total YDs. And he rushed for an amazing 58 TDs over his college career.
Estime is the first running back on this list to be third on his team’s depth chart. Currently, Javonte Williams and Jaleel McGloughlin are ahead of him. In the second half of last season, the Broncos did start to play better, and HC Sean Peyton is still one of the league’s best. They have jettisoned QB Russell Wilson in an effort to rebuild. In this draft, they snagged QB Bo Nix in the first round, WR Troy Franklin in the fourth, and Estime in the fifth. Estime will have the luxury of easing into the offense, but Peyton will not. He will have to start strong to keep Bronco Nation at bay, and although Estime may not be a game-changer this season, he will be within a couple of seasons.
Lloyd is behind Josh Jacobs and AJ Dillon. Dillon was a fantastic RB2 behind Aaron Jones, and now he’s a fantastic RB2 behind Jacobs. Green Bay has a great offensive-minded head coach, Matt LaFleur. Although Lloyd won’t get a ton of playing time or touches, Lafleur will find a way to get this diminutive 5’9 scat back into some game action. He should be expected to get six to eight touches and score a TD here or there. He has a Kevin Faulk vibe, and if he can be as effective, he’ll have a place in the league for many years to come.
Vidal is the only RB4 I have on this list. He is behind so many productive veterans that this season doesn’t really matter. First-year head coach Jim Harbaugh values a balanced attack, which is why he loaded up on running backs, snagging JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards from Baltimore. Injuries do happen, which could move Vidal up the depth chart, but this play is purely for dynasty leagues, with an eye on 2026.
