In my opinion today's NFL has turned into a 7 on 7 passing league for most of the teams. The successful teams understand that you have to be able to run the ball effectively to be successful.
Check out my article on my Top 5 Quarterbacks and 5 sleepers
In fantasy football the difference between a good team and a great team is the production of the running backs. It is much easier to find productive wide receivers than running backs in today's NFL especially with many teams using a stable of backs instead of just one or two.
It is also important in fantasy football to have running backs that factor in the passing game as well. That is one of the variables I look at and rank when I put my top 10 list together.
For this list I actually studied over 45 running backs that are eligible for the 2015 NFL Draft.
1. Melvin Gordon, 6.1, 215, 4.43, Wisconsin
- prototype size and speed
- leads all draftable running backs in rushing yards at 2,587
- leads all draftable running backs in average yards per carry at 7.5
- leads all draftable running backs in rushing touchdowns with 29
- was not a huge factor in passing game at Wisconsin, but that was due more to their offensive system than him lacking ball skills
- had 20 20+ yard runs, 13 30+ yard runs, 11 40+ yard runs
- good blocker, attacks defender, which is great because he will be on the field during passing situations and can get some screens and check downs thrown to him
2. Todd Gurley, 6.1, 222, 4.52, Georgia
- Prototype size and speed
- averaged an astounding 7.4 yards per carry last season in the SEC
- he is a good receiver out of the backfield
- he has experience returning kick offs
- he can run through tacklers or outrun them, a good mixture of strength and speed
https://youtu.be/w_Vy61HobfM
3. David Johnson, 6.1, 224, 4.4, Northern Iowa
- prototype size and speed
- probably best athlete of the running backs
- ranked 5th among running backs in catches with 38
- returns kicks, which could get some points in fantasy
- actually recruited to Northern Iowa as a receiver, but was converted to a running back
- he is able to make defenders miss him, but also able to break tackles as well
4. Ameer Abdullah, 5.9, 205, 4.5, Nebraska
- does not have prototype size, but prototype speed
- 2nd best athlete of the running backs behind Johnson from Northern Iowa
- caught 22 passes last season, 3 for touchdowns
- returned kick offs while at Nebraska
- returned some punts as well as a freshman and sophomore
- had 3 seasons of 1,000 rushing yards
- struggles in pass protection
5. Jay Ajayi, 6.0, 221, 4.52, Boise State
- prototype size and speed
- scored the 3rd most touchdowns of all the draftable running backs
- 2nd among the running backs in catches, he has very good hands
- has good form when pass blocking, so he can be an every down back
- was a workhorse for Boise State, he is used to being the man
- 2nd in carries last season of the draftable running backs
https://youtu.be/VUQ4Xy-sVvE
6. Tevin Coleman, 5.11, 206, 4.59, Indiana
- has prototype speed, but needs to gain some more muscle
- the 4th leading rusher in the draft
- tied for 1st in yards per carry at an astounding 7.5 yards per carry
- runs faster than his 4.59 40 sounds, leaves defenders behind
- runs harder than his size as well
- he has great stamina to play in their uptempo type of offense
- college offense was the spread so he doesn't have much experience running out of the I
- he only carried the ball 270 times, which ranks him 11th in carries
- he caught 25 passes, which ranks him 12th
- he also has experience returning kicks
https://youtu.be/N4_8vtZyr8Y
7. Zach Zenner, 5.11, 223, 4.6, South Dakota State
- he has prototype size and speed for a running back
- many teams list him as a fullback, but I disagree, he is athletic enough to be a running back
- played in a spread and I offenses in college
- caught 28 passes last season, which ranks him 10th
- rushed for 2,061 yards last season, which ranks him at 3rd
- averaged 6 yards per carry
- I have him ranked as the 6th best athlete of the running backs
- he carried the ball 337 times last season, ranking him 4th, so he is used to getting a lot of carries
- he looks like a New England Patriot, which means he is not the prettiest, but he gets the job done
8. Gus Johnson, 5.10, 215, 4.65, Stephen F. Austin
- Prototype size, but he does need to get a little bit faster
- he has a strong leg drive and drags tacklers
- he can hurt you with his legs if you hit him low
- he is a patient runner, but when the hole opens up he hits it hard
- runs with his eyes and makes really good cuts
- scored 23 rushing touchdowns this year, which ranks him 4th
- he only caught 17 passes last season, which ranks him 20th
- ranks 7th in rushing yards and average yards per carry
- he is more quick than fast, shown by his 10th ranked 20 yard shuttle run and his 36th ranked 40 yard dash
https://youtu.be/Cm2o-lpK2Ss
9. John Crockett, 6.0, 217, 4.56, North Dakota State
- prototype size and speed
- he was a workhorse this past season as he carried the ball 368 times, which ranks him first
- he rushed for over 1,700 yards, ranking him 7th
- he averaged 5.4 yards per carry, ranking him 20th
- he ran out of the I most of the time
- he is an explosive athlete shown by his 4th ranked 40 inch vertical and his 7th ranked broad jump
- defenses that faced Crockett knew he was going to get the ball, they would load their defense up to stop him, but he was still unstoppable
10. Terrell Watson, 6.1, 236, 4.55, Azusa Pacific
- prototype size and speed
- he was the MVP of the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl
- scored 29 touchdowns last season, which ranks him 1st
- rushed for over 2,200 yards, ranking him 2nd behind Melvin Gordon
- averaged 6.7 yards per carry, which ranks him 6th
- only caught 19 passes last season, which ranks him 16th
- his college offense was mostly out of the spread, so he doesn't have much experience out of the I formation