How the mighty RB position has fallen in value

[Warhorse]

RB's taken in the first round since 1986...

Descending from this date - 2023 - 2,0,2,1,1,3,2,1,0,0,3,1,3,3,5,2,4,3,3,2,2,3,5,2,4,2,3,5,3,3,3,3,6,6,5,7....1986 - 6.

Average 1st round RB's taken - 1986 - 1990 - 6

Average 1st round RB's taken - 2012 - 1991 - 3

Average 1st round RB's taken - 2023 - 2013 - 1.3

 

Predictions for the 1st round this year....

 

Athletic - 0

PFF - 0

USA Today - 0

CBS: Trapasso - 0, Wilson - 0, Edwards - 0. Fornelli - 0, Stackpole - 0. Prisco - 0, Podell - 0

NFL.com : Reuter - 0, Zierlein - 0, Jeremiah - 0, MJD - 0, Lewis - 0 

 

If this holds true, average 1st round RB's taken - 2024 - 2019 - 1

 

 

Edited April 9 by Warhorse

[Xmad]

Yeah the position isn't worth a ton to waste/use a 1st round pick on. Only will insanely good prospects buck that trend. (Saquon, 2023 Draft)

[Soko]

With the rise of the passing game (along with QBs and WRs in general), the generally shorter shelf life of running backs, and perceived plethora of talent at the position both in the league and in the later rounds of the draft - yeah, no surprise. 

[rob_shadows]

It worked out pretty well for the Lions 🤷‍♂️

Although I'll admit I didn't like the pick when it happened I was happy to be proven wrong, Gibbs was a huge part of the teams offensive success.

[Ryan_W]

'no tackling allowed' will reverse this trend

[SteelKing728]

Teams used to trade 1sts for RBs that hit 30 lol

Wild, man. 

[SodeeWater_Cheezburger]

I can remember the days when Bum Phillips traded all the way up to the #1 overall pick to draft Earl Campbell.  Then, there was also the time when Mike Ditka traded his entire draft for one player - Ricky Williams.  Those days are probably long, long gone. 

[Mazrimiv]

Well.... Campbell was drafted 40+ years ago.  It's been 20+ years for Williams.  So yes, those days are long, long gone.

[Tugboat]

It's definitely diminished...but i don't think the lack of a 1st round caliber RB this year really changes the fact that teams will still invest a 1st round pick in the right guys at the position.  There's just a higher threshold of quality, that drops off more harshly than it used to.  They have to be "special" and an absolutely complete, impact player at the RB position.  With the ability to excel not just between the tackles, outside them as well, as well as in the passing game and providing some manner of "homerun" threat or dynamic quality that is rare amongst the position.

 

 

You also just have far more "supply" of "decent" options at RB than we used to.  Which plays perfectly into the way teams have evolved to less of a true "workhorse" back as they understand sports science and fatigue more clearly.  Which makes it one of the few "starting" positions that regularly rotates in and out of the game.  Which means, the "value" provided when they're in the game has to be more extraordinary to outweigh the snaps where they're on the bench catching a breather.

[Football_Bachelor08]

Since teams do run-by-committee these days, the value of the running back has definitely dwindled. 

Who was the last Super Bowl winner with a star running back as the focal point? The '99 Rams?

[Trojan]

56 minutes ago, Football_Bachelor08 said:

Since teams do run-by-committee these days, the value of the running back has definitely dwindled. 

Who was the last Super Bowl winner with a star running back as the focal point? The '99 Rams?

I think it should count SB losers too, because Winners is basically Brady and Mahomes since the '99 Rams lmao

edit: also the answer is prolly Marshawn Lynch Seahawks

Edited April 19 by Trojan

[Football_Bachelor08]

42 minutes ago, Trojan said:

I think it should count SB losers too, because Winners is basically Brady and Mahomes since the '99 Rams lmao

edit: also the answer is prolly Marshawn Lynch Seahawks

I always classified Lynch as a "pretty good" running back but never elite.

[TheGreatZepp]

45 minutes ago, Trojan said:

I think it should count SB losers too, because Winners is basically Brady and Mahomes since the '99 Rams lmao

edit: also the answer is prolly Marshawn Lynch Seahawks

Legion of Boom? Only 1 team has held opponents to fewer points since that 2013 Seahawks team had 14.4 and that was the 2019 Patriots at 14.1. And even then the Seahawks held teams to fewer yards than the Pats. The focus of the Seahawks was the defense suffocated you and the offense did just enough

[Trojan]

1 hour ago, TheGreatZepp said:

Legion of Boom? Only 1 team has held opponents to fewer points since that 2013 Seahawks team had 14.4 and that was the 2019 Patriots at 14.1. And even then the Seahawks held teams to fewer yards than the Pats. The focus of the Seahawks was the defense suffocated you and the offense did just enough

Legion of Boom would be the team strength, but focal point I'm assuming means the offensive focal point in which it was most definitely Marshawn Lynch. Like would you say the 1985 Bears, Walter Payton wasn't the focal point because the 1985 Bears strength was it's defense?

Edited April 19 by Trojan

[Kiwibrown]

Has the quality of runningbCks gone down over the years?

 

The 90s had Faulk, Davis,  Sanders, Bettis, TD and Smith as HOF runningbacks. 

 

The 2000s had LT, Faulk and Peterson 

The 2010s had peterson, McCaffery, maybe Lynch, maybe Henry, as HOF backs. Gurley played at a hof level but won't make it.

 

The quality of player has dropped and players have much shorter careers it seems.

Edited April 22 by Kiwibrown