Plenty of Day 3 options at Running back for Packers in draft
By Paul Bretl
With Aaron Jones back on a restructured contract and AJ Dillon still under contract as well, running back certainly isn’t a big need for the Green Bay Packers this offseason. However, GM Brian Gutekunst could be tempted on Day 3 by what is considered a “loaded” draft class at this position.
Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com would call the draft class “loaded” and full of “future starters everywhere.” The Athletic’s Dane Brugler would also say that there is a “logjam of quality running backs in the third or fourth round range.”
At this year’s NFL Combine, only 15 running backs were able to post Relative Athletic Scores (RAS), with eight of them scoring 8.0 or higher. This is an important metric to know because, during Gutey’s tenure as GM, 30 of his 42 selections that have posted a RAS scored at least 8.0.
To take this one step further, of the three running backs that Gutekunst has drafted over the years, all three have had broad jumps of 10 feet or more, as Daire Carragher of Packer Report wrote about. Of the seven running backs who performed well on the RAS scale, all also met that 10-foot broad jump threshold as well.
Deneric Prince, Ole Miss
Bijan Robinson, Texas
Chase Brown, Illinois
Zach Charbonnet, UCLA
Evan Hull, Northwestern
Camerun Peoples, Appalachian State
Keaton Mitchell, East Carolina
Roschon Johnson, Texas
As Pro-Days are held, and more testing numbers and measurements are compiled for the running backs who didn’t have a RAS following the combine, others will be added to this list. But with the data that we currently have, the eight prospects above meet the typical thresholds at the position that the Packers covet.
Perhaps I shouldn’t make the assumption that Gutekunst won’t draft a running back on Day 1 or 2 of the draft, considering that he took Dillon in the second round with Jones and Jamaal Williams still under contract, but given the current state of the position and the depth of this class in the middle rounds, I don’t think it’s likely. If that’s the case, players like Bijan Robinson and Zach Charbonnet, both of whom are ranked 27th and 60th overall on PFF’s big board, probably aren’t in play for Green Bay.
From a skill-set standpoint, Matt LaFleur wants more than just a ball carrier. Running backs in the Packers’ offense need to be able to hold their own as blockers, be effective pass-catchers, and ideally have the ability to line up all over the formation, not just in the backfield.
Although the running back position is in good shape for 2023, that could change drastically in 2024, which is why getting ahead of the problem and drafting someone now makes sense.
Dillon is in the final year of his rookie deal before becoming an unrestricted free agent, and we do not know what the future holds for him in Green Bay. Jones, meanwhile, could be in his final year as he comes with nearly $5 million in cap savings if released next offseason.
In addition to that, LaFleur has previously discussed the value of having a third running back to lean on to help take some of the burden and snap counts off of the top two backs. Patrick Taylor can be a core special teams player and is well-rounded, but is limited as a ball carrier. Tyler Goodson showed terrific burst last preseason, but he is still a relative unknown.
With compensatory draft picks included, the Packers are projected to have 11 selections in this year’s draft. I believe it’s a safe bet to say that one will be a running back.