Editor’s note: One in a four-part summer series.
Is the NFL re-emphasizing the running game?
Last year, nine of the top 10 teams in rushing offenses made the playoffs, including the final four: Jacksonville (first), Philadelphia (third), Minnesota (seventh) and New England (10th).
And in the last three drafts, a tailback has been selected among the top four: Dallas’ Ezekiel Elliott (fourth in 2016), Jacksonville’s Leonard Fournette (fourth in 2017) and the New York Giants’ Saquon Barkley (second this year). From 2009-15, only one tailback – Cleveland’s Trent Richardson (second in 2012) – was drafted in the top four.