It might say something about how the running back position is perceived in 2021 that we are faced with a very strong class of runners and don’t hear much about them.
Two of the running backs at the top of the depth chart have been two of the most consistently productive players in college football, and yet have been left out of the first rounds of many mock drafts. Only a couple years ago, it would have been unthinkable that a player with the pedigree of Alabama’s Najee Harris wouldn’t be getting significant first round buzz. After all, he has plenty of highlight plays, is consistently productive (averaging 6 yards per carry over the last four years), and has been a central figure on one of the very best teams in the country — earning a pair of National Championship rings in the process.