When the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Najee Harris with their first-round pick, there were two distinctive reactions. One was of sheer bliss while the other was a sentiment of ‘you should never take a running back in the first round’. The latter’s reaction is warranted as running backs typically have the shortest career spans, and fall off quickly (see Le’Veon Bell, Todd Gurley, David Johnson, etc). But for those that hated the pick because of the nature of the move, there are still some positives with taking a running back in the first round. Here are three such examples:

The Fifth Year Option

While some question drafting a running back in the first round, almost everybody agrees you don't give a running back a second contract (at least not anymore).