7 Running Backs Who Were Hurt by the NFL Draft

Photo: Katie Stratman, USA Today Sports

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For a second consecutive year, the 49ers selected a running back on day two of the NFL Draft and neither one is the presumptive week one starter. Either San Francisco had a very high grade on third-round pick Tyrion Davis-Price or they want further competition in the backfield. Either way, this just adds more competition for Mitchell in a situation that lacks passing upside. In five years as the 49ers head coach, Kyle Shanahan has had five different players lead the team in rushing yards. Mitchell is an avoid at his current cost in the RB2 range.

Antonio Gibson

The Commanders met the major players in the running back class and appeared poised to add to the backfield before selecting Brian Robinson Jr in the third round of the draft. This was after the Commanders lured J.D. McKissic back during free agency after he agreed to a contract with Buffalo. The addition of Robinson who can play three downs on top of the return of McKissic who plays the receiving-centric role in the offense squeezes Gibson’s upside on both ends. Gibson is a high-end RB2 in dynasty valuation, ahead of more established starters like Cam Akers, David Montgomery, and Aaron Jones, and should be an avoid player at cost.

Josh Jacobs

Josh Jacobs has been a successful rookie selection, posting three top 24 seasonal finishes since being selected in the first round of the NFL Draft in 2019. However, the new Raiders regime, led by Josh McDaniels, did not extend the fifth-year option to Jacobs. There could be financial reasons for this (the extension is now guaranteed at a number near the franchise tag), but the decision to also draft Zamir White in the fourth round creates uncertainty. The change of front office, the declined option, and the added competition create a source of uncertainty for Jacobs’s future. He is a late RB2 valuation, which is a good upside opportunity at the position.