One of the most infuriating parts of the NFL Draft process for me is the outlandish player comparisons. Don't get me wrong, these player comps have a place, and they're necessary to try to understand how a player wins and how they'll succeed at the next level. However, there are way too many comparisons that are made with no foundation in the data.
For example, comparing a 5-foot-11 and 180-pound wide receiver to a 6-foot-3 and 220-pounder doesn't help anyone. Those are two drastically different body types, and they're not going to be asked to do the same types of things on the NFL field. With that in mind, I sat down a couple of years ago to build a database that could help me make the best - and most accurate - player comparisons out there.
With that being said, here are my player comparisons for the 2023 Rookie RB class.
Introduction
Before we get to the specific players, what you'll find in this article are comparisons that are built off of NFL Combine data going back to 1999. Every player that has ever been at the NFL Combine has their height and weight stored in my database, along with their testing numbers for individual drills - assuming that they participated in them.
With this information, I set up these parameters to eliminate wild comparisons.
Height: Within 3 inches shorter and taller.
Weight: Within 3 pounds lighter and heavier.
The search parameters then eliminate any players that fall outside of those two requirements. For example, a player may be two inches taller than the player we're trying to compare, which would fall in line with the parameters, but they're 10 pounds heavier. They then would fall off of our search and not meet the criteria for a player comparison. Again, this is all being done with the intention to eliminate wild comparisons and try to find the most accurate available.
After that, the search results are then sorted and filtered to find the closest testing matches.
2023 Running Back Comparisons
Bijan Robinson (Texas)
- Height: 5'11
- Weight: 215
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.46
- Vertical Jump: 37"
- Broad Jump: 124"
Closest Comparisons: Marshawn Lynch, Adrian Peterson, Joseph Addai
Camerun Peoples (App State)
- Height: 6'1
- Weight: 217
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.61
- Vertical Jump: 37"
- Broad Jump: 121"
Closest Comparisons: Wayne Gallman, Kareem Hunt, BenJarvus Green-Ellis
Chase Brown (Illinois)
- Height: 6'9
- Weight: 209
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.43
- Vertical Jump: 40"
- Broad Jump: 127"
Closest Comparisons: Maurice Jones-Drew, Chris Evans, Michael Bennett
We can talk about how Chase Brown had 1,600+ rushing yards in 2022, but don't forget what he can do as a receiver out of the backfield.
— Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL) January 12, 2023
(@chasebrown____) pic.twitter.com/jgCgFcZGuG
Chris Rodriguez Jr. (Kentucky)
- Height: 6'0
- Weight: 217
- 40-Yard Dash: N/A
- Vertical Jump: N/A
- Broad Jump: N/A
Closest Comparisons: N/A
Deneric Prince (Tulsa)
- Height: 6'0
- Weight: 216
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.41
- Vertical Jump: 35.5"
- Broad Jump: 124"
Closest Comparisons: Travis Etienne, Bernard Pierce, Joseph Addai
Deuce Vaughn (Kansas State)
- Height: 5'5
- Weight: 179
- 40-Yard Dash: N/A
- Vertical Jump: 35.5"
- Broad Jump: 116"
Closest Comparisons: Tarik Cohen, Noel Devine, Deonce Whittaker
Devon Achane (Texas A&M)
- Height: 5'8 1/2
- Weight: 188
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.32
- Vertical Jump: 33"
- Broad Jump: N/A
Closest Comparisons: Raheem Mostert, Matt Breida, Darren Sproles
Devon Achane can FLY 👀 pic.twitter.com/qG6kUqI9hg
— Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL) December 29, 2022
DeWayne McBride (UAB)
- Height: 5'10
- Weight: 209
- 40-Yard Dash: N/A
- Vertical Jump: N/A
- Broad Jump: N/A
Closest Comparisons: N/A
Eric Gray (Oklahoma)
- Height: 5'9 1/2
- Weight: 207
- 40-Yard Dash: N/A
- Vertical Jump: 37.5"
- Broad Jump: 118"
Closest Comparisons: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Aaron Jones, Pierre Strong
Evan Hull (Northwestern)
- Height: 5'10
- Weight: 209
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.47
- Vertical Jump: 37"
- Broad Jump: 123"
Closest Comparisons: Chuba Hubbard, Wendell Smallwood, Bishop Sankey
Israel Abanikanda (Pittsburgh)
- Height: 5'11
- Weight: 216
- 40-Yard Dash: N/A
- Vertical Jump: N/A
- Broad Jump: N/A
Closest Comparisons: N/A
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