NFL Player News

The Seahawks selected McIntosh in the seventh round of the NFL Draft, 237th overall.

Buried behind Zamir White and James Cook on the Georgia depth chart, McIntosh finally emerged as the team's top back last season leading the team in rushing (829 yards) and receptions (43) out of the backfield. The 23-year-old is slated to work behind Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet as a rookie, but following the offseason loss of Travis Homer, McIntosh could potentially carve out a third-down role in a Seattle backfield that also includes DeeJay Dallas.

The Packers selected Nichols in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 235th overall.

Nichols opted to stay close to home and spent his collegiate career at Central Michigan despite having offers from bigger schools. He had a dominant 2021 season, during which he posted 1,848 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns while also tallying 40 receptions. At 220 pounds, Nichols will likely be more of a two-down back -- at best -- as a pro, but there could be opportunity in the Green Bay backfield down the road with AJ Dillon set to hit free agency after the 2023 campaign.

The Vikings selected McBride in the seventh round of the NFL Draft, 222nd overall.

With plenty of rumors regarding the status of star running back Dalvin Cook, this becomes an interesting landing spot for the No. 2 rushing leader in college last season. McBride wasn't able to participate in the NFL Combine or UAB's Pro Day due to a hamstring injury, but by all accounts the talented back is expected to be ready for the start of training camp. While McBride is a shifty runner and reactive when hitting the hole, the 21-year-old recorded just five receptions throughout his collegiate career, and thus likely seemed destined for two-down work at the NFL level.

The Rams selected Evans in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 215th overall

Evans was a high level recruit at TCU before transferring to Mississippi, but he was the best running back at neither school, outdone by Kendre Miller at TCU and Quinshon Judkins at Mississippi. Evans consistently produced as a runner despite the modest volume, finishing his three-year career with 1,999 yards and 18 touchdowns rushing on 290 attempts (6.9 YPC). Evans therefore seems to have some amount of innate running ability, but the problem is his poor volume is compounded by mediocre athletic testing. At 5-foot-11, 208 pounds Evans ran a 4.51-second pro day 40, a time that might translate to something closer to a 4.60 at the combine. Evans is someone to monitor closely because of his recruiting pedigree and consistently explosive rushing production, but it's not easy to see how he'll earn immediate playing time with the Rams.

The Cowboys selected Vaughn in the sixth round of the NFL Draft, 212nd overall.

Everyone will be concerned with Vaughn's small stature (5-foot-5), but all he did in college was produce, finishing with the most all-purpose yards during the 2022 campaign and tallying 22 touchdowns back in 2021 with Kansas State. The comparisons to Darren Sproles won't do Vaughn any favors given the latter's near 10-pound advantage in weight, but the 21-year-old can absolutely be an explosive weapon in an offense that already caters to a multi-dimensional back in Tony Pollard.

The Commanders selected Rodriguez in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 193rd overall.

A six-foot, 217-pound running back, Rodriguez profiles as a short-yardage bruiser. He filled that role well with Kentucky, as he piled up 32 total touchdowns in four seasons. Rodriguez possesses a similar profile to that of Brian Robinson, so it's not immediately apparent what role he'll occupy for the Commanders.

The Colts selected Hull in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 176th overall.

It's going to be interesting to see if Hull's mundane yards-per-carry figures (4.1 on 221 carries last season) was a byproduct of Northwestern's offensive scheme or a slight to the redshirt junior's abilities, but a 4.47 40-yard Dash at the NFL Combine at 5-foot-10, 209 pounds might suggest it's the latter. Hull was the only running back in college football to record 50-plus receptions last season, but he doesn't project to be a consistent blocker, which could hinder his opportunities to be a pass-catching option at the NFL level.

The Giants selected Gray in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 172nd overall.

Gray isn't particularly fast (4.62 40-yard dash at Pro Day), but the 5-foot-10, 207-pounder is a shifty runner and plays behind his pads well. The redshirt senior didn't start until his final season at Oklahoma, but even if he doesn't prove to be an explosive runner at the NFL level, he was a capable receiver whenever he got the opportunity. Given the Giants' current depth behind clear-cut top back Saquon Barkley, Gray could carve out a role as a pass-catching specialist or pass blocker when New York opts to spell its franchise tailback.

The Bengals selected Brown in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 163rd overall.

Brown (5-foot-10, 209 pounds) took mammoth workloads at Illinois but on that frame probably can't take up a workhorse role for more than a few games at a time at the NFL level. He should still emerge as fantasy-relevant at some point in the next couple years, though, because he clearly possesses above-average athleticism and no worse than an average skill set. That Brown's production at Illinois was mostly driven by volume could be an indication that he lacks upside in terms of skill, but he's adept at passing down functions and can credibly compete for a variety of tasks. Throw in a 4.43-second 40, 40-inch vertical and 127-inch broad jump and Brown's broader prospect profile still tilts toward above average sooner than the contrary. As much as Brown won't be challenging Joe Mixon as the Bengals' starting running back, expect him to do well with whatever opportunities he gets, and he could quickly move past Trayveon Williams and Chris Evans on the depth chart.

The Jets selected Abanikanda in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 143rd overall.

Abanikanda (5-foot-10, 216 pounds) is one of the most talented runners in the draft both in the sense of skill and tools, so this is a great pick for the Jets. It's one of the worst landing spots for Abanikanda in terms of playing time opportunities, however, because while former Pittsburgh star projects as an eventual NFL starter he is definitely not on Breece Hall's level as a prospect. Still, Abanikanda has sub-4.5 speed and unique explosiveness on a workhorse-viable frame, and he could pose an immediate threat to Michael Carter as the team's RB2. More likely, though, Abanikanda will start out as the Jets' RB3, especially since he won't turn 21 until October.