NFL Player News

The Ravens selected Badie in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 196th overall.

Badie was excellent in his lone year as a starter at Missouri, tallying 1,604 rushing yards and 330 receiving yards across 54 receptions. The latter is important because at 5-foot-8, 197 pounds, the 22-year-old likely operates as a change-of-pace or receiving back at the NFL level. The senior will likely compete with Justice Hill for the aforementioned role, one that saw the 2019 fourth-round pick accumulate 64 total touches and 295 total yards last season with the Ravens.

The Patriots selected Harris in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 183rd overall.

If his health cooperates, Harris will be a steal for the Patriots. He's a 220-pound back out of South Carolina, where as a true sophomore he ran for 1,138 yards and 15 touchdowns in just 10 games while averaging 6.2 yards per carry. He suffered a back injury that slowed him in 2021, when he ran for just 669 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games (4.4 YPC), but the 2020 version of Harris is a no-doubt NFL running back and he can get back there with a little luck. Unfortunately for him, the Patriots' running back depth chart is at least four deep ahead of him with Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson, James White and fourth-round 2022 pick Pierre Strong already present.

The Vikings selected Chandler in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 169th overall.

Chandler was the No. 5 running back coming out of high school in 2017, and he enjoyed four productive seasons at Tennessee, leading the team in rushing in 2018 and 2019. He took his game to the next level in his final year of eligibility, as he transferred to North Carolina and rushed 182 times for 1,092 yards (6.0 YPC) and caught 15 passes (17 targets) for 216 yards and a touchdown. Chandler doesn't create a ton of yards on his own, but he ran a 4.38 40-yard dash and has the tools to succeed in the right situation. Unfortunately, he'll need to wait his turn in Minnesota, as superstar Dalvin Cook is the clear lead back while backups Alexander Mattison and Kene Nwangwu have both showed promise.

The Rams selected Williams in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 164th overall.

The redshirt sophomore was electric over the past two seasons at Notre Dame compiling 2,127 rushing yards and 672 receiving yards to go along with 31 total touchdowns, but a stunningly slow 4.66 40-yard dash and a similarly slow 40 at Williams' pro day cemented his fall down draft boards. The Rams have a number of quality backs in Cam Akers, Darrell Henderson and even 2021 preseason standout Xavier Jones, but none of the aforementioned names really represent accomplished pass catchers. While Williams' speed likely hinders his chances at emerging as a quality three-down back, he should be poised to operate as the team's top pass catcher out of the backfield, a role that has plenty of value in the Rams' vaunted offense.

The Browns selected Ford in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 156th overall.

It's unclear how Ford will carve out playing time after joining a Browns running-back room filled to the brim with talent, but the redshirt junior was a star for Cincinnati last season, tallying 1,319 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns en route to first-team All-AAC honors. The 22-year-old really has solid lateral agility and a good burst through the hole when he sees it, but Ford isn't exactly a tackle breaker and lacks vision near the line of scrimmage. At the very least, Ford should be a solid special teams player and could emerge as a quality backup in spot starts, similar to teammate D'Ernest Johnson.

The Jaguars selected Conner in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 154th overall.

This could spell trouble for Ryquell Armstead in the Jacksonville backfield with Conner entering the fold from Ole Miss. Conner is a dense, powerful runner at 5-foot-10 and 222 pounds. Ole Miss employed a deep committee in the backfield last season but Conner was the hammer in short-yardage situations as he punched in 13 touchdowns on 130 carries. He lacks top-end athleticism but has the frame and leg drive to be useful in similar situations to what he was utilized in while at Mississippi.

The Falcons selected Allgeier in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 151st overall.

Allgeier (5-foot-10, 224 pounds) is an extremely Arthur Smith-style back out of BYU, where he routinely ripped off big plays over the last two years as a power runner. It's difficult to explain just how he did it given a relative lack of speed (4.64-second 40), but Allgeier was unstoppable as he ran for 2,731 yards and 42 touchdowns from 2020 to 2021, averaging 6.4 yards per carry. He can't imitate the functions of Cordarrelle Patterson, but Allgeier is absolutely a threat to Damien Williams and Mike Davis.

The Titans selected Haskins in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 131st overall.

This is an odd selection for a couple reasons -- the first is that Haskins wasn't expected to get drafted until later in the draft's third day, if at all -- the second is that the Titans had a better version of Haskins in D'Onta Foreman and let him walk in free agency for peanuts. Haskins is a slower power back out of Michigan, and at 6-foot-2, 228 pounds he has a problematically high build for the position. A 6-foot-2 running back is a target for upper body collisions, especially when they're lighter than 235 pounds or so. Haskins will hold his ground and run hard if the Titans need him to, but he also might struggle to get to the second level in the NFL.

The Chargers selected Spiller (groin) in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 123rd overall.

The Chargers didn't have many needs entering the 2022 NFL Draft, but the selection of Spiller shores up an obvious weak spot on the roster. The Texas A&M product was billed as a possible second-round selection after back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, but after straining his adductor prior to the combine and subsequently running a 4.63 40-yard dash at his pro day, it became clear Spiller was not a high-round back that some projected. That being said, the junior plays much faster on tape, particularly once getting into the open field, and he's a plus receiver even for his size (6-foot, 217 pounds). Los Angeles desperately needed a second back to take some workload off Austin Ekeler, and it's entirely possible Spiller might already be a better backup than lackluster incumbents Joshua Kelley and Larry Rountree. Kelley, Rountree and Justin Jackson combined for 137 carries and 28 targets last season as part of the jumbled timeshare behind Ekeler. Expect Spiller to immediately assume most of those opportunities with the possibility for additional workload should the Chargers make good on their promise to limit Ekeler's exposure somewhat in 2022.

The Raiders selected White in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 122nd overall.

This is an interesting pick in light of the Raiders declining to pick up Josh Jacobs' fifth-year option Friday. White was a highly regarded recruit coming out of high school but two ACL tears -- one in high school and one as a freshman at Georgia -- kept him out until 2019. He was lightly used in 2019 before taking on more of a lead role in his final two seasons, when he combined for 304 carries, 1,635 yards and 22 rushing touchdowns. White is a physical, north-south runner at 6-foot and 214 pounds who is unlikely to have much of an impact as a pass catcher. Considering the injury history, White ran surprisingly well at the combine with a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash. He can challenge for early down work early in his Raiders career but is not a major threat to Jacobs' workload just yet.