Worth is the secret at working again. If you may get productive options at the perfect worth, then you definately put your self able to learn essentially the most. These 2023 NFL Draft RB sleepers might permit groups the chance to just do that: Purchase optimum gamers at an optimum value.
2023 NFL Draft sleepers at RB
Operating again is of course one of many extra dependent and extra replaceable positions on the positional chart. However that doesn’t imply there isn’t worth in having a working again who can create for himself. It simply implies that if you should utilize prime picks on premier positions, and pinpoint diamonds within the tough at RB afterward, that’s the best way to go. Who may qualify as a diamond within the tough within the 2023 NFL Draft cycle?
DeWayne McBride, UAB
Few younger working backs have been extra productive via their first two collegiate seasons than UAB’s DeWayne McBride. In 2020, McBride averaged nearly 10 yards per keep on 47 makes an attempt. And in 2021, he remained hyper-efficient throughout a bigger pattern, placing up 1,371 yards and 13 scores on 205 makes an attempt.
Now draft-eligible, McBride has elevated strain on his shoulders in 2022. But when his 2021 tape is any indication, he’s prepared for it.
McBride has a powerful, compact body at 5’11”, 215 kilos. His footwork could possibly be a bit smoother and extra environment friendly behind the road, and he typically runs a bit upright. However he has the long-striding explosiveness to get into area and assaults defenders who enter his attain. And when he has a full head of steam, he’s onerous to cease.
McBride brings an attractive mixture of burst, physicality, and resilience, and is on observe to maintain trending up.
Lew Nichols III, Central Michigan
Are you able to bear in mind who the speeding chief within the 2021 collegiate season was? No, it wasn’t Kenneth Walker III or Breece Corridor. It was Lew Nichols III, out of Central Michigan.
Nichols tore aside the MAC en path to 1,848 yards and 16 touchdowns on 341 carries. He additionally added 40 catches for 338 yards and two scores, for good measure.
Nichols might have used loads of tread in 2021, however he’s nonetheless younger. He’ll be simply 22 years outdated in the beginning of the 2023 season. And out of doors of youth, he brings loads extra to supply.
At 5’10”, 220 kilos, Nichols has a well-leveraged body with nice mass and density. He’s a high-energy again who can use fast cadence shifts to sift via tight areas. He has good inventive instincts but additionally possesses the burst to capitalize on small openings.
Noah Whittington, Oregon
Western Kentucky was an Air Raid staff via and thru in 2021. However that doesn’t imply they didn’t have expertise within the floor sport. Though he was usually overshadowed by an electrical passing offense led by future Patriot Bailey Zappe, Noah Whittington quietly flashed for the Hilltoppers, whereas placing up 617 yards and two scores on 102 carries.
Whittington has since transferred from WKU to Oregon, following his RBs coach Carlos Locklyn. With the Geese, Whittington could also be utilized in a manner that additional maximizes his expertise. He may be undersized at 5’10”, 190 kilos, however Whittington is an explosive athlete who floats upfield. He additionally gathers himself rapidly and surges out of cuts.
Whittington has nice short-area twitch and foot quickness, and may masterfully maneuver via slender lanes. What’s extra — he’s flashed receiving upside in a restricted pattern.
Isaiah Ifanse, Montana State
Naturally, when trying to find sleepers on the working again place, the eyes flip to the FCS. In any case, that’s the place the Patriots’ fourth-round decide Pierre Robust Jr. got here from this previous cycle.
Yearly, it appears as if a minimum of one FCS working again emerges on the NFL draft stage. This time round, that RB could also be Montana State’s Isaiah Ifanse.
Ifanse has been a fixture for the Bobcats’ offense over the previous few seasons however had his greatest yr but in 2021. Fueling a formidable playoff contender, Ifanse amassed 1,623 yards and 10 scores on 280 carries throughout the staff’s run as a championship runner-up.
At 5’10”, 203 kilos, Ifanse is a shorter again, missing in elite mass. However he compensates with a hyper-active working fashion and constantly finishes ahead in touch conditions.
Blake Watson, Outdated Dominion
Outdated Dominion has quietly amassed a decent amount of expertise on the offensive facet of the ball. Large receiver Ali Jennings, a switch from West Virginia, broke out in 2021. And he was joined within the receiving sport by 6’8″ tight end Zack Kuntz, who’s a 2023 NFL Draft sleeper in his personal proper. In addition they have an intriguing deal with prospect in Nick Saldiveri and an thrilling working again behind him: Blake Watson.
Watson was initially recruited by the Monarchs as a large receiver. But, in 2021, he moved right into a extra conventional RB function and confirmed nice promise in his new area of interest. The 5’9″, 193-pound runner racked up 1,112 yards and eight carries on 215 carries in 11 video games. Watson exhibits good burst upfield and may use quick ft and free hips to observe intently behind blocks. He’s additionally a savvy runner who can use throttle management to navigate congestion, and his pure receiving means exhibits up when passes come his manner.
