Why don't you take a look at some of the 3rd round QBs of the last several drafts. Comparatively, guys like Marion Barber, Brian Westbrook, and Frank Gore went in the third round. Michael Turner, Ryan Grant, were 5th and 7th rounders. Brandon Jacobs was a 4th rounder. Willie Parker and Earnest Graham were undrafted.

It's all about value and expendability. Running back is the easiest position to find a replacement for and it has the shortest shelf life. Spending a high pick on a running back is almost certain to help a fantasy team, but help your football team tread water.

Top Rushing Seasons by Team

18 of the 32 are 1st-round picks
4 are 2nd-round picks
3 are 3rd-round picks
3 are 4th-round picks
1 is a 5th-round pick
2 are 6th-round picks
1 is a 7th-round pick

The facts show that top-notch running backs cannot be had anywhere, and they're not a dime a dozen.


Arizona Cardinals Ottis Anderson 1,605 1979 - 1st round pick
Atlanta Falcons Jamal Anderson 1,846 1998 - 7th round pick
Baltimore Ravens Jamal Lewis 2,066 2003 - 1st round pick
Buffalo Bills O.J. Simpson 2,003 1973 - 1st round pick
Carolina Panthers Stephen Davis 1,444 2003 - 4th round pick
Chicago Bears Walter Payton 1,852 1977 - 1st round pick
Cincinnati Bengals Rudi Johnson 1,458 2005 - 4th round pick
Cleveland Browns Jim Brown 1,863 1963 - 1st round pick
Dallas Cowboys Emmitt Smith 1,773 1995 - 1st round pick
Denver Broncos Terrell Davis 2,008 1998 - 6th round pick
Detroit Lions Barry Sanders 2,053 1997 - 1st round pick
Green Bay Packers Ahman Green 1,883 2003 - 3rd round pick (Seahawks)
Houston Texans Domanick Davis 1,180 2004 - 4th round pick
Indianapolis Colts Edgerrin James 1,709 2000 - 1st round pick
Jacksonville Jaguars Fred Taylor 1,399 2000 - 1st round pick
Kansas City Chiefs Larry Johnson 1,789 2006 - 1st round pick
Miami Dolphins Ricky Williams 1,853 2002 - 1st round pick (Saints)
Minnesota Vikings Robert Smith 1,521 2000 - 1st round pick
New England Patriots Corey Dillon 1,635 2004 - 2nd round pick (Bengals)
New Orleans Saints George Rogers 1,674 1981 - 1st round pick (Saints)
New York Giants Tiki Barber 1,860 2005 - 2nd round pick
New York Jets Curtis Martin 1,697 2004 - 3rd round pick (Patriots)
Oakland Raiders Marcus Allen 1,759 1985 - 1st round pick
Philadelphia Eagles Wilbert Montgomery 1,512 1979 - 6th round pick
Pittsburgh Steelers Barry Foster 1,690 1992 - 5th round pick
St. Louis Rams Eric Dickerson 2,105 1984 - 1st round pick
San Diego Chargers LaDainian Tomlinson 1,815 2006 - 1st round pick
San Francisco 49ers Frank Gore 1,695 2006 - 3rd round pick
Seattle Seahawks Shaun Alexander 1,880 2005 - 1st round pick
Tampa Bay Buccaneers James Wilder 1,544 1984 - 2nd round pick
Tennessee Titans Earl Campbell 1,934 1980 - 1st round pick
Washington Redskins Clinton Portis 1,516 2005 - 2nd round pick (Broncos)

Well that's great I don't want to use a 1st round pick on a 5 year player and in some cases not even that.

I'll much rather go with my good RB in the middle rounds who makes no money.

This isn't that hard to grasp.

The difference between a 1st round running back and a 3rd rounder is often minimal. Maybe five hundreths of a second of their 40 time.

The difference between first round quarterbacks, defensive lineman, offensive tackles and cornerbacks and those to be had in the 3rd to fifth round...is vast.

Running backs who were Super Bowl MVPs. Yeah, you can win Super Bowls leaning on any ol' running back.

Terrell Davis - 6th round pick
Emmitt Smith - 1st round pick
Ottis Anderson - 1st round pick
Marcus Allen - 1st round pick
John Riggins - 1st round pick
Franco Harris - 1st round pick
Larry Csonka - 1st round pick

I like how alot of your examples are guys who were drafted in the 80s when things were alot different.

The RB position is literally the easiest position to fill right now.

You build your team around a QB and DE's not RB's and TE's.

Willie Parker: Undrafted
Brandon Jacobs: 4th Rounder
Brian Westbrook: 3rd rounder
Timmy Smith (holds the Super Bowl record): 5th rounder

This is so reeruned, I can't even believe I'm having this conversation. Please, by all means take Laurence Maroney or Joseph Addai over Peyton Manning because they were 1st round picks.

You know what's not mentioned?

OJ Simpson spent the best years of his career toiling for a terrible team because even he couldn't help them. Did he ever even win a playoff game?

Walter Payton only won a Super Bowl long after his prime as a runner was over.

Do you think it's a coincidence that the players with the two highest draft grades in the last two classes, Peterson and McFadden, didn't go #1 overall? Or perhaps, it's because teams realize that talent at positions aside from running back is much harder to find, and you aren't going to pick up pro bowl D-Tackles in the third round but once every five-ten years.

Funny enough, Gore, Barber, Westbrook are all pro bowl running backs...all third rounders.

Never ever down grade a position if one has a chance to pick a great player either side of the ball with a top pick you take that player BPA

FYI, I would take Barry Sanders over Peyton Manning or Tom Brady any day of the week

That is true except for running back. It's a completely different animal. McFadden and Peterson had the highest grades, and several teams passed on both, and it was the right decision.

Running back is the easiest position on the field to play and it's one that is the most easily replaced. There's a reason why every year Ryan Grants and Earnest Grahams explode out of nowhere and are great RBs...the tools required to be one are far more available than for any other position.

My team>your team

I'm one of the biggest Barry Sanders fans alive, and that is the most reeruned thing I've ever heard in my life.

ROFL, do you remember RBBC?

Well good for you, you wouldn't pick the most impactful running back in the past 20 years.

You mean the thing that over half the teams in the NFL are doing right now?

We didn't win because Marty was unable to find a running back. We had an all-pro running back in Okoye and didn't do shit with him. We had more success with a broke dick Marcus Allen, no wide receivers and Joe Montana than we ever did with Larry Johnson and Tony Gonzalez, who is the most physically talented running back we've ever had, and TG is the best TE in NFL history.