NFL Draft: Revisiting the last 15 RBs who were taken in Round 1

The NFL has moved away from investing significant money and draft capital in running backs, but teams sometimes make exceptions in their backfield. We'll take a look at the last 15 running backs taken in the first round of the NFL Draft. All statistics are sourced from Football Reference.

The Atlanta Falcons have taken skill position players high in recent drafts, with Bijan Robinson's selection coming eighth overall in 2023. Robinson had a solid rookie year, rushing for 976 yards. However, USA Today and others openly questioned how he was utilized in year one, and Robinson's deployment may change in his second season.

The Detroit Lions had their most successful season in decades, and Jahmyr Gibbs' explosive skill set was a central reason why. Although he split time with David Montgomery, Gibbs' involvement increased as the season went on, including into the postseason. Sports Illustrated believes an improved Gibbs in 2024 could be downright "scary."

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The Pittsburgh Steelers have emphasized their ground game in recent years, and took Najee Harris with the idea that he could anchor their backfield. He's been pretty solid, but faces competition from the shiftier Jaylen Warren moving forward according to AP News. Still, Harris has provided an important bruising presence during his first three NFL campaigns.

The Jacksonville Jaguars needed a franchise reset in the worst way heading into the 2021 NFL Draft. They decided to bring in talent from the same program in the first round to replenish their roster. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne were both selected. Etienne missed his first season with a foot injury, but has played well in the two years since.

The Kansas City Chiefs thought that LSU RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire would be a lynchpin of their offense for years to come. However, the results have not been ideal, as Kansas City has slowly phased CEH out of their offense since his rookie year. Sporting News wondered whether Kansas City might trade him.

Since being drafted by the Raiders franchise in 2019, Josh Jacobs has commanded touches in the backfield, and done quite well with them. He had a solid first two seasons before slipping a little bit in his third. However, he bounced back with a huge campaign in 2022, and parlayed his Raiders tenure to a free agent contract with the Green Bay Packers in March 2024.

Coming out of Penn State University, Saquon Barkley was thought to be a player that could one day make the Hall Of Fame. It’s still not out of the question, but he will need to reel off a few healthy elite seasons before that can be discussed. Somewhat shockingly, he joined the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency in March 2024.

Rashaad Penny is one of the most difficult players to get a feel for. His stint with the Seattle Seahawks featured a myriad of injuries, which didn’t allow him to consistently get going. However, when he was healthy, Penny showed that he has the ability to be one of the best backs in the NFL. His career has taken a nosedive since leaving Seattle, however.

Sony Michel won two Super Bowls in his career, with the New England Patriots in 2018, and the Rams in 2021. He was a rotational reserve in the last couple of seasons of his career. Michel unexpectedly retired in 2023, telling the Los Angeles Times it was "a bummer" that his career ended so abruptly.

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Coming out of LSU, it seemed like there was a real chance that Leonard Fournette could be the next special NFL back. He had some really solid years with the Jacksonville Jaguars to begin his career, before he found his next home in Tampa Bay. Fournette showed out during the 2021 playoffs, coming up with strong runs and clutch catches to help the Buccaneers with the Super Bowl.

Christian McCaffery was known as an excellent pass catching running back when he left Stanford for the NFL. The main question was going to be whether he would have the ability to run between the tackles. That concern has been answered with a resounding affirmative, and the San Francisco 49ers hope to ride McCaffery to a Super Bowl victory in the near future.

It’s hard to call Ezekiel Elliott a bust, as his hunger for carries propelled him to league-leading rushing totals in 2016 and 2018. He had been a fixture of the Dallas Cowboys offense for seven seasons, before he was released before the 2023 season. Elliott may only have a couple of years left in the NFL, as Sports Illustrated posited in 2023.

It’s somewhat jarring to realize that Todd Gurley only played six seasons in the NFL, as Sporting News delved into. Despite the sample size, Gurley was at his best as the focal point of a Sean McVay-led offense with the Los Angeles Rams. Knee issues would always seem to be part of the conversation, but Gurley played at least 13 games in every season of his career.

The sentiments surrounding Melvin Gordon are all over the map. He had a disappointing rookie season, which led people to write him off. However, he showed why he was worthy of a first-round pick after that, as he was a huge part of the Los Angeles Chargers offense. He left the team to sign with the Denver Broncos, where he had a couple of solid campaigns.

Trent Richardson’s career only lasted three NFL seasons, which has to be one of the most unforeseen developments in recent league history. As a rookie with the Cleveland Browns, he scored 11 touchdowns on the ground. In his next two campaigns with the Browns and Indianapolis Colts, he only scored six more rushing touchdowns in total.

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