Joel Klatt: Top five running backs in the 2024 NFL Draft

Draft season is here!

As we prepare for the three-day event that will be held in Detroit from April 25-27, I’ll be dropping some positional rankings before unveiling my top-50 prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft.

So far, I’ve ranked my top-five quarterbacks and pass catchers. Now, let’s focus on the five best running backs in this year’s draft class.

Unlike my previous rankings, I want to count down from 5-1 with the running back rankings because I don’t feel there’s an obvious player at No. 1. There isn’t a prized possession at running back that there might have been in other years, like a Bijan Robinson or a Jahmyr Gibbs. But even if there isn’t a running back selected in the first round, there’s great depth at the position in this year’s draft, as some will be great additions to their new teams. 

Whether they’re the featured running back for their organization or not, these players will help their teams win games in the coming seasons. Just take a look at some recent drafts. The Los Angeles Rams selected Kyren Williams in the fifth round, and he was third in rushing this year. James Cook was a late second-round pick by the Buffalo Bills, and he was fourth in rushing in 2023. Isiah Pacheco was a seventh-round pick and has played a key role for the Kansas City Chiefs in their last two Super Bowl-winning seasons.

Let’s get to my top-five running backs in the 2024 NFL Draft.

5. Tennessee RB Jaylen Wright

Wright was second-team All-SEC in 2023 and was the Volunteers’ leading rusher in each of the last two seasons. But what I really love about his game is his home run ability. His speed also jumps off the tape. 

Wright’s been testing well too. He ran a 4.38 40-yard time (second among running backs) at the combine, which is great and a feather in his cap. What it really does, though, is it solidifies what the tape shows. When you watch him run, you’ll see his home run ability. I love his speed.

That home run ability was on full display throughout his college career. He rushed for three 75-plus-yard touchdown runs, two of which came against SEC competition. Not to disparage other leagues, but there’s real speed on the field in SEC games. Yet, Wright was able to separate and make big plays. That’s incredibly valuable for an NFL team. 

I love Wright’s jump cut. He’s got sticky hands and I think he can catch the ball well out of the backfield. 

The one issue that I think Wright’s going to have to clean up is his ball security. He’s had the propensity to put the ball on the ground, fumbling the ball four times in 2022. If Wright can hold onto the ball, he can really take off. A quarter of his rushes went for at least 10 yards. He’s just fast.

4. Oregon RB Bucky Irving

Irving is a hell of a player. He had back-to-back 1,000 rushing-yard seasons and was named first-team All-Pac 12 in 2023.

I think Irving’s best trait is his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. He’s a great runner, like all of these guys, but he led all FBS running backs in receptions (56) in 2023. Look at what’s happening in the NFL. Why is Bijan Robinson so good? Why is Jahmyr Gibbs so good? Why is Christian McCaffrey considered the best skill-position player in the sport? It’s because all of those players can catch the ball out of the backfield. Irving can do everything in between the tackles, but he can be a threat out of the backfield by catching the ball. 

Irving’s size is probably his biggest knock, but he is sure-handed. For someone who’s often the smallest player on the field, he only lost one fumble on 475 carries in his college career. When I shared my combine takeaways and winners last week, I mentioned that the event serves a purpose due to its ability to settle ties between prospects. Irving’s ball security is why he’s ahead of Wright. 

3. Texas RB Jonathon Brooks

Your first instinct might be to wonder why I’ve got Brooks this high, considering he’s coming off a knee injury, but he really didn’t have a lot of carries in his college career. There’s a lot of tread left on the tries.

Brooks is the most similar to that group of Robinson, Gibbs and McCaffrey among these top-five running backs. He’s very dynamic running the football, and he’s such a threat catching it out of the backfield. We only needed one year to see just how good of a player Brooks is.

It’s a bummer that Brooks tore his ACL late in the year because I think he would’ve been the top running back in the class. But you’ve got to mix that injury in with the evaluation of Brooks. He’s a slasher, he’s great catching it out of the backfield, and he’s got home run ability, and he barely cracked the 200 rushing attempts mark. Many of these other guys have double or triple that number. 

Brooks has good instincts, knowing how to gain yards (1,425 yards from scrimmage in 10 games last season) and find the end zone (11 total touchdowns in 2023). He’s also smart and a good leader. He’ll really help whichever team drafts him. 

2. Michigan RB Blake Corum

Corum tested, performed and worked out incredibly well at the combine. His tape speaks for itself, so no concern there.

This is the direct opposite view of Brooks’ evaluation though. Corum had 675 career carries in college, which possibly could be a concern. 

When you look at what Corum does well, he’s going to succeed just as long as he’s in the right scheme. He’s an incredibly smooth runner, and he’s got that little glide step toward the line of scrimmage. He was great in gap, duo and zone schemes. 

Corum is a well-rounded player. He catches it really well out of the backfield. He might not blow you away with his catch numbers, but no one at Michigan did because the Wolverines just didn’t throw the ball enough. 

But it’s Corum’s vision that stands out the most. His vision is the best out of all the running backs in this draft, and it’s probably better than many NFL running backs as well. When Michigan ran duo schemes, Corum’s vision really showed, as he could tell which defensive players got out of their gaps to get long runs. 

Corum is also a tremendous leader, a selfless guy and came back for another season to win a national title. He was the heart and soul of that team, which went 15-0 to reach its goal of winning a national title. He epitomized the personality, work ethic and selflessness of the entire team. 

Corum is really going to succeed in the NFL for all of those reasons. 

1. Florida State RB Trey Benson

It was really hard for me to get over the size and speed combination that Benson has. He’s 6-feet tall, 216 pounds, and he ran a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash. I get excited when I see that. 

Benson could be a great running back in the NFL. He was second-team All-ACC in 2023, rushing for 6.1 yards per carry in each of the last two seasons. His 40 time was the third quickest among the running backs at the combine, so the testing matches the tape.

On top of that, Benson can catch the ball out of the backfield. But it’s really his physical attributes that stand out the most and give him an incredibly high ceiling. I like his vision. There are times when Benson can be a bit upright, but that’s usually the case for taller running backs, like Derrick Henry. I’m not trying to compare him to Henry, but he’s shown that playing upright can work at the next level. His style will play well in the NFL. 

Honorable mentions

USC RB MarShawn Lloyd

Wisconsin RB Braelon Allen

Notre Dame RB Audric Estime

I really loved Lloyd’s season at USC. Allen had quiet success at Wisconsin, rushing for 3,500 yards in 35 games as he was pretty much a Day 1 starter for the Badgers. I love Estime’s film but I didn’t love him at the combine. Still, he’ll probably find a home in the NFL and succeed.

Joel Klatt is FOX Sports’ lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast “The Joel Klatt Show.” Follow him on X/Twitter at @joelklatt and subscribe to the “Joel Klatt Show” on YouTube.

---

---