Are Running Backs Worth a First-Round Pick in the NFL Draft?

If you watch SportsCenter every Sunday, you'll probably see highlights of Adrian Peterson running over defenders, Chris Johnson blazing through the secondary on his way to the end-zone, and Ladainian Tomlinson celebrating another record-breaking run.

During the regular season, first-round running backs flourish. Just look at the Top 10 in rushing, which features seven first-round picks. However, when it comes to winning a Super Bowl, it seems that first-round selections in the backfield often come up short.

As of today, the 32 teams in the NFL feature 14 starting running backs that were drafted in the opening round. Of these 14 teams, only six have winning records, and New England barely even uses Lawrence Maroney in their offense.

In the NFL, success is measured by Super Bowl championships. Yet, only three first-round running backs have experienced that glory since 1998: Marshall Faulk, Jamal Lewis, and Joseph Addai.

Faulk joined the “Greatest Show on Turf” in St. Louis and won a Super Bowl in 1999, Lewis, as a rookie, teamed up with the stout Baltimore defense the next season to win a ring in 2000, and the Indianapolis Colts won a Super Bowl with Joseph Addai as the starter in 2006.

However, besides those three players, the rest of the Super Bowl champions were led by backs overlooked in the NFL Draft.  Which leads me to the question, are running backs really worth a first-round pick?

During a recent conversation, another writer brought up the idea of the Cleveland Browns continuing to perform poorly in order to draft Dion Lewis from Pittsburgh when he enters the NFL draft.

For my part, the idea seemed absolutely absurd, given that winning franchises in the NFL have been able to succeed without a first-round running back.

The Denver Broncos proved this theory under longtime head coach Mike Shanahan, who built his team and won championships behind a stout offensive line and a carousel of running backs that were never drafted earlier than the second round.

The NFL Draft is an inexact science at best. Teams look to acquire the best talent available to fit their team needs, and it's why the Draft has seen a decline in the number of running backs taken early.

The teams selecting backs in the first round have been at the bottom.

If NFL teams are smart, organizations will continue to find crown jewels in later rounds over the next few years, instead of wasting a first-round pick to fill a need in the backfield. The college football ranks are featuring less and less can’t-miss running back prospects, instead producing depth in rounds two through five.

It also means that fans are going to have to be patient when their team drafts a running back; they cannot write off a third-round pick because of early struggles in the NFL. 

The future of the running back in the NFL looks to feature multiple running backs to increase the shelf life of the runner, meaning less backs will be taken early and teams may choose to develop rushers over time.

So keep your fingers crossed NFL fans, a Super Bowl championship is on the way—if your team waits on draft day.