Talented 2023 NFL Draft RB Class Will Create Unavoidable Logjam in Team Backfields

This might be the worst time in NFL history to be a young, up-and-coming running back. Conversely, it's a great time to be a team looking to shake up their running back room.

Not only is there an abundantly talented class of free-agent rushers who could be hitting the market next month, but there's also a skilled group that will be waiting to hear their names called in April at the 2023 NFL draft.

The list of free agents is well-established. Josh Jacobs led the league in scrimmage yards for the Las Vegas Raiders but could be headed for the franchise tag. Saquon Barkley had a great bounce-back season, but the New York Giants may have to choose between paying him and quarterback Daniel Jones.

That's not to mention players like David Montgomery, Tony Pollard and Miles Sanders. Each is finishing out their rookie contract and would usually be enticing options on the open market.

But when you look at the position's draft class this year, it starts to become difficult to see teams handing out big contracts despite solid options.

Bijan Robinson is obviously the crown jewel. He's the fourth-ranked player overall on B/R's latest big board and received a 9.0 grade from B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen and a pro comp of a "supercharged Breece Hall."

He has everything you'd like to see in a running back prospect. Robinson has the ability to break off a long run any time he touches the ball and has shown enough as a receiver to believe he'll bring that component to the table.

NFL front offices seem to agree. NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah reported that Robinson is viewed as a top-five player in the class, and him going in the top-10 picks "wouldn't get laughs" from other teams (h/t Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer).

Still, it's hard to pinpoint a team that will want to use a first-rounder that early on the running back. The B/R mock draft has Robinson sliding all the way to the 27th pick with the Buffalo Bills.

Even in that scenario, Robinson would join 2022 second-round pick James Cook, creating a two-headed monster at the position.

In essence, the running back by committee isn't going away anytime soon. Even the players who dominated the rushing share in their own backfields seem to either have been in the final year of their contract or getting very close.

The big-money contract for running backs will continue to go the way of the dinosaur, and this year's free-agent class is about to feel the effect.

Eight running backs finished the season with more than 250 carries this season, and four of them will be free agents this season: Jacobs, Barkley, Sanders and Jamaal Williams. Derrick Henry, Nick Chubb and Dalvin Cook are all either free agents in 2024 or have an out in their contract.

Najee Harris is the only one who dominated the touches in his backfield while still on a rookie contract.

Now, front offices will have the opportunity to diversify their backfields with a wide range of talents in this class.

It isn't just Robinson that should come in and command a sizeable role in an NFL backfield right away. This class has eight running backs in the top 100 of the B/R big board and another seven that rank from 101-150.

This is a back that measured at 6'0" and 225 pounds at the Senior Bowl before breaking his hand during practice. Despite that injury, teams should be taking a long, hard look at him. He has an NFL frame, shows the ability to pick up blitzes like a professional back and runs like he's already angry that he's underrated.

After watching Tyler Allgeier rush for over 1,000 yards in his rookie season with the Falcons, teams should be in on Johnson as a similar bruiser whose running style could translate in the league.

Johnson's forte is between-the-tackles running, but Alabama's Jahmyr Gibbs is a weapon in the passing game. He had over 100 receptions in three seasons between Georgia Tech and Alabama.

Like Johnson, Gibbs isn't just a one-dimensional player either. As a runner, his quick feet and vision should make him an attractive option for a team looking to add to their backfield.

Even the lowest-rated running back in B/R's top 150 prospects has some real NFL tools. Camerun Peoples of Appalachian State had some silly stat lines in his college career, including 317 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 22 carries in the 2020 Myrtle Beach Bowl.

But perhaps even more impressive is how he looked in pass protection at the Senior Bowl:

After watching Isiah Pacheco go from a 2022 seventh-round draft pick to contributing member of a Super Bowl-winning offense in Kansas City, it's hard to discount someone like Peoples being a surprise contributor.

In fact, the Chiefs are a perfect example of what more and more NFL backfields are going to look like. Pacheco came in as a rookie and immediately became the team's top rusher. Free-agent find Jerick McKinnon led all backs on the team with 56 receptions on 71 targets and nine receiving touchdowns.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire factored in before suffering an ankle sprain that ended his season in Week 11, though he was a healthy scratch for the Super Bowl. The Chiefs spent a first-round pick on him in the 2020 draft.

Given the chance to do it over again, it's likely the Chiefs would wait on a running back later in the draft and employ their current strategy of piecing together a backfield committee.

As we move toward the 2023 NFL draft with its loaded running back class, that philosophy will continue to take over as the prevailing blueprint across the league.