The New Orleans Saints needed to reload their backfield even before news broke this week of Alvin Kamara’s legal situation in Las Vegas, when a grand jury indicted him and three others in an alleged nightclub beating. Kamara is likely to be suspended once the courts reach a final decision meaning he’ll be sidelined for a month or more during the 2023 season.
But the Saints’ issues running the football last year were well-documented, and they should be looking to add some fresh legs whether Kamara ends up missing time or not. He’s been run into the ground the last few years without an adequate No. 2 beside him, and it might make sense to invest in a successor if his performance continues to decline.
And it’s a good year to need a running back, with the 2023 NFL draft class offering plenty of options. Here are our top 11 runners:
1
Bijan Robinson, Texas
Robinson is almost certainly going to be picked before the Saints are on the clock, but you never know. He’s a game-changing presence at running back who led the nation with 104 missed tackles on just 257 carries, per Pro Football Focus charting.
2
Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama
Gibbs only saw 151 carries in Alabama’s always-loaded backfield, but he averaged 6.1 yards per attempt on as a runner. He also caught 44 passes for 444 receiving yards. He’s a spry athlete who shares many of the skills that make Alvin Kamara special.
3
Devon Achane, Texas A&M
Achane is underweight by NFL standards (he was listed at 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds last season) but that didn’t stop him from rushing for 1,100 yards and averaging a healthy 5.6 yards per carry. He also caught 36 passes for another 299 receiving yards.
4
Zach Charbonnet, UCLA
Charbonnet is a constant home-run threat, having popped off 44 gains of 10 or more yards in 2022 and averaged an impressive 7.0 yards per carry. He’s an experienced pass-catcher, too, with 60 receptions over the last two seasons at UCLA. He’s tough to bring down at a listed 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds.
5
Tyjae Spears, Tulane
Spears has a lot of fans in New Orleans after ranking among the nation’s rushing leaders with 1,586 yards (at 6.9 per carry) and 19 touchdown runs. He had to bulk up to get over 200 pounds at the Senior Bowl, though, and doesn’t fit the Saints’ prototype for the position. But he’s so talented they may need to make an exception.
6
Tank Bigsby, Auburn
Hey, he lives up to his namesake: Bigsby is a tank, having averaged 4.17 yards gained after contact with a defender while forcing 61 missed tackles last season. He’s got good size but might lack the breakaway speed to be a consistent big-play threat in the NFL.
7
Eric Gray, Oklahoma
Gray was an effective rusher for the Sooners last year, gaining 1,374 yards on 212 carries (a very-respectable 6.5 yards per attempt). He has some breakaway speed and fits the athletic prototype the Saints have valued in the past at 5-foot-9 and 210 pounds.
8
Kenny McIntosh, Georgia
McIntosh split carries with four other players in Georgia’s backfield, but he led the Bulldogs in rushing yards (829) and placed third on the team in receiving yards (505) while making an impact in both phases of the offense.
9
Roschon Johnson, Texas
Johnson didn’t get many opportunities to play with Robinson on top of the depth chart, but he made the most of his carries by averaging 5.8 yards a pop and forcing 46 missed tackles on just 142 attempts. He’s a bruiser at 6-foot-2 and 223 pounds.
10
Kendre Miller, TCU
Miller was a steady presence in TCU’s backfield and a consistent scoring threat for the Horned Frogs (his 17 touchdown runs ranked among the country’s leaders) but he doesn’t offer as much on passing downs and a sprained MCL in his knee is expected to keep him from working out at the upcoming NFL scouting combine.
11
Zach Evans, Mississippi
Evans didn’t have the heaviest workload, averaging just a dozen rushing attempts per game in 2022, but he was efficient with 6.5 yards gained per carry. He’s got some nice straight-line speed and shiftiness in the open field.
