When discussing the Ravens draft this year, common picks include pass rushers, cornerbacks and offensive tackles. Less common? Running backs. There are no running backs worthy of a top-10 pick, but the Ravens need a running back more than some realize, making the position a definite option in the first few rounds.
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Right now, the Ravens have two third-down backs and two short-yardage backs. That’s a harsh interpretation of the Ravens’ backfield, but also a fair one.
Justin Forsett is a valuable player: a great locker room presence, a tremendous pass blocker and a shifty runner. He’s also 198 pounds, 30 years old and coming off a season ending injury. Forecasting Forsett to be even a 200-carry back this year is too much to ask of him.
Javorius Allen is the best receiver out of the backfield on this team, and he impressed in the open field last year when forced to carry the load. In between the tackles, though, Allen was less impressive, demonstrating just average vision and below-average leg drive. Allen, like Forsett, is best served as a complimentary piece, albeit a very good one. Yes, he is very popular with Ravens fans, but nothing Allen did last year proved he can carry the load.
That leaves the competition between Terrance West and Lorenzo Taliaferro, two very similar players with good power, below-average speed. Taliaferro has had injury problems throughout his career, while West hasn’t stuck around anywhere due to concerns about his work ethic. Both are talented question marks.
Two running backs have separated themselves from the rest of the pack in terms of the 2016 NFL Draft: Ezekiel Elliott and Derrick Henry. Let’s take a look at each and see if they could help the Ravens find their next great running back.
Ezekiel Elliott
After two straight 1,800-yard seasons, Ezekiel Elliott has earned consideration as a first-round pick. His well-rounded game and size-speed combo should lead to NFL success.
Strengths:
Incredible at making defenders miss in tight spaces. His ability to make the first tackler miss between the tackles consistently bailed him out and helped him turn what could have been a loss into a gain.
Elliott is also a very smooth receiver, showing natural hands and the ability to catch the ball in stride.
Sound pass blocker. Sinks his hips at impact and stays square to his man.
Tends to fall forward for an extra yard or two on every carry.
Weaknesses:
Sometimes passes up an easy four yards to try for more. That worked more often than not in college, but it won’t in the pros.
Looked more explosive in 2014 than 2015. In 2014, Elliott outran the entire Wisconsin defense by 15 yards. In 2015, Elliott had more trouble getting the edge, as seen above.
Pro comparison: Matt Forte
Elliott’s short area burst was not as impressive in 2015, though it should be noted that he lined up directly to the side of the quarterback quite frequently, where he had less room to pick up speed. Yet the skills are obviously there for Elliott to be a three-down back in the NFL. If he learns to cuts down on the aimless outside cuts, Elliott should be a steady 1,800-yard from scrimmage kind of back just like Matt Forte. Also like Forte, Elliott is steady and frequently explosive despite middling speed.
Derrick Henry
The Heisman winner has become legendary for his ridiculous physique. At 6’3″, 238 pounds, Henry is built a bit like the ridiculous robot on Fox NFL broadcasts. Henry is a freakier athlete than Zeke Elliott, but he also has more warts to his game.
Strengths:
Size-speed combo is off the charts. Henry is built like an edge rusher, yet runs like a wideout.
Tremendous burst. Hits the hole very hard.
Positive experience in the zone blocking scheme, in which he flashed good vision. Alabama didn’t run it every down, but they ran it enough to get a good idea of how Henry would do in Baltimore’s ZBS.
Weaknesses:
Workload. Henry ran the ball 395 times his last year of college. That kind of load takes a huge toll on a body, and it should scare NFL teams to death.
A bit fumble prone. Often holds ball away from body, and doesn’t always brace for impact.
No impact as a receiver. Fewer career catches (17) than Elliott had in 2015 (27).
Pro comparison: Jamal Lewis
A bit straight line-ish, but with tremendous size and speed, Derrick Henry is reminiscent of Jamal Lewis in his 2,000 yard season. If Henry powers through a tackle or two, he has the speed to go the distance, and his vision is usually quite good. Unlike Elliott, though, Henry is not versatile, and his workload at Alabama was so heavy that it should push him out of the first round.
So should the Ravens draft one of these two in the first two rounds of the draft? Hard to say. Elliott probably won’t even be on the board in the second round, and he’s not worth a top-ten pick either. Both Elliott and Henry have the talent to be long-term upgrades in Baltimore, but neither is a surefire bet for stardom. Rather than betting everything on one of these two, the Ravens would be best served scouring the mid-to-late rounds for the next Jamaal Charles or Alfred Morris.
Shawn began his writing career with Bleacher Report as a Ravens featured columnist and Breaking News Team writer. He moved on to write for Yahoo! and work on the Ravens Central Radio podcast. Most recently, he was an Editor at the Baltimore Wire. Shawn is a 2013 graduate of the Catholic University of America.