On this edition of player profiles, we focus solely on running backs.

The biggest positional needs for the Ravens are offensive tackle and edge rusher, however two exceptions to this apply to this year’s draft:

  • At their best, the Ravens are a run-first team. When they’ve most potent, their ground game was cruising.
  • Traditionally, Baltimore has taken the best player available, so if one of these players is ranked higher on their board than a player who plays a position of the need, the Ravens will likely consider taking the running back.

Even if J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill return to full health, drafting another running back would, at the very least, ensure the best backfield possible. Remember, a vaunted running attack only makes Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews, and company that much more effective.

Here are four candidates that could help the Ravens from Day 1.

NFL Draft Player Profile: Kenneth Walker III, RB, Michigan State

Height: 5’10”

Weight: 210 pounds

2021 stats: 263 carries, 1,636 yards, 6.2 ypc, 18 TD; 13 receptions, 89 yards, 6.8 ypr, 1 TD

Key traits: Compact, swift movements. Patient and powerful. Michigan State ran a good number of counters and zone plays, which require patience but also dynamic cuts, which Walker displayed very well. His pre-snap posture and post-snap movements remind me of LaDanian Tomlinson, though he’s not that fast. He tended to bend runs to the corner often and won’t likely outrun NFL defenders. That said, he’s not slow by any means and has plenty of juice. No one in college (that I saw) brought him down easily.

Potential draft spot: Middle of Round 2

Why he’d be a good fit: The most impressive thing to me was his endurance. Everyone knew he was getting the ball play in and play out, but overall, they still couldn’t stop him, and he didn’t seem to tire. That’s a critical component to being successful in the AFC North.

Cool side note: 2021 Doak Walker Award winner (nation’s best running back) and 2021 Walter Camp Award winner (national player of the year)

Bottom line: Walker plays like a Raven. Given the injuries the current Raven running backs sustained last year, I’m very much in favor of drafting him if he’s available when Baltimore picks in the 2nd round. When J.K. Dobbins was drafted, running back wasn’t a need. Look how he turned out.

NFL Draft Player Profile: Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State

Height: 6’1”

Weight: 220 pounds

2021 stats: 253 carries, 1,472 yards, 5.8 ypc, 20 TD; 36 receptions, 302 yards, 8.4 ypr, 3 TD

Key traits: A complete back. Power, patience, vision, yards after contact. Hits the hole with no hesitation. It’s abundantly clear he understands blocking schemes, can read defenses, and doesn’t just use his athleticism to make plays. Great determination, almost looking through the first and second levels of the defense like he’s going to get at least 6-8 yards every carry. Long strides. Very hard to bring down. Runs hard. Above average receiver. Tough and durable.

Potential draft spot: Middle of Round 2

Why he’d be a good fit: Iowa State ran a lot of plays from the shotgun with an H-back coming across the formation, as well as handoffs with the potentials of a bootleg—just like the Ravens do. Hall figures to be a natural fit in the Ravens offense, especially considering his workload will significantly decrease from when he was at Iowa State.

Cool side note: Hall scored 50 rushing touchdowns in 36 games, including at least one in every game of the 2020 and 2021 seasons when he was also named 1st team All-American.

Bottom line: Like AJ Dillon is to Aaron Jones, Hall could be to J.K. Dobbins. A big, relentless back with plus receiving skills.

NFL Draft Player Profile: Pierre Strong Jr., RB, South Dakota State

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 205 pounds

2021 stats: 240 carries, 1,686 yards, 7.0 ypc, 18 TD; 22 receptions, 150 yards, 6.8 ypr

Key traits: Good long speed. Good feet behind the LOS. Doesn’t lose much speed if any going into/coming out of his cuts. Presses blocks very well, keeping the defense honest and cutting at the last second. Good explosion out of his cuts, getting low and causing a lot of missed tackles.

Potential draft spot: Late 3rd round, early 4th round

Why he’d be a good fit: Strong averaged 7.4 yards per play and scored 43 total touchdowns across his 693 touches at South Dakota State. He produced consistently throughout his college career. He could fill the Justice Hill role in the case the Ravens choose not to include Hill on this year’s roster. Strong has experience managing a heavy workload while producing impressive results. Though he played at an FCS school, he played at an elite FCS school. Transitioning to the AFC North doesn’t seem like a prospect that would deter him.

Cool side note: 3-team All-State selection and 5A Offensive Player of the Year while playing at McClellan High School in Arkansas.

Bottom line: He won’t start and may “just” be a special teams player in Year 1, but Strong would provide stability and depth to Baltimore’s roster.

NFL Draft Player Profile: Isaiah Spiller, RB, Texas A&M

Height: 6’1”

Weight: 215 pounds

2021 stats: 179 carries, 1,011 yards, 5.6 ypc, 6 TD; 25 receptions, 189 yards, 7.6 ypr, 1 TD

Key traits: Runs a bit like Adrian Peterson—can run straight ahead or jump stop and cut at any angle with impressive acceleration thereafter. Not the bowling ball Peterson was but will absolutely run through arm tackles. Shows good balance and active feet. Ran a lot more routes than the other three backs, and not just check downs or flat routes. Spiller can very much be deployed as a slot receiver if the offense calls for that. Causes a ton of false steps from defenders because of how he sets up his cuts and gets downfield afterward. One of the most impressive things to me about Spiller is that he looks to get downfield. In other words, he takes the quickest path from point A to point B. If that happens to be between the tackles or through traffic, so be it.

Potential draft spot: Late Round 2

Why he’d be a good fit: Spiller’s size makes him a candidate for 15-20 carries and 5-10 pass reps a game. From Lamar to the running backs, full backs, tight ends, and receivers, all Ravens skill position players must do more than one thing well. Spiller easily checks that box. Greg Roman wouldn’t need to hide Spiller if he chose to call plays a certain way.

Cool side note: Recorded 16 100-yard rushing games in his career, the best program mark in the last 29 years.

Bottom line: Spiller looks to be one of the most complete backs in this draft.

Michael Fast
Michael Fast

Born in Baltimore, Mike had long been drawn to sports of all kinds. Growing up watching Cal Ripken play ever day gave him a great example for which to attack every endeavor he undertakes.

When the Ravens came to town, though, that’s when Mike found his passion. Since that time, he’s tried to gain every bit of knowledge he could. Now as a high school coach, Mike is able to take his film study and appreciation of the game to a new level.

To engage with Mike on social media, follow him on Twitter @MikeFastNFL.

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