INDIANAPOLIS — Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty noticed running back values declining just as his college career started to take off.
Then he watched the resurgence of free agent acquisitions Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs and realized things were back on the upswing — just as Jeanty was becoming a marquee name in college football.
The timing couldn’t be better for Jeanty and a stacked crop of running backs at the annual NFL scouting combine. Suddenly, Jeanty is considered a possible top-15 pick in one of the strongest position groups.
“I think there was a period of time where there was just kind of a low (in value) at the position,” Jeanty said. “But those guys, they’ve been doing special deals and showing if you have a special player at running back, it can really enhance your offense.”
There’s little doubt a workhorse back or even a strong backfield tandem can propel a team into an immediate playoff or Super Bowl contender.
But the conventional wisdom lately has been avoiding hefty investments at the position.
Since 2020, only five backs were first-round draft picks and only four went in the top 30.
The same philosophy held true in free agency. Last year, the New York Giants, Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders each let their top rushers walk away and, perhaps not surprisingly, each team earned top-six picks in April’s draft.
Barkley, meanwhile, topped the 2,000-yard mark and won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles while Henry and Jacobs led their new teams, Baltimore and Green Bay, back to the playoffs.
Will those results benefit a position group that seemingly has a fit for every team?
Jeanty certainly hopes so after rushing for 2,601 yards and falling 27 yards short of Barry Sanders’ Football Bowl Subdivision single-season record as well as falling just short to receiver-cornerback Travis Hunter in the closest Heisman Trophy race since 2009.
“There’s a need for a lot of teams at running back, whenever they feel necessary to draft one,” Jeanty said.
This year’s position group is deep, versatile and seems to have something for everyone.
Jeanty, for instance, finished last season with nearly 2,000 yards after contact with Boise State.
Cam Skattebo led Arizona State to a CFP playoff berth by rushing for more than 1,700 yards and catching 45 passes for another 600.
“It’s pretty simple, I’m physical,” Skattebo said. “People don’t think I’m as fast as I am, which I am fast, but I like to punish defenders because they don’t like to do that for four quarters.”
Dylan Sampson does more than score touchdowns, but he did break Tennessee’s single-season school record, a mark that had stood nearly a century.
And TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins both possess rare power-speed combinations as Ohio State found out in its national championship-winning season. Together they gave the Buckeyes arguably the FBS’ best backfield tandem.
“The best part of my game is my breakaway speed,” said Henderson, who plans to run the 40-yard dash in Saturday’s workouts featuring quarterbacks and receivers in addition to backs. “The area of the game I’m looking to highlight is my pass protection. I feel like that shows what type of player you are.”
Jeanty still feels like he has something to prove, too — that he’s a better receiver than he had a chance to demonstrate at Boise State.
Each is likely to find an NFL home, though it’s unclear where they may land and whether anyone can climb high enough on draft boards to join Jeanty as a first-round selection.
But after this past season, Jeanty thinks NFL teams could be rewarded, maybe handsomely, if they’re willing to take a chance.
“You can see the value of running backs is definitely going back up, so definitely coming in at the perfect time,” Jeanty said. “It’s not just him (Barkley), all the guys are doing exception things in the NFL. And right here, in my draft class, there are a lot of great backs as well.”