Ranking NFL 2021 late-round rookie running backs by chances to make a legitimate Year 1 impact

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With many teams going the value route at the running back position, there's more willingne s than ever before to give late-round selections at the position legitimate opportunities in the regular season. And that shift in thinking for the ground game has led to some recent sixth and seventh-round picks emerging as viable ball-carrying options early in their careers -- think , , , and, most notably, .In the 2021 draft, there were 10 running backs picked in the sixth-round or later. I've ranked the top 5 based on how likely they are to produce as rookies. Talent matters. So does the depth chart and offensive philosophy. Demetric Felton WR With Felton, you have to trust your eyes because his pro day workout was . He embodies the new-age running back/receiver hybrid, having spent his first three seasons at UCLA as a wideout before carrying the ball 132 times at 5.1 yards per with five rushing scores in his senior season for the Bruins.I genuinely believe Felton is more athletic on the field than his workout numbers indicate, and his 99 career collegiate receptions will be a welcomed addition to the Browns offense that doesn't have an overloaded group of depth at the skill positions. But there's elite runner as the lead back and the now underrated as Cleveland's versatile No. 2. Touches will be hard to come by. Yet the Browns aren't going to shy away from the ground game. For as one-two punch heavy as the Browns backfield is, there's room for a gadget type in this Baker Mayfield-led attack. And Felton can be that low-volume, high-efficiency type toting the rock behind Cleveland's phenomenal offensive line. He's a tick hesitant on cla sic inside run plays -- due to his rawne s as a ball carrier -- but the slippery runner can sneak in an efficient rookie campaign behind Chubb and Hunt with the Browns. Pick Six Newsletter Crafted By The Best NFL Experts Get the day's big stories + Chris Kreider Men Jersey fun stuff you love like mock drafts, picks and power rankings. I agree to receive the "Pick Six Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. By pre sing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the and acknowledge Paramount's . Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. Sorry! There was an error proce sing your subscription. GB RB #32 The Packers have a head honcho at running back -- . He's carried it over 200 times the past two seasons, earned a new four-year contract in Green Bay this March, and has established himself as one of the game's elite backs.Behind him is , a.k.a Quadzilla, a second-round pick in 2020 who's in line for the second-most carries on the team after ' departure. And we know the Packers are a pa s-first team with Jacob Trouba Kids Jersey reigning MVP in the shotgun. But we aren't totally positive Rodgers will be throwing pa ses inside Lambeau Field this season -- at least early on -- and last year Dillon received the third-most carries on the team (43) and averaged 5.3 yards per rush. His 21-carry, 154-yard, two-touchdown rumbling while Jones was injured was integral to the Packers destroying a good team 40-14 in December.Hill has the suddenne s, surprising power, and soft hands to be the efficient No. 3 in the Packers backfield this season. His vision needs work -- he's often all gas, no brakes behind the line. Hill does have high-caliber tackling-breaking abilities too. DET RB #28 Jefferson was one of the more fun fine se backs in the 2021 cla s. Not a supreme athlete. No particularly fast. Exceptionally methodical locating lanes and setting up blocks. On film it looked like defenders always felt they had him in their grasp, then Jefferson would make a subtle, almost slow cut that'd perfectly place a blocker in front of him to take out that would-be tackler before he could wrap up. As a freshman at Oregon State, Jefferson ran for over 1,300 yards at 5.8 yards per pop. In 2020, he averaged 6.5 yards per carry. Those are insane statistics for a runner with at his pro day.And we know the Lions, with Dan Campbell, are turning back the clock. They going to run it. Send in more blockers. And run it some more. Of course, is in line for No. 1 duties in Detroit's backfield. And Jamaal Williams was signed to be the clear backup. Jefferson has the advanced running style to compete for touches as a rookie on what will likely be one of the most run-heavy teams in football. SF RB #25 Kyle Shanahan Running Backs Produce. Someone make that a T-shirt. Doesn't matter who it is, his college background or his skill set. Shanahan's wide-zone system has withstood the test of time and a large sample size of ball carriers. Heck, last year, rookie undrafted free agent JaMychal Hasty averaged 5.2 yards per on 18 carries over two games as an injury fill-in. The hurdle for Mitchell is fellow rookie and third-round pick who toted the rock at Sergei Nemchinov Jersey Oklahoma and Ohio State before getting drafted by the 49ers. is the No. 1 runner in the San Francisco offense. As for the third running back -- who will get the football with Shanahan running the show -- Mitchell is in the running as sits on PUP for the first six weeks of the season recovering from recent knee surgery.Mitchell is a one-cut slasher with a game designed to run in a zone-blocking scheme, and his 4.35 speed pops on film -- although I don't think he's quite a mid 4.3 type on the field. CHI RB #24 This selection is almost purely based on talent. Herbert is magnificently difficult to tackle. At Virginia Tech last season, the super-shifty Herbert averaged 4.74 yards after contact per rush, which tied with Buffalo's for the highest figure in the nation among backs with at least 100 carries.He's a stocky 5-foot-9 and 210 pounds with decent measured athleticism and appeared to be one of the most light-footed, loose-hipped backs in the entire 2021 cla s. experienced a career year in 2020, and is the lightning bug in Chicago's backfield. However I feel like there's room for another talented ball carrier, and Herbert absolutely has the on-field quicks and serious balance through contact to make noise as a third option or injury stand-in during his rookie campaign with a Bears offense that will be better with under center than it's been in a very long time.
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