As we move toward the halfway mark of the 2022 college football season, it’s a good time to see how the highly coveted 2023 running back draft class has produced so far. From our household names to our risers and fallers. Let’s dive in.
We’ll start with the dynasty darling of the class, Texas RB Bijan Robinson. Widely considered the best running back prospect since Saquon Barkley and Ezekiel Elliot, Robinson has lived up to the hype thus far. He has played in seven games this season and has a current stat total of 780 rushing yards, and 10 touchdowns, while averaging 5.7 yards per carry. The eye test alone will tell you that he is easily the best running back in the country. He leads all of college football with a whopping 56 missed tackles forced. There is no reason to mention any other back at this point in your dynasty rookie rankings next season as #1. Bijan Robinson already emerging as a top-five dynasty running back.
Another first-round dynasty lock is Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs. He is as “multi-purpose” as you can get at the position. His combination of speed and patience is unmatched. Gibbs has been touted as the second coming of Alvin Kamara, which I can see. I’m also starting to see a lot of similarities to Dalvin Cook as well. I’ll let you do the projection on what that combination of running backs could turn into at the next level.
A name that was somewhat of a sleeper heading into 2022, has since awoken. Michigan RB Blake Corum is having an outstanding season. The Junior back has 900 yards and 13 touchdowns through seven games. Corum chewed his way through a Penn State defense to the tune of 166 yards and two touchdowns. He is currently in the top five for Heisman odds and is the only running back in consideration to this point. Coming in at 5’ 8”, 209lbs, he’s on the smaller side for an NFL back. The talent, however, is undeniable. Blake Corum doesn’t have the pedigree as some other backs in this class, but he sure is making a statement in his final year in Ann Arbor.
It seems like Ohio State has a two-headed monster that most weren’t anticipating. Of course, 5-star 2024 prospect Treyveon Henderson, would lead the way for the Buckeyes. Junior RB Miyan Williams added his own spin on backfield duties. The 225lbs workhorse famously gashed Rutgers for 189 yards and five touchdowns. If Lebron James tweets about it, you’re officially on the map. Williams most likely won’t be considered a first or second-round NFL draft pick, but his stock has jumped tremendously during this season and is someone to keep an eye on.
A couple of players that may have seen their stock take a hit are Zach Evans of Ole Miss, and Devone Achane of Texas A&M. I’m not here to say that these players look bad out on the field, or that their talent decreased. Simply put, they’ve each been sharing backfields this season.
Zach Evans has split time with a stud freshman RB in Quinshon Judkins. They make a terrific backfield, but some dynasty managers may be looking at the stat sheet instead of the film, possibly dropping his stock.
Devone Achane was playing behind one of last year’s dynasty prospects Isaiah Spiller. He was set to take over and even out-produce his former teammate statistically. So far, that just hasn’t been the case, as Achane has only seen the end zone twice through seven games. Again, I’m not saying he’s playing badly, but raw numbers WILL scare some of our league mates. Keep an eye on these two players moving forward.
All in all, the 2023 RB class is holding down the proverbial fort thus far. We’ll take another look before the bowl games begin, and see how things have shaken up. Until then, it is still Bijan Robinson leading the pack.
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