Draft capital is king; however, GMs aren’t perfect. The following running backs were all undrafted and had significant fantasy value: Austin Ekeler, Phillip Lindsay, Fred Jackson, C.J. Anderson, Arian Foster, and Priest Holmes. Will any of the running backs end up being as valuable? Probably not, but they ranked high enough on my pre-draft film rankings to warrant getting their names out there to dynasty league players. When looking at undrafted free agents, talent matters, but so does opportunity. Each of the four players below is closer to an opportunity than the other undrafted free agents.
Michael Warren II, University of Cincinnati
Michael Warren signed with the Philadelphia Eagles after the NFL draft. He spent three years at the University of Cincinnati where he ran for 1,265 yards on 261 carries (4.8 yards per carry) and caught 21 passes for 153 yards with 16 total touchdowns during his last year in college.
Film Analysis
Running: Michael Warren is a tough runner who was hard to bring down in college. He paired his bouldering running style with excellent vision and footwork between the tackles. It was this uncanny ability to glide in tight spaces that made his lack of speed irrelevant. However, in the NFL he will have a hard time getting outside the tackles. He profiles as an early-down or short-yardage runner but looks like his ceiling should be as a backup. His best attribute is winning between the tackles, but the NFL defenders are a lot faster and are better tacklers than anyone he went up against playing at Cincy. His upside is being the short-yardage back, but from a fantasy perspective, that’s just not enough for me to be interested.
Receiving: His receiving skills are a little inconsistent. I’m not sure he would be trusted enough in the NFL to make it as a third-down back if it was clearly passing down yardage. His vision in space is really good, so he may be viable in the screen game, but I’d be concerned about him being constantly caught from behind with his lack of speed.
Pass Blocking: He is an average pass blocker. Nothing wowed me on tape. He seemed to get to the blitzer consistently but didn’t stop him in his tracks by any means.
Fantasy Outlook
There are two kinds of fantasy players in the world: the ones who believe that Miles Sanders is now going to be the true number one running back in Philly, and those who believe that it’s now a committee with Warren added to the mix. I’m normally the former, but I had a decent grade on Warren going into the draft (RB14 pre-draft), so I won’t ignore the signing completely. I’m not going to overreact though, and neither should you. Warren needs to make it through camp as he battles with Corey Clement, but I think he has a good chance to make the roster and get some playing time. Sanders will still get the bulk of the work with Boston Scott being the scatback, but if Sanders were to get hurt, I think Warren would be the ideal fit for lead back with Scott’s usage bumping a little. I would go as far as taking Warren in the late fourth or fifth round of rookie drafts if I had Sanders and wanted to bet on a handcuff. Normally UDFA’s get ignored in rookie drafts, but Warren’s talent paired with the great landing spot puts him in a tier above the others.
Benny LeMay, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Benny LeMay signed with the Cleveland Browns after the NFL draft. He spent four years at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where he ran for 1,072 yards on 193 carries (5.6 yards per carry) and caught 19 passes for 242 yards with 13 total touchdowns during his last year in college.
Film Analysis
Running: Benny LeMay is fun to watch! Coming out of UNC at Charlotte, Lemay didn’t face many top tier defenses, but he had no control over that. What I saw from him was fantastic vision, great agility between the tackles, and excellent contact balance. He was a really good runner on tape and against the small-school competition, he was able to get away with lacking any sort of speed or burst. Unfortunately, lacking speed and burst to the degree that LeMay did will not bode well for him at the next level.
Receiving: LeMay can catch the football. He doesn’t wait for the ball to hit his chest, he snatches it out of the air. He never ran routes lined up wide, so his route tree is mostly flat routes and screens out of the backfield.
Pass Blocking: LeMay didn’t see a lot of the same athletes he will see at the next level, so I don’t think it’ll be the smoothest transition. However, he is big and athletic enough to take on blitzers. Earning his new coach’s trust in pass protection will be step one in getting on the field.
Fantasy Outlook
His comp for me was a slower version of Deejay Dallas…which means it’s going to be hard for LeMay to make an NFL roster. However, his landing spot is very interesting. The running backs in Cleveland behind Chubb and Hunt aren’t anything I’d be excited about having on my team, and LeMay can beat out Dontrell Hilliard and D’Ernest Johnson. LeMay may be slow, but he has a do-it-all skill set which should keep him on the team into the season. Kareem Hunt is on a one year deal and isn’t likely to be paid to stay with the Browns afterward with Chubb in town. That means LeMay has a very good shot at being….a handcuff to Nick Chubb. Not exciting, but for a guy who won’t be drafted in most rookie drafts, it’s not a bad ceiling to have and is better than most players sitting on the waiver wire. If he ends up becoming the handcuff and you can sell him for a late third or even a fourth-round pick next year, then you have profited on a free investment.
J.J. Taylor, University of Arizona
J.J. Taylor signed with the New England Patriots after the NFL draft. He spent four years at the University of Arizona where he ran for 721 yards on 148 carries (4.9 yards per carry) and caught 32 passes for 289 yards with five total touchdowns during his last year in college.
Film Analysis
Running: J.J. Taylor on tape is just off from what you need to see in the “Darren Sproles” role at the NFL level. Standing at 5’ 5″ and 185 pounds, he isn’t as electric with the ball in his hands as you want to see. He wasn’t making very sharp cuts or flying around the field like lightning. Taylor only ran a 4.61-second 40-yard dash and on tape, it showed. He’s still got a bottle rocket feel on tape, but he’s just not as fast or agile as you’d think for someone his size to make it this far. He does a good job slipping between the tackles constantly displaying his vision to navigate the crowded middle of the defense.
Receiving: Taylor bumped up his receiving totals from 19 to 32 catches in his senior year which should help prove to coaches that he can work as the satellite back in an offense. He catches the ball with his hands and his routes are pretty good. My big concern here is that he’ll need his quarterback to be very accurate when passing to him due to him being such a small target. There were a few times where Taylor’s quarterback overthrew him.
Pass Blocking: This is the biggest red flag on his tape. He was completely overpowered in college trying to block any blitzers. I just don’t see this changing at the NFL level, and if he is going to be a huge liability in pass protection, he’s going to have an extremely difficult time getting on the field. He needs to do a lot of work here before he gets on my radar for fantasy.
Fantasy Outlook
J.J. Taylor was another running back on my “fun to watch” list. As a Jets fan, I hate him landing with the Patriots. The Patriots finally look vulnerable, but I believe they’re building for 2021 or 2022 when they get a top quarterback prospect. The Patriots have been torturing the NFL with their specific role players for a long time. They had the Wes Welker or Julian Edelman receiver, but they also had Danny Woodhead or James White running backs. James White is in the last year of his contract and Taylor is the perfect replacement. White is now 28, and the Patriots should move on to the next pass-catching running back in that offense, J.J. Taylor. Taylor has flaws, but Belichick knows how to use his players. If Taylor can make the team this year, I could see him turning into an interesting asset in dynasty leagues.
James Robinson, Illinois State University
James Robinson signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars after the NFL draft. He spent four years at Illinois State University where he ran for 1,899 yards on 364 carries (5.2 yards per carry) and caught 16 passes for 80 yards with 18 total touchdowns during his last year in college.
Film Analysis
Running: James Robinson was the Illinois State workhorse. They rarely passed the ball because of atrocious quarterback play. With the running game averaging roughly 70 more yards per game than the passing game, teams knew that Robinson was going to get the ball. It didn’t matter. Despite the smaller school competition, rushing for almost 1900 yards is very impressive at the division one level. Robinson did so by displaying good vision and patience to set up blocks, with tempo control, and finishing runs off with a purpose. He won’t blow you away with speed, but he’s a strong back and has a lunch pail attitude. He’s going to show up and give it everything he has until the end. He didn’t blow me away against this competition despite racking up so many yards, so it’s hard to imagine him having a huge impact at the next level.
Receiving: He wasn’t tasked with catching the ball often since they didn’t throw it much. I don’t imagine he’ll be utilized as a receiving back in the NFL.
Pass Blocking: Robinson is a stronger running back, and his pass blocking was great when he was tasked to do so. If he can get on the field, he’ll be able to locate the blitzer and protect his quarterback.
Fantasy Outlook
Workhorse running back that isn’t known for catching the ball? Of course, the Jaguars signed him. Yes, I know Leonard Fournette caught 76 passes last year, but before that, he had 58 catches in his career. The Jaguars also just announced they will not be picking up Fournette’s fifth-year option. Ryquell Armstead didn’t see the field much last year as he totaled 49 touches. That backfield in 2021 is up for grabs. Even though Armstead was drafted by the Jags, it was in the fifth round, so it wasn’t serious draft capital. I’m confident they will draft a running back in next year’s draft, but Robinson has a chance to prove himself to the coaching staff this year and is closer to a starting role in the foreseeable future than any other undrafted running back on this list.
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