We continue our weekly positional breakdowns leading up to the 2016 NFL draft with the running backs. Instead of a traditional top 5, we'll highlight players at these positions who fit the Eagles and have a chance to be available when the team picks.
At No. 8
Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State, 6-0/225
Elliott is far and away the best running back prospect in this year’s draft and the only one the Eagles would even think about taking with that eighth overall pick. He has great size and does everything well. He is a great runner, he can block and he can catch out of the backfield. He’s ready to step into the NFL and be a three-down starter from Day 1. He’s a really intriguing prospect.
Outlook: OK, maybe No. 8 is too high for a running back, but if the Eagles really think he can be a transcendent talent — we’re talking Adrian Peterson-like here — maybe they decide to take him.
In the middle
Derrick Henry, Alabama, 6-3/247
Henry, the Heisman Trophy winner, might be gone by the time the Eagles pick in the third round, but he’s worth talking about. He’s not the all-around back Elliott is, but he’s extremely athletic for his size and made a great impression during the season before backing it up at the combine. He’s 247 pounds, ran a 4.54 and jumped 37 inches. He's a heck of an athlete.
Kenneth Dixon, Louisiana Tech, 5-10/215
Dixon really shined at this year’s Senior Bowl and has a chance to be the third running back off the board. He’s a little undersized at 5-10, but is strong for his stature and is a balanced player who has the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. That pass-catching ability is what makes him a very good prospect.
Paul Perkins, UCLA, 5-10/208
Perkins is the third-leading rusher in UCLA history and he really came into his own over the last two years. He’s a little on the lighter side, listed at around 208, but he has the ability to be a three-down player in the NFL.
Outlook: If the Eagles don’t take Elliott, any of these three would make sense. Without a second-round pick though, there’s a chance Henry and Dixon could be gone by the time they pick in the third round. One of those two would be ideal, but Perkins could get a chance to grow this year, while Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles take the bulk of the work.
NFL
Late-round sleeper
Keenan Reynolds, Navy, 5-11/205
Reynolds was a quarterback at Navy, but when he went to the East-West Shrine game, he played running back. That’s the position he likely projects to in the NFL. He set records in college, but he’s a project at the NFL level. He still has his military obligation, but the Navy could allow him to play and serve simultaneously. Whichever team drafts him will obviously need to be OK with his military obligation.
Outlook: Probably not going to happen, and he might never work out in the NFL, but he's an intriguing name for some teams. Whichever team takes him will need to be creative enough to find a way to use him.