- 2022 Grade: 81.6
- Play Style: Power Back
- Initial Round Projection: Early Day 3
Playing second fiddle to the No. 1 running back on this list could not have been easy for a player as talented as Johnson, but he still brought it every single time he touched the rock. While he’s a little high cut at 6-foot-2, Johnson has a knack for taking away his plant leg just before contact, leaving defenders nothing solid to hold onto.
It’s why he has the highest broken tackle rate in the country over the past two seasons (85 broken tackles on 189 attempts).
- 2022 Grade: 85.4
- Play Style: All-Purpose Back
- Initial Round Projection: Late Day 2
With former five-star running back Zach Evans transferring to Ole Miss last offseason, it was Miller’s time to shine for the Horned Frogs. And shine he did, to the tune of 1,342 yards on 216 carries (6.2 yards per carry) with 17 scores. He plays with an uncoachable tenacity that makes him unwilling to go down on first contact.
For his career, he’s broken 109 tackles on 353 carries and averaged 3.8 yards after contact per attempt. While he’s nothing special athletically, Miller is more than athletic enough for a full-time role at the next level.
- 2022 Grade: 82.5
- Play Style: Jump-Cut King
- Initial Round Projection: Day 2
Bigsby’s ability to plant one foot in the ground and immediately fire away in the opposite direction is second to none in the class. He has
LeSean McCoy-esque lateral burst out of his cuts.
It’s why Bigsby, playing behind the third-lowest-graded run-blocking offensive line in the SEC this past season, earned a 90.4 rushing grade with 60 broken tackles on 178 attempts for 976 yards and 10 scores.
Bigsby has been singlehandedly trying to prop up Auburn’s offense ever since his true freshman season when he broke 47 tackles on 138 attempts and averaged 4.0 yards after contact per attempt.
- 2022 Grade: 91.5
- Play Style: Bell Cow
- Initial Round Projection: Early Day 2
Unlike some others on this list, there’s no physical trait or special skill set to really rave about with Charbonnet. Rather, there’s nothing he
can’t do at the running back position.
He has ideal size (6-foot-1, 220 points) paired with plus athletic tools and a complete unwillingness to go down on first contact. It’s why he averaged a ridiculous 4.15 yards after contact this season on 194 carries for 1,358 yards. He also showed well in the passing game with 37 catches for 320 yards and 15 broken tackles this season.
- 2022 Grade: 95.2
- Play Style: Offensive Focal Point
- Initial Round Projection: 1st
Robinson's talent level is what many NFL offenses build around. Even the biggest running back haters here at PFF recognize the value he brings to the table. I
wrote all about exactly why that is earlier this season. The SparkNotes version: He has ideal size, breaks tackles at a rate we’ve never seen and can pass as a wide receiver in a pinch.
Bijan is simply capable of things other running backs in this class can only dream of. The way he sinks out of his cuts is reminiscent of a race car banking around a turn.
He finished with 104 broken tackles this season — a PFF college record.
They had Blake Corum ranked #2 and that's another kid who just refuses to go down, but he's returning to Michigan.