Running Back Film Grades - 2022 NFL Draft Class -

Running Back Film Grades – 2022 NFL Drat Class

Arguably the most important rookie position for fantasy football is running back. First-year backs are more apt to immediate production, mostly because of the learning curve at the position, but also because these athletes will generally play behind more talented offensive lines than they ever have. Here are my Top 20 film grades for the running backs entering the 2022 NFL Draft. Listed are the overall scores as well as the grades for each of my four main categories of evaluation.

Rk	Player	Overall	Footwork	Fluidity / Level	Contact Balance	Burst
1	Kenneth Walker	285	88	77	73	47
2	Keaontay Ingram	280	91	62	76	51
3	Breece Hall	277	90	71	65	52
4	Zamir White	274	95	74	64	41
5	Jerome Ford	271	92	72	64	43
6	Isaiah Spiller	270	85	66	72	47
7	Tyler Badie	269	83	69	72	45
8	Rachaad White	268	84	63	68	53
9	Brian Robinson	267	83	72	76	36
10	Jashaun Corbin	264	83	68	80	33
11	Tyler Allgeier	263	82	76	76	29
12	Kyren Williams	259	83	72	71	33
13	Travis Dye	255	83	89	50	33
14	Chris Rodriguez	254	92	51	86	25
15	Kevin Harris	253	90	63	67	33
16	Ty Chandler	252	91	70	61	30
17	Dameon Pierce	250	88	53	75	34
18	Hassan Haskins	248	86	62	68	32
19	Jerrion Ealy	247	87	71	64	25
20	Zonovan Knight	246	81	56	67	42

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Now, for the best running backs in each category. Starting with the overall film grade leader.

Overall Score

Even though Kenneth Walker did not finish first in any of my tape grading categories, he still received the best overall score. That is in big part to the fact that Walker placed inside the top 10 in three-quarters of the categories. The Michigan State RB graded 2nd in the 2022 class among body fluidity/pad level scores. Even though Walker is listed at 210 lbs. he has a slightly smaller frame than expected. At only 5’10”, Walker can easily lower his pad level under his opponents’, allowing his center of gravity to take over and potentially gain extra yards.

The only category where Walker failed to hit the top 10 was footwork. Even so, tied for 11th in the class isn’t too shabby. He utilizes a hesitation step in the backfield. At times this works well, especially if a defensive lineman gets penetration in the backfield. However, in other instances, the hesitation step serves no purpose except to slow down Walker for a half-second. Even so, that technical aspect can be worked on. Walker is my RB1 when evaluating only players’ collegiate tape.

Footwork

Football is all about footwork, after all. I mentioned that Walker could most improve on his. If he were to try and model any particular prospect’s footwork, in my opinion, it would be Zamir White. The RB out of Georgia comes closest to what I consider the perfect footwork in the 2022 draft class. Two of the biggest factor that I look for in this grading system, is wasted motions and churning through contact.

When evaluating movement efficiency, I am mostly looking to see if a running back produces any unnecessary steps. The defenders come fast and hard in the NFL. Any extra steps or movements could create that split-second lapse of time that could allow a tackle to be made. White does a fine job of making every step count. His cuts are quick and don’t require extra steps to set up before hitting the hole with explosion.

The other aspect that I focus on with footwork is whether or not a player keeps churning after contact. Once a running back gets hit, it is very important to maintain a continuous motion. The moment a running back stops moving his feet is the moment he loses all forward momentum. Especially in the NFL with the biggest and strongest defenders, every amount of leverage counts. Churning those feet can lead to extra yards on every play. With a mastery of both technical aspects of footwork, White should be poised to produce in the NFL if given the opportunity.

Body Fluidity / Pad Level

I mentioned that Kenneth Walker had the 2nd best fluidity/level grade of the class. Well, 1st place goes to Oregon RB Travis Dye. Both Walker and Dye are listed at the same height of 5’10”. As I mentioned with Walker, at that height, it is easier for a running back to get beneath their opponent’s pad level. That makes it harder for a defender to tackle said back. Dye does very well in the pad level portion of the grade.

But where he truly separates himself from his peers is in the body fluidity aspect of the score. Dye is excellent at maneuvering his body to avoid tackles, or to gain an extra yard or two after contact. The only weakness to that part of Dye’s game is that sometimes he tries too hard to avoid a defender and is not square to them when taking contact. That could impact other parts of his game such as contact balance and the ability to gain extra yards.

Contact Balance

Speaking of contact balance, the running back who received the best grade in that area is Chris Rodriguez. The running back out of Kentucky is able to keep his balance and stay upright after being hit. His ability to fight through contact and gain extra yards after contact is fantastic, especially for fantasy football. Contact balance is especially important for goal-line backs. Those who succeed in that role could potentially find some TD upside at the next level.

Rodriguez came in with top 3 scores in both balance and footwork. Keeping his feet after taking a hit, and continuing to churn those feet are two important aspects for running backs. Again especially if Rodriguez can secure some form of goal-line role in the NFL. His burst score was actually on the lower end for this 2022 class. So I don’t see Rodriguez with a major role between the 20s. However, if he can provide some TD upside to fantasy then he will be worth selecting in dynasty rookie drafts.

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Burst

Quickly, the last major category that I evaluate is a player’s burst. How quickly can the running back move in a short area? Can they create separation when contact looks imminent? Can they make defenders miss by moving in any direction rapidly? These are the questions I ask myself when evaluating the tape for burst scores.

Only three players received over a 50% burst score, and all of them are in the top 8 for overall grades. Among the 2022 running back class, Rachaad White received the best burst grade. Looking at the tape, it appears that Arizona State was willing to utilize White’s strengths and line him up in different areas. For a quick-twitch player like White, paying out in space is an advantage. However, it remains to be seen how much White will be used that way in the NFL.

Just behind White in terms of burst score are Breece Hall from Iowa State and Keaontay Ingram from USC. In terms of overall RB grades, they finished 3rd and 2nd respectively. So clearly I like what both players put on tape. In my opinion, both had better footwork than White, which is why he falls to 8th overall. In fact, Hall may be the first running back off the board in fantasy football rookie drafts.

Thank you for reading Running Back Film Grades – 2022 NFL Draft Class. Be sure to check out all of the great NFL Draft content available on Full Press Coverage.

– Kyle Senra is the managing editor for the Full Press Fantasy Sports. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @SenraSays Follow @FPC_FantasyPod and Facebook.