The 2020 NFL Draft kicks off in a few days. Leading up to the start of the first round on April 23, Giants.com will be taking a look at the top five prospects at each position in this year's draft class. Each list is based off of NFL.com's prospect rankings.
Next up are the running backs.
Giants current depth at RB: Saquon Barkley, Dion Lewis, Wayne Gallman, Elijhaa Penny, Jon Hilliman
View photos of the team's current depth at running back.
Georgia RB D'Andre Swift
2019 stats: 14 games, 196 rush attempts, 1,218 yards, 6.2 yards per rush, seven touchdowns, 24 receptions, 216 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown
Height / Weight: 5'8" / 212 lbs
Accolades: Second-Team All-SEC (2018), First-Team All-SEC (2019)
2020 NFL Draft prospect rankings: Daniel Jeremiah's Top 50 - #16
NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah: Swift is a compact running back with excellent patience, vision and quickness. On inside runs, he lets things develop before exploding through the line of scrimmage. He has the vision to see and set up second- and third-level defenders. He has make-miss ability in tight quarters, but prefers to drop his shoulder and seek contact. He has enough speed to capture the corner on outside runs. He is a cradle catcher in the passing game, but it's effective. In pass protection, he likes to cut block and he's reliable. Overall, Swift has a similar skill set to Josh Jacobs, and I expect comparable results at the next level.
LSU RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
2019 stats: 15 games, 215 rush attempts, 1,414 yards, 6.6 yards per rush, 16 touchdowns, 55 receptions, 453 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown
Height / Weight: 5'7" / 207 lbs
Accolades: First-Team All-SEC (2019), CFP National Champion (2019)
2020 NFL Draft prospect rankings: Daniel Jeremiah's Top 50 - #32
NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah: Edwards-Helaire is a short, compact runner with quick feet, power and prowess in the passing game. On inside runs, he's a quick-stepper with darting lateral agility to slide and avoid contact. He runs extremely low to the ground and is tough for opponents to square up. He drives his legs on contact and pulls out of a lot of tackles. He is quick to capture the perimeter and refuses to run out of bounds, choosing instead to fight for extra yards. He is outstanding in the passing game. He can line up anywhere in the formation and he runs clean/crisp routes. He catches the ball outside his frame very smoothly and he's outstanding after the catch. His ability to start/stop in space is elite. He is rarely used in pass protection because of his value out in the route. Overall, Edwards-Helaire has a very similar skill set to Austin Ekeler -- I envision a similar role/results at the next level.
View photos of LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
Wisconsin RB Jonathan Taylor
2019 stats: 14 games, 320 rush attempts, 2,003 yards, 6.3 yards per rush, 21 touchdowns, 26 receptions, 252 receiving yards, five receiving touchdowns
Height / Weight: 5'10" / 226 lbs
Accolades: Big Ten Freshman of the Year (2017), 3x Consensus First-Team All-Big Ten (2017, 2018, 2019), 2x Big Ten Running Back of the Year (2018, 2019), 2x Unanimous First-Team All-American (2018, 2019), 2x Doan Walker Award (2018, 2019)
2020 NFL Draft prospect rankings: Daniel Jeremiah's Top 50 - #35
NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah: Taylor is an ultra-productive running back with outstanding strength and speed. On inside runs, he's sudden, carries his pads low to the ground and shows the balance to bounce off tacklers while keeping his legs alive. He isn't overly shifty, but he avoids taking flush hits and he always falls forward for extra yardage. He has plenty of speed to capture the edge and once he gets in space, he can run away from the crowd. In the passing game, he is very effective on screens, where he can set up his blocks and collect big chunks of yardage. He trusts his hands and attacks the ball when he's out in the route. He didn't have a lot of reps in pass protection in the games I studied. Overall, Taylor is an explosive home run hitter with upside in the passing game.
View photos of Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor.
Ohio State RB J.K. Dobbins
2019 stats: 14 games, 301 rush attempts, 2,003 yards, 6.7 yards per rush, 21 touchdowns, 23 receptions, 247 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns
Height / Weight: 5'9" / 209 lbs
Accolades: Cotton Bowl Champion (2017), 3x Big Ten Champion (2017, 2018, 2019), Big Ten Championship MVP (2017), 2x Second-Team All-Big Ten (2017, 2018), First-Team All-Big Ten (2019), First-Team All-America (2019), 2019 Rose Bowl Champion
2020 NFL Draft prospect rankings: Daniel Jeremiah's Top 50 - #40
NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah: Dobbins is a compact running back with tremendous power, balance and instincts. He is at his best on inside runs. He doesn't hesitate, accelerating into contact and breaking a ton of tackles. He has a nifty inside spin move and can make second- and third-level defenders miss in space. He has enough speed to get to the perimeter, but he always looks to turn upfield as soon as possible. In the passing attack, he is effective in the screen game, but he has more work to do as a route runner. He had two tough drops vs. Clemson in the College Football Playoff, but he was reliable in every other game I studied. He is very aware in pass protection -- he can drop his weight and anchor linebackers. Overall, Dobbins' game should translate very well to the next level. He'll be a dependable starter immediately.
View photos of Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins.
Utah RB Zack Moss
2019 stats: 13 games, 235 rush attempts, 1,416 yards, 6.0 yards per rush, 15 touchdowns, 28 receptions, 388 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns
Height / Weight: 5'9" / 223 lbs
Accolades: Second-Team All-Pac-12 (2018), First-Team All-Pac-12 (2019), Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year (2019)
2020 NFL Draft prospect rankings: Daniel Jeremiah's Top 50 - Unranked
NFL.com's Lance Zierlein: Watching Moss' game tape is like watching an exercise in controlled violence on just about every carry, but his vision, balance, patience and wiggle are additional skills that help to make him a well-rounded runner. Personnel evaluators for NFL teams say there is wear and tear that could limit the length of his career. He needs to become more discerning with his physical challenges if he wants to see a second contract. He is a great fit for gap and inside, zone-heavy rushing attacks and could become an effective starter as a middle-round pick.
View photos of Utah running back Zack Moss.
Giants App
Download the Giants' official app for iPhone, iPad and Android devices