2024 Senior Bowl Running Back Prospect Rankings after full week of practice
The Senior Bowl practices for 2024 are complete! Where do all the top running backs rank in this draft class now that we have had a chance to see them up close and personal? The Senior Bowl had a solid roster of top running back talents this year, but there were still several who didn't attend. […]
The Senior Bowl practices for 2024 are complete! Where do all the top running backs rank in this draft class now that we have had a chance to see them up close and personal?
The Senior Bowl had a solid roster of top running back talents this year, but there were still several who didn't attend. It would have been nice to see guys like Trey Benson (Florida State), Braelon Allen (Wisconsin), Blake Corum (Michigan), Bucky Irving (Oregon), and Audric Estime (Notre Dame). And of course Jonathon Brooks (Texas) was out with his torn ACL. As for the 10 backs in attendance, here's where they stack up after a full week of practice.
Senior Bowl Running Back Rankings
- MarShawn Lloyd, USC
- Ray Davis, Kentucky
- Cody Schrader, Missouri
- Rasheen Ali, Marshall
- Dylan Laube, New Hampshire
- Kimani Vidal, Troy
- Daijun Edwards, Georgia
- Michael Wiley, Arizona
- Emani Bailey, TCU
- Isaiah Davis, South Dakota State
MarShawn Lloyd spent the first two days of practice embarrassing defenders in the passing game like on this rep I captured below.
Then on day three he showed off his elusiveness on what seemed to be every single running play. He would bounce runs outside, make decisive cuts at the second level, and sometimes make multiple defenders miss like he does on this play below.
He was already in the mid-round mix for the 2024 NFL Draft coming into this week. Lloyd could be a day two selection now.
2024 Senior Bowl Quarterback Prospect Rankings after three days of practices
How the Senior Bowl Quarterback Prospects stack up against each other
If there are any other day two running backs in this Senior Bowl group then Ray Davis is that guy. I caught up with his father on the field after day three of practice, and talked through some of his hardships in college.
After blowing up for over 1100 yards from scrimmage as a true freshman, injuries forced him to miss significant time in year two which led to his eventual transfer to Vanderbilt. But even after the transfer a torn ligament in his foot made him miss the majority of his third year as well. However, after that Ray posted back to back 1200-yard seasons, one for Vanderbilt, one for Kentucky.
He was pushing it all week in the run game, but the wow moments came when he was catching passes. In one-on-ones he was hard to stop. Even when covered he would find a way to haul the ball in like in this highlight play below.
Davis is truly special. Expect a full interview here at A to Z Sports with him very soon.
Cody Schrader of Missouri, Rasheen Ali of Marshall, and Dylan Laube from New Hampshire formed a strong tier two at the position this week.
Schrader & Laube both posted top three marks in our custom On-Field Athleticism Score (built using Zebra Technologies player tracking data from the Senior Bowl). They were both explosive and consistent in the run and pass games. Ali was perhaps the best pure runner here, creating extra yards and a handful of highlight plays.
Kimani Vidal stood alone in tier three, both thanks to his performance on the field and in interviews. He compared himself to Maurice Jones-Drew, and that comparison certainly seems like a strong one. Vidal's consistency in between the tackles was evident every day on plays like this one below.
Beyond Vidal, the other four running backs blended together. They would all flash here and there. Daijun Edwards and Michael Wiley showed off great receiving skills. Emani Bailey and Isaiah Davis would add some value on a run here and there. But overall all four of the remaining backs looked like late day three NFL Draft prospects at best.
This running back class has long been dismissed by many as a "down year" but that consensus view seems questionable now. After spending the week watching this group up close it's clearly much deeper than most originally thought.
