Dynasty Draftnik

Seahawks, 2nd round. Tex. A&M: Adequate size. Average hand size.

Positives: Very explosive, with very good stop-and-start ability for the size. Agile and can make moves in open field. Adequate speed. Above-average burst and vision and can cut back hard and decisively. Good lateral quickness. Fairly quick feet. Will lower shoulder for extra yards. Good upper-body strength.

Negatives: Often runs out of control through the line. Inconsistent hands. Has injury and character red flags. Missed some of 2010 with knee injury. Missed much of 2011 with torn ACL. Reportedly had poor attitude in college and was ejected from game in 2012 for punching player. Also reportedly overslept and missed Combine interviews. Below-average ball security.

Projection: Has enough of the physical qualities to make him, potentially, the best back in this draft, but also has enough red flags to make him flame out without ever seeing the field. But he goes to a team that turned perennial headcase Marshawn Lynch into “The Beast,” so he could have a bright future. But he is slotted behind Lynch for now. Draft as an RB4 with RB1 potential if he replaces Lynch at some point — and keep your fingers crossed.

Cardinals, 5th round. Stanford: Below-average height but solid bulk. Below-average hand size.

Positives: Above-average change-of-direction ability. Lowers shoulder well for extra yards. Above-average vision. Patient and lets blocks develop. Above-average power. Hard runner and tough to bring down. Nimble on sidelines. Feet keep churning in short yardage and knees come up high — looks like Roger Craig at times. Good quickness and stop-and-start ability. Protects ball through the line. Has become more decisive over college career. Consistently very good second effort.

Negatives: Lacks ideal size. Below-average track speed. Below-average upper-body strength. Doesn’t wow you with athleticism.

Projection: Doesn’t do anything well enough to excel in the league, but has enough of the right qualities — quickness, power, vision, hands — to make him a pretty effective NFL back. On Cardinals won’t supplant Rashard Mendenhall or Ryan Williams outside of injury, but should make a role for himself as their 3rd-down back. Draft as a 2013 RB4 with RB2 upside.

Broncos, 2nd round. Wis.: Adequate size. Average hand size.

Positives: Above-average burst for his size. Finishes runs with power. Breaks arm tackles. Usually falls forward after contact. Quick feet and acceleration, with above-average change-of-direction ability. Solid in pass protection. Slides well laterally. Above-average vision. Agile. Nimble on sidelines. Nice balance after contact. Can really take a hit and keep going. Good hands and can adjust to errant passes. Very good ball security — had never fumbled in entire college career until Sept 2012, and only lost two fumbles his entire career. Gives good effort in open field.

Negatives: Below-average speed, lateral quickness and upper-body strength. Arrested for trespassing in May 2012, but it seems like a minor issue. Has a history of concussions. Was concussed in August 2012 assault case but started the season opener. Also appeared to have a concussion in Sept 2012 game.

Projection: Behind Eddie Lacy, may be the best power back in the draft, and has similar potential as a feature back. Enters a team with Willis McGahee, Knowshon Moreno, and Ronnie Hillman, but is probably destined to start there, with Moreno or Hillman being a 3rd-down back. Should give solid production. But as much as John Fox loves to use his RBs, he could very well be an RB1 by the end of 2013. Draft as an RB3 with RB1 potential.

Bengals, 2nd round. N. Car.: Junior who has declared for 2013 NFL Draft. Below-average size. Average hand size.

Positives: Good balance and burst. Adequate speed. Nice vision and can bounce runs outside when he has to. Keeps shoulders squared to make moves at any time. Above-average change-of-direction ability and lateral quickness. Smooth runner. Nice balance after contact. Very patient. Keeps legs churning after contact. Good power for his size. Patient as a punt returner and makes smart return decisions. Average upper-body strength.

Negatives: Poor ball security technique and sometimes fumbles without being hit. Below-average hands, but improving. Tore knee ligaments in 2010.

Projection: I suspect he’ll find a role right away on the Bengals as a 3rd-down back and punt returner, with BenJarvus Green-Ellis being the bellcow once again. And, as much as I love Bernard Scott, I think Giovani is slightly better than him in most areas. Draft as an immediate RB4 with RB2 potential.

Packers, 4th round. UCLA: Adequate height but slightly below-average bulk. Average hand size.

Positives: Slippery — average power but breaks a lot of arm tackles. Above-average speed. Very good balance after contact. Has the speed and vision to bounce runs outside. Fairly creative. When he sees hole, explodes through it. Adequate hands. Very quick feet. Understands routes and how to set up defenders. Patient on outside runs. Has learned to protect the ball better. Seemed much improved as a pass blocker at Senior Bowl practices, where he met defenders and kept after them.

Negatives: Runs a little out of control and has suspect balance making cuts. Used to have fumbling issues. Seems to lack vision and will miss some cutback opportunities and run into his own linemen. As pass blocker, tends to wait for defender to come to him and can be bullrushed.

Projection: With his improving pass-protection ability, he should be able to step in right away as the team’s 3rd-down back and do very well at it. Will pair nicely with fellow rookie Eddie Lacy, but Franklin has the best potential of the two. Draft as an immediate RB3 with RB1 potential.

Packers, 2nd round. Ala.: Junior who has declared for 2013 NFL Draft. Very good size. Above-average hand size.

Positives: Adequate pass blocker. Good power. Drives through tacklers in open field. Average burst and speed, but good for his size. Adequate overall athleticism. Falls forward consistently. Has enough long speed for the NFL and his size. Above-average vision. Good balance after contact. Digs feet in for quick cutback. Above-average ball security and holds ball high and tight through traffic. Surprisingly nimble feet for his size. Also surprisingly agile in the open field. Patient and waits for blocks to develop. Can’t be arm tackled — needs to be wrapped up well to be brought down.

Negatives: Has history of slight, nagging injuries. Hurt ankle in early Sept 2012 game. Had spring 2012 surgery for turf toe. Injured hamstring in February 2013. Lets defenders through too early as pass blocker. Below-average hands and tends to double clutch or look upfield early and drop easy passes. Below-average concentration on easy passes.

Projection: He’s probably the best power back in the draft and has enough speed and agility to give him the most potential as a feature back of the 2013 class. But his injury history, suspect pass-blocking ability, and suspect conditioning give me some doubts about his long-term outlook. However, he joins a Packers team in dire need of a feature back. And even though he doesn’t look like a natural receiver, he is very experienced at it. Draft as a RB2 with RB1 upside if he stays healthy (a big if).

Cardinals, 6th round. Clemson: Below-average size. Average hand size.

Positives: Excellent balance after contact. Very good speed and burst. Fair vision for cutbacks. Willing downfield blocker. Adequate hands that have improved since 2011. Can extend and snag tough passes. Nice body control. Very decisive. Very quick stop-and-start — hard to get a good hit on him. Runs inside and outside well. Good ball security technique. Fair leg drive. Keeps squared when making moves.

Negatives: Suspect conditioning — looked tired early in 2011 bowl game. Seems to lack overall strength — is pretty easy to bring down once defender latches on and also seems to lack strength in hands, fumbling even when he shows good ball-security technique. Invited to Senior Bowl but injured hamstring on first day and was out the whole week.

Projection: I had a 2nd-round grade on him before the draft, so his late draft spot is puzzling. May never be a feature back — who is nowadays? — but will be a very good complementary back. Has enough inside running ability that he can have success on any down. And since his on-field defects are easy to fix, I suspect he will eventually turn into a very solid top-10 back. Will battle Stepfan Taylor for 3rd-down back role, and though I love Stepfan Taylor, Ellington is better in everything except blocking. Draft as an RB3 with RB1 potential if he eventually starts.

Just as with the 2013 QB class, the RBs in the 2013 draft class lack top-end talent. So much so that it looks like there probably won’t be one selected in the first round at all, breaking a 50-year streak.

Unlike the QBs, though, there is a lot of depth to the class, meaning teams will be able to grab excellent values at the position late in the draft and especially as UDFAs.

Of course, if you’re looking for RBs to help your dynasty team, the top five or so here will probably be your best bets. But keep an eye on the rest of the guys on this list as the season goes on. So many of them have nice complementary abilities that you could see any one of them with good production as the year goes on.

Rankings as of 4/17/2013

1. Andre Ellington, Clemson
2. Eddie Lacy, Alabama
3. Johnathan Franklin, UCLA
4. Montee Ball, Wisconsin
5. Giovani Bernard, North Carolina
6. Latavius Murray, Central Florida
7. Le’Veon Bell, Michigan State
8. Stepfan Taylor, Stanford
9. Christine Michael, Texas A&M
10. Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina
11. Kenjon Barner, Oregon
12. Kerwynn Williams, Utah State
13. Matthew Tucker, TCU
14. George Winn, Cincinnati
15. Kendial Lawrence, Missouri
16. Knile Davis, Arkansas
17. DJ Monroe, Texas
18. Washaun Ealey, Jacksonville State
19. Miguel Maysonet, Stony Brook
20. Michael Hill, Missouri Western
21. Mike James, Miami
22. Curtis McNeal, Southern California
23. Khiry Robinson, West Texas A&M
24. Rex Burkhead, Nebraska
25. Zach Line, Southern Methodist
26. Akeem Shavers, Purdue
27. Montel Harris, Temple
28. Dennis Johnson, Arkansas
29. Ray Graham, Pittsburgh
30. Michael Ford, LSU
31. Jawan Jamison, Rutgers