2021 NFL Draft: Top 5 late-round steals at running back

STILLWATER, OK - SEPTEMBER 26: Running back Chuba Hubbard #30 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys runs into the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the fourth quarter on September 26, 2020 at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Hubbard had 101 yards. OSU won 27-13. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /

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The running back position is probably the only one that isn’t usually prioritized in the NFL draft. As the NFL evolves into more of a passing league, the importance of quarterback has surpassed the need for a good running back.

There are some that believe that any running back will succeed as long as the offensive line is good. Others see it as an essential position that you need to be elite at in order to be a successful and well-rounded team. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

Of course, elite backs go in the first round routinely, but no running back has been selected first overall since Penn State’s Ki-Jana Carter in 1995. In fact, since 1980, only four running backs have gone first overall.

The thing about the position is it’s probably the only one where you can take a guy in the seventh round (or even undrafted) and not be surprised if he finds his way to multiple Pro Bowls.

Jordan Howard, Marion Barber, and Darren Sproles are some of the recent examples of guys that have found major success in the league from a late draft position. So who will join them?

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