This NFL draft review highlights 2014′s unsung heroes-the running backs!

Bishop Sankey has a clear path to daily fantasy football opportunity this season!

This time last week, everyone was working on digesting the draft happenings from the prior three days. Now we’re more than a week removed from the last pick and there is plenty of reviewing and analyzing to be done. If you missed it, I wrote an NFL draft review focusing on quarterbacks last week, which you can read here. Today I’m moving on to the running backs with my NFL draft review. It’s common knowledge at this point that the league has shifted towards being pass happy, but that point was made even more evident during the draft. For the second year in a row a new record was set for how late the first one came off the board, and it was the second year in a row that no running backs were selected in the first round. Despite the slide of running backs in recent drafts, there will be useful fantasy players at the position that were selected this year, as I will discuss in this NFL draft review.

The back that I expect to be the most productive in yearly leagues and daily games alike is the top running back selected, Bishop Sankey. The University of Washington product was the top ranked running back on Mike Mayock of the NFL Network’s board, and he steps into a situation where he has little competition for the featured gig. The Titans, who selected Sankey, parted ways with Chris Johnson, and are left with a backfield of specialists Dexter McCluster and Leon Washington, and plodders Shonn Greene and Jackie Battle. None should provide more than a speed bump on Sankey’s path to the top of the depth chart. The rookie runner was very productive, totaling 3,309 yards rushing on 616 carries the last two years in college, and he showed some pass catching skills while reeling in 61 receptions for 553 yards. He demonstrated the ability to carry the load in college, and he has the skills necessary to be something of a dying breed-a true three down back.

Beyond Sankey, there isn’t another in this NFL draft review that joins their team as the favorite to win the starting job. That doesn’t mean Sankey will be the only starting rookie runner in week one though. In fact, NFL Network expert Charlie Casserly expects Terrance West to beat out free agent signing Ben Tate for the starting job with the Browns. That would be quite the accomplishment for a back selected from Towson. West is a bruiser who stands only 5-foot-9 but packs 225 pounds on his frame. Most scouting reports before the draft lauded his ability to run between the tackles, while also pointing out the fact that he lacks breakaway speed. Getting back to the positives, while there weren’t glowing reviews of his pass catching skills, he’s considered at least a competent receiver. West makes for a great yearly league mid-to-late round gamble, and he’s a guy that could come with a cheap price tag in daily games due to coming from a non-BCS school.

A couple of big backs joined Sankey in the second round; Jeremy Hill and Carlos Hyde. Neither enters an ideal situation for piling up big numbers in year one though. Hill joins a backfield that includes 2012 second round pick Giovani Bernard, and could include BenJarvus Green-Ellis. I say could in regards to BJGE because the team would save $2.5 million by cutting him by before June 1. If the former Patriot is cut, Hill’s path to fantasy value would be much clearer, and the LSU product would be the favorite for goal-line duties. Hyde, who most draft pundits ranked as the top running back in this class, joins a loaded 49ers’ running back stable that includes Frank Gore, Marcus Lattimore (who has 49ers.com/news/article-2/Marcus-Lattimore-Update-Ready-for-RB-Competition/4ad5fa6b-e8bc-4b59-ac3c-dd0b782efa9a">reportedly suffered no setbacks as he battles back from three torn major knee ligaments in October 2012), Kendall Hunter, and LaMichael James. Gore is the unquestioned starter, but it’s highly likely Hunter or James is cut or dealt to help clear up the logjam. Even if a back or two are removed from the fold, Hyde will have a difficult time seizing touches in the early going. Hyde is more likely to make waves in daily games than in yearly leagues as a last second plug-and-play if Gore is scratched from any contests. The former Ohio State running back is built to wear down defenses with his falling-forward, hard-charging style of play. In a different situation he’d be an exciting option in yearly leagues.

Third round selection Tre Mason, and a pair of fourth round picks, Devonta Freeman and Andre Williams, are all intriguing in large part because of the backs that figure to open the year as their team’s starters. Mason joins a Rams squad that appears to have a diamond in the rough in Zac Stacy, but the team’s 2013 fifth round pick averaged just 3.9 yards-per-carry and was unable to unseat the motley crew of Daryl Richardson, Isaiah Pead, and Benny Cunningham until week five. I don’t want to diminish Stacy’s 2013 accomplishments, but they’re not enough to dissuade me from thinking that Mason can carve out a substantial role for himself in his rookie season. Freeman steps into a completely different situation with the Falcons, where the back in front of him has an established track record of success, but not much tread left on the tires. Steven Jackson failed to make the impact the Falcons hoped for when they signed him last offseason. Jackson missed time due to injury and finished with only 543 rushing yards and a paltry 3.5 yards-per-carry. This will be his age 31 season, and backs tend to decline quickly after they hit 30. Father time is not on the former Rams running back’s side, and Freeman would be an afterthought for defenses trying to limit the Falcons high-octane passing attack. The Florida State product is used to being a non-concern for defenses after having played second fiddle to Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston and the Seminoles passing attack. The last of the trio, Williams, joins a Giants squad that is revamping its backfield. The G-Men signed Rashad Jennings this offseason after a solid year with the Raiders. The 733 yards he rushed for were a new career high, as were his six rushing touchdowns. If those numbers don’t scream star level to you, then you’re an astute football fan. Williams is a non-factor as a receiver, and that limits his fantasy effectiveness. He did lead the NCAA in rushing yards last year though, and is an immediate threat to vulture goal-line work.

My dark horse in this year’s rookie running back class is Storm Johnson. The Jaguars spent a seventh round pick on the Central Florida talent, and he’s built like a feature back at 6-feet even and 209 pounds. Johnson is not a burner, but his speed is adequate for a back of his build. There are concerns about him putting the ball on the ground (eight fumbles in 366 carries from 2012-2013 as NFL.com notes), but he’s well rounded enough that the good outweighs the bad. The Jaguars brought in Adrian Peterson’s backup from the past four seasons, Toby Gerhart, to be their bell cow. Gerhart is a big back that doesn’t go down on first contact, but he’s also unproven in a featured role. The Jaguars plan to open the year with Chad Henne starting and their receiving corps is without Justin Blackmon. I expect them to lean on the running game heavily as a result. If Gerhart falters, Johnson is better built to handle the workload required of a number one in a rush-heavy scheme than Jordan Toddman and Denard Robinson.

Overall, the 2014 running back class doesn’t turn heads, but there is value to be mined from it if things break right.