2023 NFL draft: 4 running backs for Chargers to watch at Combine
The on-field portion of the NFL Combine begins on Thursday, marking the start of the testing circuit that propels some prospects into the stratosphere while ruining the stock of others. To prepare, we at Chargers Wire are previewing players from every position.
Los Angeles’ running backs are in a bit of a limbo right now. Austin Ekeler is the unquestioned feature back, but younger players like Joshua Kelley and Isaiah Spiller have yet to break out. With the pressure to contend looming, the Chargers could opt to add yet another body to the room to get more production out of the position.
Bijan Robinson, Texas
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Touted as the best running back prospect since at least Saquon Barkley, Robinson’s stock has fluctuated early in the process because of the league-wide devaluation of the running back position. That’s led some to believe that the Chargers could be in position to snag him at 21, immediately upgrading their running back room into one of the best in the league.
The one snag here is that Robinson plans to participate in every drill at this week’s event. If he tests as expected, it’ll likely catapult him outside the draft range of the Chargers. NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah has already called Robinson a top 5 player in the draft, further saying that teams in the top 10 “wouldn’t get laughs” for selecting the Texas back. Pair that with a solid round of testing in Indianapolis, and Robinson likely won’t be donning powder blues in 2023.
However, Robinson is still worth watching this week, for two reasons. The first is that if he tests as expected, it’ll be a showcase for the ages. The second is that if for some reason he tests poorly, the Chargers could be back in the market if Robinson slips.
Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh
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Beyond Robinson, any potential Chargers draft pick at running back is likely to come on the third day of the draft, as it has over the past few seasons. Kelley, Spiller, and Larry Rountree III have all been Day 3 selections by the Chargers over the past four drafts.
Luckily for LA, the strength of this running back class is centered right around the third and fourth rounds, which has been the earliest they’ve been willing to pick the position in recent years. One of the more underrated members of that group is Abanikanda, a touchdown machine at Pitt with plus vision and contact balance.
Abanikanda doesn’t have a ton of production as a receiver, but he’s shown more natural hands than someone like Kelley, who’s struggled with drops when targeted in limited fashion. Regardless, pass catching is a less important skill for a potential Chargers back considering Ekeler’s proficiency in that area. What really matters is the ability to gain yards between the tackles and take hits off of Ekeler’s plate, and Abanikanda has that ability.
Chase Brown, Illinois
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Fourth in the country with 1,634 rushing yards this season, Brown has reached 22.5 mph on GPS and is rumored to run in the 4.4s in the 40 yard dash. We’ve mostly talked about speed at the wide receiver position, but the reality is that LA needs a quick twitch injection anywhere they can get it on offense. Brown would step in as a one-cut home run hitter who has the receiving ability to produce in all facets of Kellen Moore’s offense.
The main consideration driving Brown down the board is size and strength. Measured at 5’9 1/2″ and 215 pounds at the Senior Bowl earlier this month, Brown struggled in pass protection drills all week. Without the frame to carry much more weight, Brown’s path to adding more strength is murky at best, which means this is likely the player he’ll be in the NFL. The Chargers are among the teams that may not have qualms with this, given Ekeler’s productivity at a listed 5’8″, 200 lbs.
Keaton Mitchell, East Carolina
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You want to talk about speed? Look no further than Mitchell, who’s rumored to be in the 4.3s range in the 40 yard dash this week. A surprise declaration as a junior from the American Athletic Conference, consensus rankings haven’t yet caught up with Mitchell’s home run potential. That’s why this week will be appointment viewing for the former Pirate.
Listed at 5’9″, 184 lbs, Mitchell is undeniably small and slim for the running back position, and that alone may be enough for the Chargers to veer in another direction. LA’s Day 3 picks at running back have recently been bigger, plodding backs, the kinds that can absorb hits up the middle. Mitchell is very much not that player, but perhaps a tendency break is in order considering that the bigger backs have not worked out.
Mitchell is also a proficient receiver and stop-and-start runner in open space, which provides a versatility that the Chargers lack outside of Ekeler as of now. While Kellen Moore’s system does call for a thunder and lightning approach at running back, Ekeler is also about to hit age 28, historically about the time at which running back production falls off a cliff. Getting his replacement in house a year or two early might therefore not be the worst idea, and Mitchell could definitely step into those shoes if his development goes as planned.
