Who will be the first RB selected in the 2022 NFL Draft?
Fantasy football experts Matt Harmon and Frank Schwab weigh in on two likely candidates to be the first running back chosen in this year's draft.
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Video Transcript
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MATT HARMON: All right, let's move on to first running selection. This one's pretty heavy on Breece Hall, at minus 250.
FRANK SCHWAB: Yeah.
MATT HARMON: And I think Breece Hall is probably going to-- like, I think he's the best back in the class, and he's probably going to be-- you know, he's a guy that I think even the Bills could talk themselves into late round 1. Just because they clearly want, like, the JD McKissic signing. And this is the stuff you've got to do with these draft props.
You have to, like, look at the team's moves throughout the course of the offseason. Because they're-- that's the only time teams can't lie to you. They don't lie to you with their money, and they don't lie to you with their draft picks. So that's why you look at the running back position.
They try to bring in JD McKissic. That doesn't work out. They signed Duke Johnson. That's not going to work out. But it shows you that they want some kind of, like, pass-catching versatility in their backfield.
So Breece Hall could be that guy for them. But at the same time, like, Kenneth Walker at plus 250-- like, Walker might be the better pure runner of these two guys. He just doesn't have the receiving background to the point that maybe some team-- Like, if no running backs go in the first round, which I think is a pretty good chance that happens, even though I like potentially the Breece Hall-Bills connection there, we get into the second round, like, I could see some team taking Kenneth Walker at the top of the second round over Breece Hall. And at plus 250, that might be the way to go.
FRANK SCHWAB: Interesting. And I don't necessarily disagree, but I can't get on-board. Because I just think-- I think Breece is so far ahead of everybody else.
MATT HARMON: Yeah--
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FRANK SCHWAB: --great season last year, for sure. But I just-- with these-- it's one of those markets I probably won't get involved with. Because I think it's-- I just can't talk myself into anybody but Breece Hall.
But not, like, minus 250 to do it. Because like you said, all it takes is one team to say, Kenneth Walker, look at his production. We just want a between-the-tackles runner.
MATT HARMON: Yep.
FRANK SCHWAB: Well, look. Jonathan Taylor wasn't a receiver at Wisconsin, either.
MATT HARMON: Sure.
FRANK SCHWAB: And Kenneth Walker we can-- you know, we can figure that out. And maybe he's a better receiver than we think. He just wasn't used that way.
It only takes one team to do that. But I can't talk myself into it. So I'll probably be staying out of the running back market here.
I think Breece Hall is the only guy I can really talk myself into being-- and we talked about this draft not being that exciting. It's like-- you know, last year when Najee Harris went, it's like he's just moving up boards until he was the first-round pick in Fantasy. I can't see-- like, Breece Hall is not going to be a-- I don't even see him being a top two round pick.
It's just like, eh. I wouldn't be proactively drafting him anywhere. And that kind of just says, this is what this draft is. It's really, really light on running backs, quarterbacks. Any Fantasy rel-- tight ends. Any Fantasy-relevant guys other [INAUDIBLE].
MATT HARMON: Yeah. I mean, the running back market, the problem with it, too, is that-- you know, you look at the teams that need running backs the most, like, Breece Hall or Kenneth Walker could walk into just a boatload of touches, it's, like, the Houston Texans.
FRANK SCHWAB: Yeah. The bad offenses, bad teams. And they're--
MATT HARMON: Atlanta Falcons.
FRANK SCHWAB: [INAUDIBLE] the Texans really going to be tra-- like, why? Why? What good does Breece Hall do? If you're the Houston Texans, why?
MATT HARMON: Yeah. Right.
FRANK SCHWAB: What's the point?
MATT HARMON: So there's a good chance that these guys end up in committee backfields. And I agree with you. It's not like Najee Harris, where he was going to walk into just RB1 workload right away. I mean--
FRANK SCHWAB: I guess the old me-- and I think you talked about this. If Breece goes to the Bills, you're like, mm. All right.
MATT HARMON: Yeah. Then you might be cooking.
FRANK SCHWAB: Like, that's kind of a perfect-- like, that's the only perfect team-to-player fit where you'd be like, this could be a really big rookie season. I don't see it anywhere else with him, though.
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