NFL Player News

The Jets selected Perine in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, 120th overall.

The Florida product was the team's top runner for three consecutive seasons, but he likely profiles as a change-of-pace back at the NFL level. Perine did catch the third-most passes of any running back who attended the NFL Combine, but he seems to lack a certain type of burst to be an effective receiving weapon. Perine has a punishing running style, using his dense 5-foot-10, 216-pound frame to run through arm tackles. He'll likely compete with Josh Adams to be Le'Veon Bell's backup.

Williams will face competition for carries in 2020 after the Packers selected running back AJ Dillon in the second round of this year's draft.

Williams was an effective complement behind Aaron Jones the last couple seasons, but both players will be free agents in 2021, so the Packers decided to use a high pick on a running back to improve their stability at the position. Jones is still set to be the top option in Green Bay's backfield, and Williams figures to play some sort of regular role as well, particularly on passing downs. However, Williams has never been a dynamic runner as a professional, so he could cede some snaps and carries to Dillon, whose power style makes him more likely to usurp work from the sturdier Williams than the quicker Jones.

The Chargers selected Kelley in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, 112th overall.

A natural runner with 4.49 40-yard dash speed, Kelley compiled 1,060 rushing yards as a senior at UCLA. Impressive balance and quick acceleration could bring Kelley success as an interior runner at the next level, though it's worth noting that he didn't see much usage as a collegiate receiver (11 receptions for 71 yards in 2019). He stands to immediately compete for a role behind Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson in Los Angeles' backfield.

Jones will be joined by a new running back in 2020 after the Packers selected AJ Dillon in the second round of this year's draft.

The Packers' running back room was in good shape heading into both the draft and the 2020 season, as it contained Jones and Jamaal Williams, who combined for over 2,200 yards from scrimmage and 25 touchdowns in 2019. However, both players will be free agents in 2021, so Dillon was added to provide some long-term security at the position. Dillon is a power back, so he will be more of a threat to Williams' opportunities than Jones', and Jones -- who accounted for over 1,500 yards and 19 scores himself last year -- still figures to be the Packers' primary running back in any games that are played in 2020. That will remain the case should he sign an extension with Green Bay, but with Dillon on board, the Packers could be less inclined to shell out big bucks for Jones next offseason.

Mack faces increased competition for playing time in the Indianapolis backfield after the Colts took Jonathan Taylor with the 41st pick in the NFL Draft. "Marlon is a good kid. He's a special teammate. He knows that Taylor is going to make us better and that he's going to make Marlon better," GM Chris Ballard told The Fan 1070 am Indianapolis.

Ballard said that he texted Mack about the pick and Mack responded with "Let's go. Let's go win." Mack is entering the final season of his rookie contract and the team hadn't been talking to him about a contract extension, so this could be his last year with the Colts. Mack's work on the ground has been solid, but he's missed multiple games in each of his three seasons, and his Pro Football Focus grades for pass blocking and receiving have consistently been poor. The Colts haven't indicated yet how the workload in the backfield will be divided, but Mack no longer can be seen as true lead ball carrier when healthy.

Jones will have competition for carries in the form of rookie Ke'Shawn Vaughn, whom the Buccaneers selected in the third round (76th overall pick) Friday night.

Vaughn wrapped up his college career with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons at Vanderbilt, and though he was clearly a tier below the top prospects at his position in this year's draft, he has the talent to push Jones and slide into the role vacated by the departed Peyton Barber. Jones has been the subject of praise on more than one occasion from general manager Jason Licht and head coach Bruce Arians this offseason, and the selection of Vaughn isn't a referendum on the USC product's standing with the team by any means. In fact, Greg Auman of The Athletic believes the fact Tampa passed on drafting a back in the second round -- when the likes of J.K. Dobbins and Cam Akers were still available -- is a tacit endorsement of Jones. However, both Licht and Arians have also made clear that they're looking to ideally utilize two diverse tailbacks in their base offensive plans. Therefore, much like last season, Jones could find his carries frequently capped in the 15-to-17 range if Vaughn remains healthy and develops as expected.

Singletary could be in for some competition for carries in 2020 after the Bills selected Utah's Zack Moss in the third round Friday.

For Singletary's sake, we suppose that's better than the team bringing in a top free agent such as Todd Gurley, but Moss was a top-five running back in several prospect rankings and he'll pose a serious threat for carries if he gets his career off to a good start. That said, Singletary did nothing but shine after passing Frank Gore on the depth chart last season, and with perhaps a shortened summer for Moss to get up to speed with his new team, Singletary should still head into the season as the No. 1 back. Moss, however, has enough of a pedigree to make this a 1A-1B setup along the same lines that many other teams in the league operate under.

The Titans selected Evans in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, 93rd overall.

Evans is perhaps the most explosive running back in this draft, though his 4.41-second speed comes at the expense of his frame, which is rather thin at 5-foot-10, 203 pounds. That shouldn't matter too much in Tennessee, though, because Derrick Henry's presence leaves only a change-of-pace role for Evans anyway. The Appalachian State standout should prove useful insurance behind Henry, and as a helpful firecracker off the bench otherwise.

The Bills selected Moss in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, 86th overall.

Moss (5-foot-9, 223) is a densely-built runner with a three-down skill set out of Utah, where he posted some of the more impressive collegiate running back production of recent memory. Despite running only in the 4.65-second range in the 40-yard dash, Moss diced and bashed his way to 4,067 yards (5.7 YPC) and 38 touchdowns in 45 games. Moss's balance and ability to withstand contact are truly rare, lending more functional explosiveness than his track speed would lead someone to believe. He's actually reminiscent of new teammate Devin Singletary in that respect, as both players were criticized for lack of speed despite immensely productive college careers.

The Buccaneers selected Vaughn in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, 76th overall.

Running back was a need for the Buccaneers and they were able to address it late on Day 2. Vaughn comes to the NFL from Vanderbilt, where he had a productive career for the Commodores. He ran for over 1,000 yards in each of his last two seasons, highlighted by his 2018 campaign in which he racked up 1,244 yards on 7.9 YPC. Vaughn isn't a standout athlete -- he ran a 4.51 in the 40-yard dash and was average to below-average in the jumps. Still he has plenty of juice when he's on the field and with Tampa Bay's weak running back depth chart, he should find his way into the carry rotation as a rookie.