NFL Player News

By getting taken by the Bears in the draft, rookie rusher Ka'Deem Carey finds himself in a good situation to contribute a little bit this season. He totaled over 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns last season for the University of Arizona and should have the edge on Michael Ford in the battle to back up Matt Forte this season. 

Of course, backing up Forte doesn't guarantee a ton of playing time. Of the 430 touches Bears running backs had last year, Forte had 363 of them (84.4 pct.). That should tell you just how limited Carey's reps would be should he earn the backup job.

He's a great handcuff to Forte worth a late-round pick in standard seasonal leagues, a good late-round pick in dynasty/keeper leagues and a second- or third-round pick in rookie-only drafts. 

With the 222nd pick in the draft, the Jaguars selected running back Storm Johnson out of the University of Central Florida.

Johnson established himself as a big part of the UCF offense in 2013, after failing to find his footing as a transfer from the University of Miami. He rushed for 1,139 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Knights, and has a chance to carve out some playing time on a Jaguars team that lost Maurice Jones-Drew this offseason. 

With the 211th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans selected fullback Jay Prosch from Auburn.

The 6-foot-1, 254-pound Prosch was the first fullback selected in the draft. He will likely fill the void left by former Houston fullback Greg Jones, who remains unsigned this offseason.

With the 186th pick in the draft, the Redskins selected running back Lache Seastrunk out of Baylor.

Seastrunk played two seasons for Baylor, topping 1,000 yards on the ground in each. He led the Big 12 with 1,177 rushing yards on 7.4 yards per carry in 2013, while adding 11 touchdowns.

With the 138th pick, the Ravens have selected Coastal Carolina running back Lorenzo Taliaferro .

Taliaferro was named the Big South Offensive Player of the Week five times in 2013, setting a record. He rushed for 1,487 yards and scored 23 touchdowns, shattering nearly every school rushing record. Despite that, Taliaferro lacks speed, and could convert to fullback. He could provide value as a short-yardage option immediately.

With the 130th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots selected running back James White from Wisconsin.

White spent his first three seasons at Wisconsin behind Montee Ball. When he took over in 2013, he amassed for 1,444 yards on 221 carries with 13 touchdowns on the ground. He also posted 39 receptions for 300 yards and two scores in the passing game. He will likely battle for the third -string spot behind Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen.

With the 96th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Vikings selected Georgia Southern running back Jerick McKinnon . He worked as a quarterback and a running back in Georgia Southern's triple-option offense and also played as a defensive back.

"He's elusive, he has great speed in the open field," Spielman said. "He kind of gives us that dynamic third-down type back that will give us a little spark when he comes in."

McKinnon is 5-foot-9 and 209 pounds and ran a 4.37 in the 40-yard dash.

With the 116th pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears selected running back Ka'Deem Carey from Arizona.

Carey was one of the top backs in the nation, cracking the 100-yard mark in every one of his games in 2013. He totaled 1,885 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground, averaging 5.4 yards per carry despite serving a one-game suspension at the start of the 2013 season. He also had 26 receptions for 173 yards and one touchdown.

Carey has a chance to slot behind Matt Forte as the team's second running back in the depth chart.

With the No. 94 pick in the NFL Draft, the Browns selected running Terrance West from Towson. 

West will compete for playing time as the No. 2 running back for the Browns behind starter Ben Tate.

West is a big back at 5-foot-9, 225 pounds. In 2013, he set the NCAA FCS single-season rushing mark and led all of college football with 413 carries for 2,519 yards (6.1 yards per carry) and 41 touchdowns and 26 catches for 258 yards and a touchdown in 16 games.

He was the CAA Offensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Walter Payton Award. West led the Tigers to the FCS Championship game and set the FCS record for touchdowns in a season with 42. He had 354 yards and five touchdowns against Eastern Illinois in the playoffs, and his 84 career rushing touchdowns tied the FCS record, set by Adrian Peterson (Georgia Southern 1998-2001) in only three seasons.

With the 69th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Buccaneers selected West Virginia running back Charles Sims .

Considered a bit too upright a runner but still versatile, Sims found a way to post big numbers in college, rolling for 1,095 yards on 208 carries with 11 touchdowns last season, adding 401 more yards and three more scores on 45 receptions. His versatility is a big plus for him as it is for the Bucs, who can use him as a passing downs back or as a jack-of-all-trades backup to starter Doug Martin.