The OTHER rookie running backs

not weird here though. Although it's been a long time since Brian Johnson has been on Welcome back a charge. It is great to be back. And it is strange podcasting in a has Matt suit that we're wearing right now. I know, um the big yellow has Matt the helmet makes it really really weird. But better safe than sorry, right. It reminds me of what was the Dustin Hoffman movie, uh Renee Russo. Yeah, it's like it was like contagion, but it isn't that. It was Hot Zone, remember Red

Hot Demmick or No. But I should play the board right now where the monkey brings the disease over. Yeah, we're living that. Yeah, that was that was a movie. You're right, and I just can't remember the name. Uh, somebody on Twitter will no doubt, we'll no doubt tweeted to us. Uh, speaking of which, people can follow you a Twitter at b t x J. Yeah, I'm still on Twitter. Absolutely, you're still on Twitter, And of course I am too. At Paul Charchi and last week myself

our good friend Matt Harrison. We broke down the top six rookie running backs. But then I've charged you with a more difficult task. Give me the next tier running backs, I said, Brian, And you gave me five more guys. Some of these players are better than the guys we discussed last week. I was about to say, it's not it wasn't a difficult task to start. At least when we get into the first guy, she just dive right in because yeah, Matt, Matt left me a little too

much meat on the boone. Uh, specifically two forty seven pounds of meat the form of a J. Dillon from Boston College six ft seven. Uh. Of course it's foot you mean. Running backs are not normally six ft tall, nor are they normally two hundred fifty pounds, And normally they don't go to the combine and record the highest vertical leap, weighing in at two forty seven among among running backs, of course the highest. That's that's that's insane. Yeah,

it's insane. And by the way, you'd think that all of that would call that Matt body mass would cost him speed. He ran a four five three. A J. Dylon is a freak. Yeah, Clyde Edwards Hilaire who we also like six. So yeah, of course, landing spot matters for every rookie in draft capital, but yeah, Dylan's got top five rookie running back. I think he's almost a lock to be a top five rookie running back with

top three upside. Yeah, depending on where class and depending where he lands is always the thing that we end up saying about all of these guys, so you almost shouldn't say it. It's almost like saying, well, if he stays healthy, dot dot dot um. You know, landing spot is as a factor for all of these guys. But A J. Dillon has got three down workhorse potential that a lot of other backs in this draft do not have.

His easiest comp is Derrick Henry right now. He looks like the next Derrick Henry basically, and he does have bell coal potential. Only caught thirteen passes last year, but he did turn those thirteen catches into a hundred yards. That just tells me he's tough to bring down, whether running, running the ball, or catching the ball. Yeah, I love a J. Dillon and uh yeah, I think he's like I said, easily top five backs should have been in

the top six. But oh well. The part about a J. Dillon from Boston College that I like is from a fantasy perspective, hundred percent chance he's getting the ball to stripe, so you will get touchdown carries for sure. You mentioned that he can catch. He's much more of a north south south runner like a lot of the heavier, bigger guys are. But he's not a disaster laterally, um, and

there are some other knocks in him. He's he's you know, getting that body that much body mass up to speed can take him a little while, but ultimately, as a four five three forty showed, a J. Dylan can He's not slow by any means, and the balance is pretty good, the footwork is pretty good. It's you know, he's got the big, thick body that makes him a tough tackle. He can compress that body despite that size through smaller

spaces and smaller running lanes. You know, Boston College had a good offensive line and they opened up some big holes for him. But it wasn't just him running through big lanes. But he can and I think the Derrick Henry comp is is similar that way. Yeah, when it comes to Dynasty Empire leagues, I don't think he's gonna top the cam Akers, the Swifts, the Dobbins of the toft. When it comes to redraft, Dylan could be the top rookie running back. I don't think he'd be the top.

He won't be. He won't be any anywhere. He won't be at a tailor. It would take something remarkable. I think, not a lock. But there's a chance. There's a chance. Um A J. Dillon is going to be a fantasy factor, and I think sooner than later. Put him in your queue right now, Adam, I would take him over Zack Moss for sure. I would take him over J. K. Dobbins. I believe maybe cam Acres. I think he's in. I think he's a top five fantasy runner for this season.

A J. Dillon from Boston College. Let's go to your next running back. I believe you've got Keyshawn Vaughan from Vanderbilt next Shawn Vaughn, who uh is already getting a knock from being getting knocked for being too old year senior. That's not, that's not. Let's talk about that for a second. With Keyshawn Vaughn, he started at Illinois and he couldn't get enough playing time. So then he goes to Vanderbilt,

which is not exactly a football powerhouse. Couldn't beat out a guy named Ralph Webb there, and then after Webb left, he put together back to back thousand yards seasons the last two years. So that's a little bit of the drama that is surrounded Keishawn Vaughan, and that kind of worries me a little bit. I'll be honest. When when you can't beat out Ralph Webb for playing time at Vanderbilt, I wonder how you're going to do in the NFL. Yeah. On the flip side, I'll play a good cop here.

Nine carries over a thousand yards average five point two yards per carry, nine rushing touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus, Vanderbilt finished with the lowest run blocking grade in the NC double A wow. So there's that, but the fact that he wasn't a clear cut number one back on his own team, it's a little alarming. Uh yeah, I'm not nearly as excited about Keyshn Vaughan as I am about A J. Dillon. To put it that way. Ran a four or five one in the forty. Uh. Pretty

good speed for running back, a little faster than Dylan. Uh. Yep, he's got good size oh two five ten to fourteen. That's that's bellcal potential size two. So he's a easily inside the top ten. Of course our number eight running back here, but again, not nearly as exciting a J. Dillon. No, I don't think so either. Um, And to his credit, the Vanderbilt offensive lines awful and much like everything else in Vanderbilt football, not good. Good school, by the way,

beautiful school, beautiful campus Vanderbilt, but lousy offensive line. He overcame that a little bit and um rarely got caught in the open field. He's pretty fast. Forty is not bad. And I think there's I just when I watched this guy, when I watched Keishawn Vaughan, Brian, I'm trying to find something that there's some element to his game that says success at the NFL level, and I just I couldn't

find it. So I'm not I'm just not I'm not embracing Keishawn Vaughan yet, and I'm not ruling I'm not not ruling them out, but I'm not seeing it yet. Catches not bad to last year, so he's you know, that's been the thing that I found in almost every all of the you know, will have gone through eleven backs when we're done between today's show and last week's show, they can all catch. None of them are Christian McCaffrey, but none of them none of them are stone handed either,

which is kind of nice. All of these guys have got room to expand upon the receiving skills that they showed in college, which I like. Um, I want to take a quick break here and come back, and I want to talk about the remaining three running backs, one of which well, one of which I'm really really fascinated by, and to others that I'm intrigued by. We'll talk about Joshua Kelly, Eno, Benjamin and la Michael p Ryan when we return. Welcome back Fantasy Football Weekly offseason edition, looking

at rookies. Who thinks is gonna splash at the running back position. Who's gonna splash for fantasy owners in particular? Your next runner up is Joshua Kelly. Let's let's talk about the u c l A kid who ran behind a really bad U c l A offensive line and was able to be productive anyway. Josh Kelly U c l A five eleven to twelve, ran a four four nine forty for reference, Uh, Cam Akers ran a four four seven and DeAndre Swift ran at four or four eight.

So he's right right with those guys when it comes to flat out speed, has good hands, can pass protect, so he can play all three downs as well, played really well in the Senior Bowl, had a hundred and five rushing yards, made a good case for himself there. And uh, Matt Waldman, who runs the Rookie scouting portfolio, a lot of respect for as well. I really praises Kelly for his diagnostic skills. Basically he's a good decision maker out there. And well, that's that's a big factor definitely,

especially in the NFL. So, uh, last year at U c l A only average four point six yards per carry, did it have twelve touchdowns? Like you said? Not a great line for the Bruins. And uh, he can catch the ball too, So yeah, I'm a big fan of Kelly. I'm already kind of want to move him ahead of Keyshawn Vaughan. I do, yeah, let's do. Let's do that, alright, done, alright, we're officially making that move. Um. I like Kelly. Uh,

I like that. He's a shifty north south runner with good footwork that gives defenders a lot of bad angles for tackles. And I think you know, these are the little things when you can just when your footwork can generate a a bit of a cut or a stutter step that gives a defender a bad tackle. And then you're big enough, like he is at five eleven to twelve, you're big enough to make that tackle not be precise.

Now you've just now you've broken tackle. And then here comes the Jets because he's fast in the open field. You mentioned the four four nine for dr dash time um at makes him for a guy his size and he's not gigantic, but he's big. Um, there are there's just there aren't a lot of there's not a lot of weaknesses for him, and he's gonna break a bunch

of tackles. Um, I thought, I think he could. I don't think he's elusive, but I do think he's a tough tackle that makes sense upright running style, which can be good and bad some you know, some players can handle that upright running style. For other players, it gives defenders a big target to hit on the body. Joshua Kelly, I think I think there's again right placement for a team that um that and he can be a three down back, which like so many of the backs in

this draft, can be read down backs. UM. I think there's a lot to there's a lot to like in Kelley and somebody that's gonna go into Ultimately, in the right fit, he could be Tampa Bays starting running back week one. And for what it's worth, I hear he gets praised for his character and stuff like that, so that hopefully you won't get any did not plays because

suspensions or anything like that is there. And I don't think there's a bad character guy that I've run into in this draft really so there always has been in the past, even though I can't pinpoint one, but there's always like well, like Randy Moss was like one of the most famous bad character guys does does Briant too? He fell pretty far in the draft. These are wide receivers, of course, but it's like Josh Kelly, let's go to the next running back. It will stay in the pack twelve.

And Uh, I really like this guy, you know, Benjamin from Arizona State. I love him in Dynasty. He's only twenty years old, doesn't turn twenty one until April five nine. Two oh seven. I know must have been not the Senior Bowl because he's not a senior. But he waited in it like one a couple of weeks before the combine had everyone freaking out like, oh, he's not gonna last in the NFL. Waiting at two oh seven. That

was good to see. And outside of DeAndre Swift, I think he's the best past catching back in this class. I'm calling for Swift an immediate PPR Impactevertino Lands Uh come draft day. Uh ran a four or five seven in the forty which is kind of map but uh mat I mean, but he impressed with his vertical jump

and three cone time. Those events highlight athleticist athleticism, and uh, you had to put a lot of stock into those for running backs and in you know, rush for over sixt dred yards and had five and a half yards per carry. But last year Arizona State like lost all their players through graduation basically, and you know, they had a freshman quarterback, a very green offensive line, and you know, really struggled for for those reasons. But it wasn't his fault.

And um, he's the guy I really like, and especially in PPR, I think it will be an immediate factor fantasy football. Edo Benjamin is one of the best tackle break is in this draft. And when I was talking earlier about trying to find I couldn't find something that I thought was really special about Keyshawn Vaughan at the NFL level, I Kennedy. No, you know, Benjamin, I can say to myself, this guy's tackle breaking ability is next

level stuff. And I think that's the case. The elusiveness that the cutbacks that he makes, I love that part of his game. Some really nice footwork of time again that makes them a tough tackle. Those are things that I think we really translate for him. And you know, Benjamin is um is somebody that's got I think next level skills. He can catch, he can be a three down back. I love the burst that he's got um.

And you know, I've seen some people not that the Arizona States spread offense might not translate for his skills in the NFL, But I I think I think running back so instinctive. If you can break tackles in the open field in college the way he can, I think most of that translates. I am showing a little bit of favoritism towards, you know, because he was my very first and only Devy player that I did a Devvy Dynasty league. You did okay? In the draft was last

summer for those who don't know. In debute leagues you can draft college players. Wait on him from high school school. You didn't go that hardcore, but I drafted, you know. So he's my very first debut player. So all right, I'm pulling for him. I was wondering why you were talking up you know, Benjamin, like in December or on the office. Why do we care about him yet? But that explains it, you know, Benjamin Arizona State. I mean, you think of Arizona State and you think of alcohol poisoning.

You don't really think of like a great football heritage here. But he might be the one that that breaks the mold. Did Jake Plumber go to y Yeah? Was there anybody else? I can't think of anybody else. I'm almost positive Jake Plumber went to Arizona State. I love Jake Plumber. I thought he was going to be a Hall of Fame caliber quarterback when he was in college. And then he went to the Cardinals, right, and it didn't do much.

And then he went to the Broncos, and I think he played better for the Broncos and played for a while, right. I remember it Madden O for Jake Plumber and Clinton Portist. You can't stop me back in those days. I think Jake Plumer is like he's he's up in like Oregon getting high every day. But I think he's like a really good disc golfer. He's in one. He's like professional

disc golfer right now, professional off sport like something. Are you suggesting there's a there is a crossover between people who like to get high and people who play disc golf? Is that way? Is that the controversial stand that you're taking right now? A bit of correlation there? Okay, I'm very curious about Jake Plumber, but I'll look it up, you know, you know, look it up now. I'm kind of curious. And meanwhile, I'll give the introduction to La

Michael p Rhyan. Yes, this is the same family that generated Somaj p Ryan. And if you're the kind of parent that will name your child Somaj, then you're probably the kind of parent that will spell La Michael as L a apostrophe capital M. I see a L. There's nothing about that that really feels like La Michael. And you're trying too hard, but you're the same brain power that that put gave us Somaj. So okay, at least I can at least you can pronounce it. La Michael

is pretty easy when you hear it. It's just you. When you see it, you're like, whoa L m P l m P. I kind of like that, Uh he went to Florida. Um. I think he's got some special traits too. I think right now I'm gonna tell you he's gonna a better career than Somaj did, which isn't saying much, I realize, but I think La Michael looks like a better play to me player to me. I saw I see a guy with who played fast, but he only ran a four six two at the combine,

I'm like four. I'm looking at him, and I'm like, there's nothing about his tape game tape that says four six two. No, he's way more of a downhill runner and that that speaks to his forty times. He's like a one cut and go kind of guy. He's not super super fast, super elusive, but uh and you may you mentioned you one to Florida. They also had an awful offensive line last year, which did him no favors. He had forty catches too, so you gotta like pin in a PPR format. Um. Yeah, not a ton to

say about him. He's like a lot of poor Man's Eno Benjamin, but he's right ball park with him. To me, I don't know, but I mean, you know, I I saw stuff. I I like that he was a strong runner um, although they tended to not use them on inside runs a lot. But I like that about the Michael p. Ryan Um. He's north south. He does not have a ton of lateral speed, which worries me a little bit. Mostly runs at one speed, but it's pretty fast and you'll see him just breaking away from defenders.

And again when you when you watch him run, he runs fast. It just I just doesn't see it didn't translate at the combine. Nimble at the first level, you'll see make a lot of moves at the line of scrimmage to give himself some extra space. And then he's got this zippiness to him, and the Michael preyn looks like he's often running, and oftentimes he is. So there were a lot of things that I liked about p Ryan, and I think I think he can translate to the

next level. I'm not as confident about him. Is like a j Dillon and Eno Benjamin who I think looked, you know, to me stronger. Joshua Kelly too, But I think there's a spot for the Michael p Ryan to help fantasy owners at some point down the road. Agreed one more right, I can't find what I'm looking for on Jake Plumber. I'm bummed. Just I just like to know what the career trajectory was. I mean, it was Arizona for how long? Denver? How long? Um I should

have had my laptop open. I didn't. By Arizona Arizona six years and then four with Denver and he retired at thirty two. He was young. He just didn't want to play anymore really from what I recall, and I think you might be right about that. Let's see if a little Jake Locker to him, maybe we're just the love of the game, wasn't there. Yeah, he only had

went for over twenty passing touchdowns once. That's it. I mean, even though there wasn't even though the game was not the same then it was there by the way it was, it was Arizona State, right, We weren't totally win totally whiff on that did wes Pro Football Reference really not tell you where they went to college? Now, it's in there. You might have to hit the more bio right under there.

It's got to be in there. Plumber Zona State, Okay, good plumber You know he always had he had kid good wheels, and fantast was kept hoping he was going to ultimately style them with a lot of rushing touchdowns and rushing yards. But that never happened either. Really, he was more just a scrambler. He was, you know, I'm not calling him Fran Tarkington, but he was a scrambling quarterback who never really generated a bunch of like rushing

notable rushing yards. In fact, I'm gonna I'm gonna go and lib and say that the most rushing touchdowns he had in a season, if you can look there would his season high for Jake Plumber and rushing touchdowns three two. It's gonna be two or three in anyone given season. Yeah, four and four to zero, zero to three, one to one. Never never over three yards either. They just that part never really came together. But you know, if you were drafted today in the U, in the Lamar Jackson era,

Jake Plumber, they probably be running him like crazy. Why not. I just can't believe how much you' talking about Jake Plumber. Who saw it coming? Yeah, you didn't know. Crazy things happened when you're quarantined. It's also the off season. Yeah, that's right. We're quarantined at a house. So the quarantine League. I told you about this, right, Yeah, tell me about the quarantine League. It's you know, it's ever evolving and just thought of it like the other day. But quarantine league.

So we're playing each other right in fancy football standard head, You and I are in this in the league, and I've tried to figure well, the main premise is before kickoff, I basically quarantine one of your players saying no, you're you're starting him, but you get zero points, essentially benching

him and you can't replace him. But you gotta have a time window before kickoff, right, Maybe you say like or Thursday or no. I could see your lineup and I rank your players one, two, three, the top five. Say yes, if you happen to bench your top ranked player, then my second ranked player, my second ranked guy for you would be quarantined. But that's basically the premise you take away take away a player, the player, probably a

best player. Here's the quarantine version I would want, and you would need to have a back end administrative system to run it this way. But I would want to secretly infect one player in the league. He will be a starter. So it's week one and there's one player who's infected as and nobody knows who that is yet you play with through week one and whoever that infected player played against that team gains an infected player. They don't know who that is. Then the so this thing

will spread. So all these players spread. But event so you've got to know who the players are. So two weeks after you get it, the incubation period it is over and tada. This guy is now done. He's got the coronavirus and he's out. You can start trying to piece people. We can start trying to piece together all how this thing is moved and who the players are that are affected. But you wouldn't know for sure because the incubation period means you're dark for two weeks. I

love it. You can call it pant pantas, pandemic fantasy fantasy football. Yeah, that sounds like pandasan I can't have fantasy pandas. That's that's weird. Pandas are pandas the ones that have the STDs. I don't know. That's Koalas. It's Kuala Kualas have got like a nine eight percent std rate. You didn't know that. Arizona State students, I think too. Bringing back the Arizona State. There you go. And Jake Plumber. We haven't Jake Plumber herpies. That's what work. That's what

we're going with right now. All right, thank you for listening. You made it to the end because well more actually, oh you another player. Anthony McFarland, really, Anthony McFarland. All right, I'll be fast Maryland five eight two oh eight have the fourth for fourth fastest forty time among running backs at four point four or four a lot of four is there? Uh faster than Swift and acres. Uh. I'm

kind of excited about McFarland. He didn't play well last year, but he was battling a high ankle spring is year before freshman. Uh is redshirt freshman year average seven point nine yards per carry, undred thirty one carries for uh thousand thirty four yards. So Anthony McFarland borderline top ten. It's another guy you want to keep your eye. Come certainly fast. How big is he? Uh? Five eight to oh eight? So I like the little compact that is

compact but not slight of a build. He's not Terry Cohen, He's yeah, he's not Maurice Jones Drew either, but not not that much of a bolling. But that's Clyde Edwards Hilaire, Yeah, yeah, that's um. I'm just I'm all over the board on him because I love the production, I love the player. The four six time on Hilaire rattled me a little bit, um, probably more than it should. But everything you see on tape, it just he just looks like a baller guy just

plays and I like that part of his game. And the Maurice Jones Drew comparison I think is pretty fair on him. Yeah, all right, thanks, thanks Brian. This has been a ton of fun times. Thank you for listening as well, and we'll be back next week. I think we're gonna start breaking out other positions, rookies at other positions, wide receivers, quarterbacks. Is will really start orienting ourselves towards the draft um and so we'll expect us some of that next week. For those of you that to choose

to tune in, and we hope you do. Fantasy Football Weekly is a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.