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After being spoiled with Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs in the 2023 rookie class, things aren’t looking as hot for the position in 2024. Following the NFL combine, we finally have athletic measurements, which is extremely important at the running back position. After diving into the complete profiles of these players, the dynasty community has settled on four potential players to become the 2024 RB1. Below, we’ll take a look at each prospect before ultimately deciding on the 2024 rookie RB1.
Trey Benson
After posting some incredible measurements, Trey Benson was easily one of the biggest winners from the combine. During the combine, Benson measured in at 6’0” 216 lbs, which is exactly what you want to see out of a three-down back. Benson paired his size with elite speed, running a 4.39 40-yard dash, which was third in the running back class. Taking everything into consideration, Benson scored an incredible 9.78 RAS.
Trey Benson 4.39 unofficial 40. RB1 him pic.twitter.com/143WNH1zYy
Benson is an amazing athlete, which is especially important for running backs. That said, when you turn on the film, Benson clearly has some vision issues. Benson tends to try to bounce every run to the outside instead of taking what’s there. Even though this sometimes worked for Benson in college, it won’t work in the NFL and will need to be corrected.
During his time at Florida State, Benson broke out as a sophomore, running for 990 yards (6.4 YPC), scoring nine touchdowns, and catching 13 passes. Benson had a solid junior season, running for 906 yards (5.8 YPC), scoring 14 touchdowns, and catching 20 passes for 11.56 yards per reception before declaring for the draft. Benson has a ton of upside, but there are clearly some intricacies in his game that need to be fixed.
Jaylen Wright
Just before the NFL combine, Jaylen Wright had begun to pick up some steam in the dynasty community and then he showed out at Lucas Oil Stadium. Coming out of Tennessee, Wright showed great athleticism on tape, which was confirmed by his 9.81 RAS score. Wright had an 11’ 2” broad jump, which was the second-best mark for a running back of all time, and he also ran a 4.38 40-yard dash, the second-fastest running back time in this class. NFL teams are gearing more and more toward athleticism, and I expect Wright to be a potential second or third-round pick.
One of the knocks I have against Wright is that he’s not a fantastic pass catcher, as shown by his yards per reception mark. Even though Wright caught 22 passes, his 5.7 yards per reception mark puts him at the bottom of this 2024 class. Right now, it doesn’t look like Wright will be running many NFL routes, but his speed can be utilized in the screen game.
Overall, Wright checks a lot of boxes, and it’s great to see that he’s an early breakout and declare. Wright has never been dominant in his college career, but he ran for 870 yards (6 YPC) and ten touchdowns as a sophomore before rushing for 1,013 yards (7.4 YPC) with four touchdowns as a junior. Wright is another high-upside prospect, but he’s going to need to find the right fit to succeed in the NFL.
Jonathon Brooks
Jonathon Brooks is the only player on this list who didn’t participate in the combine due to his ACL injury, but we already knew that coming in. Even though Brooks wasn’t able to partake in any events, he measured in at 6’0” 216 lbs, which is important for a potential bellcow. I’ve seen Brooks falling in the dynasty community because he’s not the shiny new toy, but that’s a horrible approach to take. Based on how you felt about Brooks as a prospect before the combine is how you should feel about him after.
Brooks did unfortunately tear his ACL, cutting his 2023 season short, but before that injury, he looked like the clear RB1. In just 11 games, Brooks ran for 1,139 yards (6.1 YPC), ten touchdowns, on top of catching 25 passes and averaging 11.96 yards per reception. The reason I’m so high on Brooks is that he has the third-highest yards per reception mark, only behind MarShawn Lloyd and Jawhar Jordan.
Outside of tearing his ACL, Brooks has everything you could want from a prospect. Brooks is an early declare, a fantastic runner, shows good burst, and plays well in the receiving game. Of course, we need to take ACL injury into consideration, but over the past few years, with modern medicine, ACL injuries have become much easier to recover from. On top of that, Brooks wouldn’t have declared if he didn’t feel good about his health and if he wasn’t being promised good draft capital.
MarShawn Lloyd
MarShawn Lloyd is another riser from the combine, as he ran much better than I expected him to. Lloyd didn’t blow me away with his speed on film, but at the combine, he posted a 4.46 40-yard dash, which is encouraging. Despite only measuring in at 5’ 9’’, Lloyd weighs 220 lbs, which is a great size for an NFL running back. Overall, Lloyd helped his stock by showing off his athleticism and receiving a 9.29 RAS.
One of the reasons I was lower on Lloyd before the combine was due to his lack of college production. Lloyd started off his career at South Carolina, and after tearing his ACL as a freshman, he didn’t see a significant workload until 2022. Lloyd then ran for 573 yards (5.2 YPC), nine touchdowns and he also caught 18 passes with a 9.8 yards per reception mark. Lloyd transferred to USC for his official senior season and improved his efficiency by running for 820 yards (7.1 YPC) and catching 13 passes for 13.21 yards per reception.
RB MarShawn Lloyd:
? 22nd percentile college dominator
? 11th percentile college YPC
? 73rd percentile BMI
? 39th percentile college target share
? elite 40-time
Similar athletic profile to JaMycal Hasty. On my shortlist of dynasty fades.pic.twitter.com/wpyOy5vx7c
Lloyd is a good player, but he doesn’t have the production profile of some of these other backs. On top of that, Lloyd had by far his best season as a senior, which is always worrisome. That said, Lloyd has put himself into this RB1 conversation with his combine performance.
2024 Rookie RB1: Jonathon Brooks
After taking everything into consideration, my 2024 RB1 is Jonathon Brooks. Of course, this is subject to change after the NFL draft, but Brooks is my top running back prospect after the combine. Even with his ACL injury, Brooks looks like he’ll be the first running back drafted, and his skillset translates quite well to fantasy football. To rank these top four players, Brooks is my RB1, Benson RB2, Wright RB3, and Lloyd RB4.
Benson arguably has the most upside on this list, but his tape is significantly worse than Brooks’s. Wright has a ton of upside as well, even if he’s not as big, but he hasn’t shown a complete skillset as a runner or receiver, unlike Brooks. Lastly, Lloyd could end up being a better pass catcher than Brooks, but the fact that he’s not an early declare, and he didn’t have a great production profile in college drops him slightly. Even though the combine is important, I’m staying the course with Brooks as my RB1.
