Position Preview: Running Backs

To get ready for this weekend's draft, we're looking position-by-position at who could go in the first round. Click here for the rest of the breakdowns, beginning with quarterback.


Knowshon Moreno (mid-to-late first round), Beanie Wells (mid-to-late first round), Donald Brown (late first-round).

Moreno's chances of becoming a high first-round pick likely disappeared when he ran a hourglass-slow 4.60 40-yard dash, but he was never really thought of as a burner--he's more of a shifty back who can also catch the ball out of the backfield. Wells also ran poorly at the combine (4.59), but he did follow it up by running a sub 4.5 at his Pro Day workout. Because the Saints already have Reggie Bush to catch passes out of the backfield, they are more likely to be interest in Wells, which means there's a good chance that Moreno will slide to the Eagles at No. 21.Brown doesn't do anything great, but he's a very good all-around back which could allow him to sneak into the first round either to the Cardinals, the Patriots or even the Eagles.



LeSean McCoy was thought to be potentially a late first-round pick in February, but he's been passed by Brown in the months leading up to the draft. The only way McCoy will likely get back into the first round is if there is an unexpected run on tailbacks late in the first round, but it's more likely that only two tailbacks will be drafted in the first round rather than four.


Here's a rundown of which teams could take a first-round running back. With the exception of a Pro Football Weekly mock draft that has Moreno going to the Seahawks at No. 4, almost every draft expert expects no tailback to leave the board until the Saints at the earliest. If the Saints don't take a tailback, the Eagles will be sitting pretty at No. 21 with a chance to pick among Wells and Moreno. Although most mock drafts have the Patriots taking a linebacker, don't be shocked if they find disappointing first-rounder Lawrence Maroney's replacement in Brown as a late first-round pick.

1.Detroit Lions		12.Denver Broncos		23.New England Patriots	Need
2.St. Louis Rams		13.Washington Redskins		24.Atlanta Falcons
3.Kansas City Chiefs		14.New Orleans Saints	Need	25.Miami Dolphins
4.Seattle Seahawks	Need	15.Houston Texans	Slight Need	26.Baltimore Ravens
5.Cleveland Browns	Slight Need	16.San Diego Chargers		27.Indianapolis Colts
6.Cincinnati Bengals	Need	17.New York Jets		28.Buffalo Bills (from Philadelphia)
7.Oakland Raiders		18.Denver Broncos (from Chicago)		29.New York Giants
8.Jacksonville Jaguars		19.Tampa Bay Buccaneers		30.Tennessee Titans
9.Green Bay Packers		20.Detroit Lions (from Dallas)		31.Arizona Cardinals	Strong Need
10.San Francisco 49ers		21.Philadelphia Eagles	Need	32.Pittsburgh Steelers
11.Buffalo Bills		22.Minnesota Vikings