It’s hard to believe that it’s already time to start thinking about the NFL Draft yet again. But, here we are…getting our notes and scouting reports in order ahead of the 2023 Senior Bowl. For the Tennessee Titans, there’s a myriad of needs when looking at this roster. I’d say offensive line and wide receiver are chief among them, but running back could be a sneaky issue moving forward. It may sound crazy to the casual NFL fan given how dominant Derrick Henry has been over the past several seasons, but if you watched the Titans this year, you know that Henry didn’t quite look as explosive as he has in recent years.
Now, admittedly, part of that is because of how crowded backfields have gotten. Teams know that your best chance to slow him down is to get to him before he gets going, and that was easier to do in 2022 behind an absolutely porous offensive line. But, there were more than a few instances of his being run down from behind on tape from this season. At the very least, it could be time to start thinking about the future.
I don’t think Henry is quite as washed as some others do. I’ll still withhold judgement until we see him behind a reconstructed (and hopefully better) offensive line. He finished 2022 second in the league in rushing with 1,538 yards, for fucks sake. Nonetheless, running back isn’t a position you can ever have too many of given the churn rate in the NFL. And, it’s not a bad idea to start looking at potential heir apparents to King Henry’s throne. Hell, they even grabbed a back from the Senior Bowl last year in Hassan Haskins!
Between Dameon Pierce, Brian Robinson Jr., and Rachaad White, there’s a pretty strong contingency of running backs making their mark in the NFL now after having a strong week down at the Senior Bowl last year to give their draft stock a boost early on in the process. And, this year’s group looks just as stacked with potential.
2023 Senior Bowl: Accepted Running Back Invites
Camerun Peoples – Peoples projects as a late-round pick or priority free agent after serving as part of a committee at Appalachian State. He’s known as a powerful North-South runner, and would be best served landing in a spot where his strengths could be used as a bit of a closer on multi-back committee. I’m excited to see if he can shake some of the concerns about his lateral quickness and elusiveness in Mobile.
Kenny McIntosh – McIntosh has the pedigree of a champion, heading to the NFL after a banner season for the Georgia Bulldogs. McIntosh looks like a great all-around back that needs to improve in the pass pro department before he could be the unquestioned top dog in an NFL backfield. But, he has the potential to be a RB1 in my book.
Chase Brown – Man, he might not have the ideal size to be a bruiser in the NFL, and I get how that limits the impact he can have in the league, but Illinois put the offense on Brown’s back in 2022 and he delivered. He can absolutely be a bell cow type of running back with his acceleration ability and vision. Brown could prove to be one of the underrated backs in this year’s draft.
Chris Rodriguez, Jr. – Rodriguez may not be the niftiest runner, but you can’t argue with the results he got at Kentucky. He’s a physical presence in the back field that will grind out yards more than hit home runs. That makes him valuable to an offense lacking his particular skill set, and I think that’s his quickest path to NFL action.
Eric Gray – Let’s flip what I just wrote about Rodriguez for Gray. He is that nifty, creative runner who is elusive in space, but might not necessarily have the power aspect to his game to make him a more complete pro running back. Still, like Rodriguez, his skill set makes him valuable to an offense that currently lacks it and he too could see the field quickly because of that.
Roschon Johnson – Johnson has the right blend of size and athleticism to be a contributing factor in NFL offenses. But, it’s his ability and willingness to step up in pass pro that makes him an intriguing prospect and could get him on the field sooner rather than later.
Evan Hull – Hull projects as a utility back type of player in the NFL – he can do a little bit of everything, but he cuts clean and with great vision.
Tyjae Spears – Explosiveness, breakaway speed, game-changing elusiveness. That’s the name of the game for Spears. Just pop on the Cotton Bowl tape to see exactly how Spears can strike a defense with fear. He has a torn ACL in his history, and I do wonder about durability going up against NFL defenders every week. But, Spears is going to be an x-factor for whichever NFL team drafts him.
Do the Titans need a running back? Probably not – am I going to be upset if Brown or Spears end up in two-tone blue if I’m a Titans fan? Absolutely not. I can’t wait to scout these guys in person down in Mobile in a couple of weeks.
The 2023 Senior Bowl will take place on Saturday, February 4th at 1:30PM CST from Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. It will air live on NFL Network. For more on the Senior Bowl, check out their website!
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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