Continuing this series, where I highlight my top ten favorite running backs from the upcoming NFL draft class, the current or former pro they remind me of most, and whether I see them as a fit for Ben Johnson’s offense this season for the Chicago Bears. Remember, these are NOT fantasy rankings or even who I think will get drafted in order, but simply my top backs based on tape, measurables, production, and my own personal taste.
#2: Jadarian Price – Notre Dame – ALL-AROUND
The margin of difference between Jadarian Price and my #3 RB Jonah Coleman
was razor thin at half a point – so these last two backs essentially came down to my personal preference. That said, the skillset of both backs are very different. Price has been on my radar for a couple seasons as well but I originally felt he was more of a mop-up duty specialist behind Jeremiyah Love, but after watching a good amount of Notre Dame, the reality is Price and Love are much more of a complimentary 1-2 punch and both are a large reason why the Fighting Irish were one of the best teams in the country the last couple years.
Several games when the Fighting Irish were tied or even down on the scoreboard, Price made clutch plays to put the Irish in the lead or tie the game up. Not only was he clutch, but he was consistently explosive and dependable. His advanced stats paint a picture of one of the more efficient AND explosive backs in the country. Price finished his career at Notre Dame averaging 6 yards per carry, as you can see below. That is simply remarkable. As is his yardage after contact and missed tackles forced per carry (.259), which is right up there with the best of them. Bijan Robinson’s .374 is THE best rate since 2014, Ashton Jeanty was second at .358 and Jonah Coleman was 4th at .316.
My favorite thing about Price when I watch him is his vision and continuous forward movement. Zero wasted motion with this young back and plenty of big plays thanks to his exceptional contact balance, underrated power and speed when you combine those traits with said vision. Speaking of speed though, he looks much faster on film than his combine time of 4.49 seconds. Considering he had multiple 50+ yard TDs throughout his career (at least one each season despite limited carries) and three kick return TDs in his three-year career, Price has more than enough speed to break the game wide-open. But it’s his vision and efficiency as a runner that stand out to me. He runs like a seasoned vet, not an RB2 of a college program. The fact that Price wasn’t the best RB on his team says more about the guy ahead of him than Price’s abilities as he very likely would have been the starter at every other school in the nation.
Price runs with a forward lean and is able to string multiple cuts and moves together to get him into open space and running away from defenders. If opponents took a sigh of relief when Notre Dame’s RB1 left the field, they were soon deflated at the knockout blow that Price delivered.
Pro Comp: Curtis Martin
Price: 5’11”, 209lb, , 4.49 forty, 1.61 ten, 35” vert, 10’4” broad, 30 7/8” arms, 9 5/8” hands, 21 reps
Martin: 5’11”, 210lb, 4.4 forty, 41.5” vert, 10’11” broad
One of the more underrated backs of all-time, in my opinion, Curtis Martin was also an underrated athlete as evidenced by his incredible 40” vert and nearly 11’ broad jump. But one of the most underrated aspects of both players games is their consistency. Did you know that Curtis Martin ran for over 1,000 yards in each of his first 10 seasons in the NFL? This includes his rookie season, where he surpassed 1,400 rushing yards with 14 TDs, a Pro-Bowl nod, and Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 1995. Curtis Martin retired after his 11th season and ranked 6th all time on the rushing leaders list. Like Martin, I expect Price to get his first look in the preseason on the kick-return squad, where I fully expect him to shine like my #2 back from a year ago, TreVeyon Henderson. But also like Martin, I expect Price to soon become a focal point of his offense as a pro, giving him more touches than he was used to seeing in college. Similar to Josh Jacobs in that way.
Other backs that I thought of when studying Jadarian Price were Felix Jones, Terrell Davis and the aforementioned Jacobs. But none of them had the same deceptive speed, elusive forward lean and contact balance and the vision and patience to set up blocks like Curtis Martin, in my opinion. Here are some clips of each.
Fit for Bears? Yes.
Jadarian Price is the type of well-rounded and explosive back that could excel in any scheme, but his patience, vision, and burst are ideal in Ben Johnson’s outside zone scheme. He has soft hands out of the backfield and can run all routes that a RB can run. While his pass-blocking could use some work, it is not below average and likely something that more reps should help him with. However, all that said, I would be shocked if Price lands in Chicago – mostly due to his draft capital and the number of needs Chicago must address on the first two days of the draft.
What are your thoughts on this former RB2 from South Bend? Will he finally shine in the league? Or is he a product of the system at ND?
BChuk’s Backs:
10 – Kaelon Black, Indiana
9 – Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest
8 – Mike Washington Jr., Arkansas
7 – Noah Whittington, Oregon
6 – Nicholas Singleton, Penn State
5 – Kaytron Allen, Penn State
4 – Emmett Johnson, Nebraska
3 – Jonah Coleman, Washington
