These Running Backs Might Not Be on Packers’ NFL Draft Board

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers appear to be in good hands – or legs – at running back. Josh Jacobs is back after a sensational debut season and will be joined by last year’s explosive third-round pick, MarShawn Lloyd, as well as reliable Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks.

However, an exceptional running back class could be tempting to general manager Brian Gutekunst, especially if a top talent falls into Day 3.

Including Lloyd, Gutekunst and his predecessor, Ted Thompson, have drafted 14 running backs over the last 20 years. That history should help trip a deep and talented field.

Height

The Packers don’t like short players. At any position. Period. Running backs come in all shapes and sizes. Lloyd at 5-foot-8 3/4 was the shortest running back drafted by Green Bay over the last two decades by a half-inch.

Who falls short?: Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, for what it’s worth, is 5-foot-8 1/2. In Day 2, Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson is 5-foot-8, as is Central Florida’s R.J. Harvey is 5-foot-8. Moving into Day 3, Rutgers’ Kyle Monangai is 5-foot-8 1/4, Cincinnati’s Corey Kiner is 5-foot-8 5/8 and LSU’s Josh Williams is 5-foot-8 3/8.

Weight

Playing games at Lambeau Field requires a different running back than the Lions and Vikings employ in their indoor stadiums. A light, shifty back might be great on an artificial surface but not so much slippery Lambeau in January.

Lloyd’s short but he’s definitely not small at 220 pounds. That’s right at Green Bay’s historic average. While four weighed at least 230 pounds; only two weighed less than 210: Aaron Jones (209) and Johnathan Franklin (205).

For Gutekunst, Dexter Williams was the lightest at 212. All of the running backs on the current roster are at least 220 pounds.

Who might be too light?: In Day 2, Ohio State’s Treveyon Henderson is 202, Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson is 199 and Georgia’s Trevor Etienne is 198. Moving into Day 3, USC’s Brashard Smith is 194, Texas’ Jaydon Blue is 195, Auburn’s Jarquez Hunter is 204, Syracuse’s Lequint Allen is 204 and Michigan’s Donovan Edwards is 205.

Hand Size

Big hands aren’t just for quarterbacks. Again, it’s about ball security. Big hands generally mean better ball security – a big deal under any circumstance but especially when it’s raining in November or flirting with 0 degrees in January.

The historic Scouting Combine average is 9.29 inches – or let’s just say 9 1/4. Only four of Green Bay’s drafted backs had smaller hands, including Lew Nichols (9 inches) in the seventh round in 2023 and Lloyd (8 3/4 inches) in 2024. Lloyd had fumbling issues at USC; he wasn’t on the field long enough for the Packers to tell if those issues had been solved through fundamentals.

Jacobs has 10 1/8-inch hands.

Whose hands are too small?: Going with Lloyd certainly changes things, because there’s a bunch of backs with hands of 9 inches or smaller that might have been excluded. So, the off-limits list is small and consists only of Day 3 candidates: Cincinnati’s Corey Kiner (7 3/4), Texas’ Jaydon Blue (8 3/8) and Kansas’ Devin Neal (8 1/2).

The 40

The historic Scouting Combine average in the 40 is 4.586 seconds. The Packers’ backs typically are faster – but not by much. Eddie Lacy was the slowest in 4.64 seconds but he was also 231 pounds. We’ll round the Combine number to 4.59 seconds and say Jamaal Williams matched it.

But the Packers haven’t gone after any thoroughbreds, either. Indeed, Lloyd’s 4.46 is the fastest of the bunch.

In the current backfield, Lloyd is the fastest, followed by Wilson in 4.55, Brooks in 4.63 and Jacobs in 4.64. That’s not a lot of speed but they’re all big backs; Brooks is 232.

In the first 10 yards, the average is 1.582. The only drafted back who decisively beat that time was Jones (1.51). Gutekunst’s picks have all been slower.

Who’s too slow?: Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo is the big name at in 4.65 seconds, though his 10-yard split was right at 1.58. Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon (4.61), Rutgers’ Kyle Monangai (4.60) were slower than the Combine average.

Relative Athletic Score

Relative Athletic Score combines a prospect’s height, speed, 40 time and other testing results into one position-based figure. It’s a great tool for running backs given the physical differences between, at their extremes, Jones and Lacy.

Jones (9.21) and AJ Dillon (9.15) posted elite scores, and Brandon Jackson (8.91), Lloyd (8.62), Alex Green (8.37), James Starks (8.34) and Dexter Williams (8.13) were excellent, as well. The others: Devante Mays (7.66), Kylin Hill (7.28), Johnathan Franklin (6.06), DeShawn Wynn (6.03), Lacy (4.58), Williams (4.55) and Nichols (no RAS).

(Williams Hill, Dillon, Nichols and Lloyd were Gutekunst’s picks, so Hill’s 7.28 was the lowest.)

Here are the Relative Athletic Scores of Green Bay’s four-man backfield depth chart: Jacobs, 5.65; Wilson, 6.83; Brooks, 8.38; Lloyd, 8.62.

Part of RAS is the broad jump. The historic average is just shy of 9 feet, 10 inches. In reverse chronological order for Gutekunst, Lloyd hit 9-10, Hill was 10-2, Dillon was an astounding 10-11 and Dexter Williams was 10-10. None of have fallen short of the average since Franklin in 2013. (Wilson was 10-0 and Brooks 10-2 but Jacobs just 9-4.)

Whose broad jump was too short?: Oregon’s Jordan James (9 feet, 9 inches) was the only Day 2 back. SMU’s Brashard Smith (9-9), Rutgers’ Kyle Monangai (9-9) fell short in Day 3.

Whose RAS was too low?: Cincinnati’s Corey Kiner (3.95), Rutgers’ Kyle Monangai (4.03) and Oregon’s Jordan James (4.65). Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon (6.21), Texas’ Jayden Blue (6.34), Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson (6.60), Kansas’ Devin Neal (6.66) and Georgia’s Trevor Etienne (6.94) might have missed the mark, as well. Really, this is an athletic group.

The Best Fits

By “best fits,” we mean from a size-athleticism perspective and not on-the-field ability. Under the (potentially flawed) assumption that the Packers would wait until Day 3, these backs include solid size, bigger hands and good athleticism (including 10-foot broad jumps).

Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo: 5-foot-9 5/8, 216 pounds. 4.65 40, 9 3/8 hands, 7.42 RAS.

Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon: 6-foot-1 3/8, 226 pounds. 4.61 40. 9.5 hands. 6.21 RAS.

Miami’s Damien Martinez: 5-foot-11 5/8, 217 pounds. 4.51 50. 9 3/4 hands. 8.19 RAS.

Texas Tech’s Tahj Brooks: 5-foot-9 1/4, 214 pounds. 4.52 40. 9 3/8 hands. 8.58 RAS.

South Carolina’s Raheim Sanders: 6-foot, 217 pounds. 4.46 40. 9 3/8 hands. 7.09 RAS.

In what is universally considered a strong draft class of running backs, there aren’t a lot of backs in the 220-pound neighborhood. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler lists 30 backs in his “Beast” that are third round or later. Only seven are 216 pounds or heavier.