Undrafted backs becoming running trend in NFL

And Bills running back Fred Jackson is on pace to break Foster’s record. He’s fourth in the league with 721 yards on the ground, averaging 103 yards a game, while also adding 353 yards receiving.

Jackson’s success has forced Buffalo to find other ways to use running back C.J. Spiller — the ninth overall pick in the 2010 draft. Spiller has lined up as a receiver, and he’s still one of the team’s top weapons on special teams. But the Bills’ top-10 pick two years ago has just 15 carries, while the 30-year-old Jackson has carried the ball 132 times.

Around the league, five undrafted players currently lead their team in rushing — Foster, Jackson, the Bucs’ LeGarrette Blount, the Patriots’ BenJarvus Green-Ellis and the Chiefs’ Jackie Battle.

Blount was a rarity, rushing for 1,007 yards last year during his rookie season. Most undrafted players aren’t given an opportunity to play much during their first year in the league. Green-Ellis was used sparingly over his first two seasons before rushing for 1,008 yards last year.

In his fifth year, Battle is finally getting his opportunity after Jamaal Charles was injured in the second game of the season. Battle was featured during a critical drive in Monday night’s win over the Chargers and finished with a team-high 70 yards and a touchdown.

None of these players were handed a starting job out of college. They’ve earned it in practice and have made the best of their opportunities. You can see in their running styles that these players have something to prove. They’re hard workers that fight for every yard.

Maybe 40-yard dash times and amount of bench press reps blind teams from what really makes a running back successful: A burning desire to prove 32 teams that passed him over in the draft wrong.

– Jeffrey Tomik

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