With draft season here and Travis Etienne potentially set to become a free agent over the next few weeks, I thought it wise to take a look at past running backs drafted with James Gladstone as Rams Dir of Scouting:
- Jake Funk (7th rd 2021)
- Kyren Williams (5th rd 2022)
- Zach Evans (6th rd 2023)
- Blake Corum (3rd rd 2024)
Obviously, those players don't necessarily have to be "Gladstone picks" as Les Snead was the head man in LA, but it's a great starting point to identify any possible trends (like, the fact that the team looks to draft, at minimum, one running back every season).
RBs drafted as the Jaguars' GM:
– Bhayshul Tuten (4th rd 2025)
– LeQuint Allen (7th rd 2025)
– 2026 (TBD) 🤔
9 comments
Think it’s highly likely we see another day 3 RB drafted and no veteran FAs with ETN walking — rams typically haven’t spent at RB or LB, makes me doubt we open the checkbooks for ETN or Lloyd
I wish this was a better RB draft if we are letting Etienne walk.
I think it’s tough to try and evaluate trends in Gladstone’s RB philosophy based on his time in LA because he wasn’t the decision maker.
You’d probably get a better feel by looking at how he handled the Bigsby trade and how he evaluated the RB room prior to that. ETN was the main back (good cutting ability and good hands), Tuten ended up being relief (good power and decent hands), and Allen was alternate (great pass pro and punishing runner).
If ETN walks, I’d expect him to find someone similar with some of those traits. Loose hips, good top-end speed, not afraid of contact, can be used in the passing game as well as the run game, and someone who can pickup blitzes in pass protection.
Although extremely unrealistic, I had a vision last night of a David Montgomery/Tuten combo.
What do we expect Etienne to demand? I feel like top 10, but not top 5 money?
RBs are one of the few positions where starters are regularly drafted after the 4th round. I think we’ll draft or pick up at least 1 UDFA RB this year, maybe multiple. You need bodies in camp, and guys that are hungry to compete for ST positions.
Been proven too many times (with only Saquon as the exception) that teams that pay running backs don’t win the Super Bowl
Pats dynasty refused to pay, same with chiefs, and I don’t see Gladstone going against the grain for a mid-tier efficiency back that he didn’t draft
Typing that hurt me tho cause I love ETN
I hope Jadarian Price slips to us in the 3rd round. Beastly RB, can return kicks, *and* didn’t get run into the ground at Notre Dame so his longevity should be better than the guys who got 700-800+ touches in college.
Don’t forget our UDFA pickup last year: Ja’Quinden Jackson