The Pittsburgh Steelers hit a homerun in the 2021 NFL Draft when they selected running back, Najee Harris with the 24th overall pick. There were some naysayers however when the pick was made, but Harris has silenced that group with his stellar play in his rookie season. Not to mention, he ran behind a subpar offensive line all year.
The Steelers workhorse running back broke Franco Harris' rookie rushing record. Harris finished out his rookie season with 1,200 rushing yards on 307 carries and 7 touchdowns. Harris not only proved he is already one of the best running backs in football, he proved that he is extremely capable of being a receiver out of the backfield as well. Harris finished the year with 74 receptions (2nd on the team) for 467 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Harris’ leaves no doubts about his ability to be a workhorse running back in the NFL, but the last thing the Steelers need to do is run a superstar running back into the ground with nearly 400 touches per season. Harris, obviously, led the team with 307 carries last season, but who was number two on that list? Benny Snell was 2nd on the team with just 36 carries for 98 yards.
With that being said, the Steelers allowed the 2022 NFL Draft to come and go without selecting a running back, but did sign Duke's RB Mataeo Durant to a record UDFA contract after the draft. The team also signed UDFA Jaylen Warren post draft as well. On the roster at RB behind Harris prior to those two signings, the Steelers already had Snell, Anthony McFarland, and Trey Edmunds. The truth of the matter is that the Steelers are in need of a true RB2 to spell Harris more frequently than a season ago. Is that guy already on the roster? Or should the Steelers find a more proven guy via free agency? Here are my top 5 options to fill the RB2 spot on the depth chart:
1) Jerick McKinnon
Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images
McKinnon spent last season with the Kansas City Chiefs, prior to that the majority of his career was with the Minnesota Vikings. In his career, McKinnon has been a pretty solid playmaker, rushing for 2,299 yards on 567 carries for 12 touchdowns. The running back is more than serviceable as a receiver out of the backfield as well, snagging 188 receptions for a total of 1,344 yards and 7 touchdowns. And of course, we can all remember last season’s Wild Card game against the Steelers when McKinnon gave the team 142 reasons to sign him. The Steelers had a front row seat to that performance! McKinnon would complement Harris well as the team’s RB2, especially with his 4.4 speed!
Check out McKinnon's 2021-22 highlights here!
2) Phillip Lindsay
JASEN VINLOVE-USA TODAY SPORTS
Lindsay spent 2021 with the Houston Texans and the Miami Dolphins. Lindsay appeared in 10 games for the Texans before leaving in late November. He was then claimed off waivers by the Dolphins and finished out the year in Miami. 2021 wasn't the most productive year for the former 2018 Pro Bowler. However, he started out his career with two 1,000-yard seasons for the Denver Broncos. If he is able to get back to that form, he would be a very viable option as the Steelers' RB2.
Check out Lindsay's 2019 highlights here!
3) Mataeo Durant
Photo by Simran Prakash | The Chronicle
Career Summary from goduke.com:
"Missed only four games during tenure (44 career games with 12 starts) … rushed 489 times for 2,562 yards (5.24) with 18 TDs and caught 55 passes for 488 yards (8.87) with four TDs ... became the ninth player to surpass the 2,000-rushing yard mark during their career … amassed 3,050 career all-purpose yards ... scored 132 career points (22 TDs) ... rushed for 50+ yards in 21 career games ... topped the 100-yard plateau on the ground 10 times, including a career-best 255 yards against Charlotte in 2021 … had 19 rushing attempts of 20+ yards, including a career-long 64-yard TD jaunt versus Florida State in 2020 … rushed for 1,241 yards in 2021 to set a new single-season program record ... set a single-game program record against Georgia Tech in 2021 with 43 rushing attempts … joined teammate Deon Jackson in 2020 to become the fourth pair of running backs to eclipse the 600-yard mark on the ground during the same season … recorded back-to-back seasons with 800+ plus yards to become the second Blue Devil all-time to rush for 800+ yards in consecutive seasons, joining Steve Jones (1970- 854, 1971- 861, 1972-1,236) … posted 17 games with 2+ pass receptions, including a career-high five catches against Virginia in 2021 … had 10 games with 25+ receiving yards, including a career-best 62 yards against Kansas in 2021 ... held eight career TDs of 20+ yards (seven rushing, one receiving) … graduated third in Duke history with 10 100-yard rushing games, fourth in rushing yards, sixth in highest average per rushing attempt, eighth in rushing attempts, and tied for 13th in rushing TDs … also finished tied for sixth in program history with four career TD receptions by a running back ... played 1,570 career snaps."
Reliability and availability are two of the best abilities to have in an NFL player. Durant is capable and talented enough to overtake Snell for the RB2 spot on the Steelers and be a great compliment to Harris!
Check out Durant's 2021 highlights here!
4) Benny Snell
Benny Snell scores his third career touchdown against the Cleveland Browns. (Sports Illustrated)
If you can really say the Steelers had a number 2 running back last season, it was Snell. Even though he failed to even eclipse 100 rushing yards on the season, you could argue the Steelers didn't really utilize him that often. As I mentioned above, the running back had just 36 carries on the year. Snell is the incumbent and I wouldn't be surprised to see his name at the RB2 spot on the initial depth chart, but that doesn't mean he'll be there to start the regular season.
5) Jaylen Warren
[Devin Wilber/PFB
"Wrecking ball on wheels who plays with the type of pace and power that makes tape study a lot of fun. Warren is a self-assured competitor who proved he could handle the workload and spotlight of the Big 12. He's decisive, with an ability to cut at full speed. However, he lacks burst and agility to expand his runs too far outside. He's a momentum runner who is much tougher to tackle with every step he takes, but he needs it blocked up, as he lacks the ability to create for himself early in the run. He's talented in the screen game and has a chance to compete for a backup role."
Warren was projected to be 6th rounder-priority free agent before the draft and the Steelers were able to sign him right after the 2021 draft concluded. Warren is a hard-nosed downhill runner who is my dark-horse candidate for the RB2 spot.
Check out Warren's senior 2021 highlights here!
Who would you like to see the Steelers use as RB2 next season? Sound off in the comment section below, or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!
#SteelerNation
