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2019 NFL Draft: Top targets Baltimore Ravens should look at

By Richard Bradshaw

TEMPE, AZ - SEPTEMBER 08: Wide receiver N'Keal Harry #1 of the Arizona State Sun Devils walks on the field during the college football game against the Michigan State Spartans at Sun Devil Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Tempe, Arizona. The Sun Devils defeated the Spartans 16-13. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
TEMPE, AZ - SEPTEMBER 08: Wide receiver N'Keal Harry #1 of the Arizona State Sun Devils walks on the field during the college football game against the Michigan State Spartans at Sun Devil Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Tempe, Arizona. The Sun Devils defeated the Spartans 16-13. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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BATON ROUGE, LA – NOVEMBER 03: Damien Harris #34 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates a second half touchdown while playing the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on November 3, 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Alabama won the game 29-0. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LA – NOVEMBER 03: Damien Harris #34 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates a second half touchdown while playing the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on November 3, 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Alabama won the game 29-0. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Running backs:

The 2019 NFL Draft class as a whole is weak, but its offensive skill positions remain incredibly lackluster and top-heavy. The 2019 NFL Draft’s running back crop doesn’t feature an all-world talent like Saquon Barkley or Leonard Fournette, but it still possesses some solid players who can be featured backs.

Rodney Anderson looks like a Pro Bowl talent, but he has been hampered with injuries throughout his college career. Anderson tore his ACL in the opening game of the year, but he also has a broken leg and neck surgery on his injury resume. That’s too scary for my liking.

Instead, my attention is directed at Alabama running back Damien Harris. Harris, a true senior for the Crimson Tide, has been one of the more productive, underrated running backs to roll through Tuscaloosa (pun intended). The 5’11” 215-lbs. runner has accumulated over 2,500 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns on less than 450 carries in four seasons. That kind of production with that little of mileage is completely unheard of. The best part is Harris looks the part of a bell-cow runner for a team, and behind a great offensive line and taking so little punishment, Harris will come into the NFL fresher than most Alabama running backs do.

At Iowa State, David Montgomery runs the show and he runs it well (puns, puns everywhere). While he has a similar build to Harris (5’11” 216-lbs.), Montgomery is much more adept as a pass catcher. Montgomery has racked up 59 receptions (36 in 2017) in three years with the Cyclones with an impressive 8.1 YPR. Of course, Montgomery remains a great runner, with nearly 2,500 rushing yards in three seasons. Montgomery is being mentioned by many pundits as the draft’s best running back prospect.

For all you college football nuts, nothing has been more surprising this year than the emergence of the University of Kentucky’s football team. While they are built well from top-to-bottom, they owe a majority of their success to the running of Benny Snell Jr. Snell has been by-far the most productive of the bunch, with over 3,500 rushing yards and 42 rushing touchdowns in three years as a Wildcat. Snell actually had a Heisman campaign going for a while before Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa seized complete control of the spotlight. Regardless, Snell looks the part as a difference maker in the NFL.

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