04-04-2020, 12:18 AM
(This post was last modified: 04-04-2020, 12:30 AM by indonesianhusker.)
Last night marked the end of the S21 DSFL regular season - some players are getting ready for the playoffs, some are already in their offseason but all of them will be looking forward to the upcoming NSFL Draft. The S22 rookies have talked to multiple NSFL and some might even already know where they are going. Writing ahead of the NSFL Draft, I want to do a power ranking on the rookie running backs, myself included, and do an analysis on how each player stacks up against one another.
TL;DR
I decided to do a power ranking of this season’s rookie running backs. I evaluated TPE, attributes, and on-field performance then aggregate them to put together the final ranking. This is my final power ranking for this draft class’ running backs:
Acura Skyline
Tatsu Nakamura
White Goodman
Kichwa Jones
Richard Gilbert
Jamar Lackson
J.B. Apollo
Jacoby Batista
Kevin Fakon
Aaron Feels
Julio Tirtawidjaja
Zed Keppler
Now as a disclaimer I am not claiming that this ranking is the end all, be all ranking. I’m just doing this for fun and to get the money during this 1.5x week. Regardless, I tried my best to make this as viable as possible so that readers that read it can still see the points I will be making in this post. Now let’s get started on this power ranking.
I started by evaluating all the active running backs in this class. My definition of active is someone who updated their player’s TPEs in the last 14 days. The TPE I put in this power ranking is based on the 03/28/20 update. The list that I had contained these players.
White Goodman: 221
Acura Skyline: 199
Kichwa Jones: 196
Tatsu Nakamura: 193
Jamar Lackson: 173
Richard Gilbert: 172
Julio Tirtawidjaja: 137
J.B. Apollo: 122
Kevin Fakon: 117
Jacoby Batista: 117
Aaron Feels: 105
Zed Keppler: 87
At a glance, White Goodman can be considered as the undisputed No. 1 running back in this rookie class with 221 TPE. Goodman is the only one with TPEs in the 200s but Acura Skyline, Kichwa Jones, and Tatsu Nakamura will most likely hit at least 200 in the latest update this week. Back to White Goodman, he certainly backed this evaluation with his great performances throughout the season for the Dallas Birddogs so the argument to be No. 1 is very solid. But, before we jump to conclusions, let’s continue to evaluate these players.
I decided to look at what these players spent their TPEs on. Then I proceeded to put weighted points on stats that I deemed as important to the success of running backs. These are the stats that I included and the weights that I assigned to each attribute:
Speed: 0.40
Endurance: 0.20
Strength: 0.15
Hands: 0.075
Agility: 0.075
Intelligence: 0.05
Pass Blocking: 0.025
Run Blocking: 0.025
I multiplied the weights with their attributes then sum the results to get the total points. You can find the full breakdown here. The results that came out will certainly surprise many. Check it out below:
Richard Gilbert: 70.2
White Goodman: 69.9
Acura Skyline: 69.5
Jamar Lackson: 69.5
Tatsu Nakamura: 69
Julio Tirtawidjaja: 67.8
Kichwa Jones: 67.5
J.B. Apollo: 67.5
Kevin Fakon: 66.6
Jacoby Batista: 64.8
Aaron Feels: 64.6
Zed Keppler: 63.8
Some of you may be wondering who Roberto Gilbert is but he was actually the first rookie running back this season to get 10 rushing touchdowns. He played behind NOLA’s Wombat, who is spending an extra season in the NSFL and also the starting running back for the Tijuana Luchadores. Now my theory as to why Ryker Gilbert edged out White Goodman as the No. 1 running back based on their attributes is because Reggie Gilbert has a whopping 30 point lead on Strength over Goodman. We all know Speed is the most important attribute for all NSFL players and endurance is also important for running backs so that they can outrun their defenders. But it seems like Strength also contributes a lot to the success of running backs. My theory is with higher Strength, players can shed tackles and run through defenders so they are able to gain more yardage in the simulation. It doesn’t matter how fast a player runs if they get easily tackled as they cannot always outrun the defenders. Strength will also factor into run blocking and pass blocking, especially in the NSFL-level where running backs in certain teams might be required to block in some plays.
Now let’s see how these attributes and TPE translate to on-field performance. I know some players are playing behind NSFL sent-downs, including myself, or drafted after a higher-TPE running back. Different player types also factor into why some players get more carries than others, depending on things such as team formations or team strategies that can affect how much of a workload each player receives. I tried to make this as even as possible considering two players in a team might have considerable differences in their amount of carries and targets, pointed out by Sakrosant’s TPE analysis on each positional group. So I assigned weights on each attribute of on-field performance to try to eliminate the gap in attempts and total yardage. I prioritize yard per carry and yard per catch (onward will be referred to as YPC and YPCT) because more or less that’s the easiest attribute to compare between players. Yes, I understand YPC and YPCT might be skewed from players having fewer carries or targets result in better YPC and YPCT but since there isn’t a huge difference in players with a major workload and players with only the occasional touches, YPC and YPCT are the attributes I put the biggest emphasis on. These are the weights I assigned to each attribute:
YPC/YPCT: 0.4
TD: 0.3
Rushing YD/Catching YD: 0.2
Carries/Receptions: 0.1
I combined the weighted points of rushing and receiving and see which player is No. 1 based on their on-field performance. Here’s the result:
Acura Skyline: 412
Tatsu Nakamura: 289
J.B. Apollo: 288
Kevin Fakon: 251
Jacoby Batista: 250
Richard Gilbert: 244
Jamar Lackson: 223
White Goodman: 222
Kichwa Jones: 212
Zed Keppler: 117
Aaron Feels: 111
Julio Tirtawidjaja: 26
Acura Skyline jumps out as the No. 1 running back in this list. Skyline was workhorse this season, pulling the carriage in which the London Royals are aboard. Skyline led all the running backs in rushing yards and carries with 1,761 yards and 349 attempts respectively. That’s 405 yards and 84 carries more than Tatsu Nakamura. No wonder Skyline scored so high based on his on-field performance. You may notice that Julio Tirtawidjaja (yes, that’s my player) scored very low with 26 and that’s because, despite his great YPC (actually the best out of all the running backs), the rest of his stats aren’t so great with 13 carries, 70 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Sitting behind two great running backs in Richard Gilbert and Wombat certainly is the main factor in his lack of playing time.
So now with all these evaluations done, who is the consensus No. 1 running back in this rookie class? I decided to aggregate TPE, Attributes, Rushing Performance, and Receiving Performance and assign a weight of each of those. I still put higher emphasis on TPE and attributes because I believe those are more important in the sim results as on-field performance is affected by many factors that can change the results significantly if it happens in different scenarios.
Acura Skyline: 160.7
Tatsu Nakamura: 141.3
White Goodman: 140.6
Kichwa Jones: 130.1
Richard Gilbert: 126
Jamar Lackson: 123.9
J.B. Apollo: 115.8
Jacoby Batista: 107.1
Kevin Fakon: 107.1
Aaron Feels: 81.6
Julio Tirtawidjaja: 81.6
Zed Keppler: 76.1
Acura Skyline comes out on top again in the aggregated ranking. Skyline has been consistently in the top 3 on all the different evaluations I did and his big lead in the stats line most likely contributed to him having the highest weighted point total. This makes sense as he is the de facto starting running back for the London Royals with only Jacoby Batista the other running back to share the workload with. Dallas Birddogs probably have the best rookie running back duo with White Goodman and Kichwa Jones coming in at No. 3 and No. 4. Both have more or less an equal share of the workload while being helped by Aaron Feels. The result totally makes sense with expansion teams running backs to come out on top as they will start immediately without having to play behind any NSFL sent downs. Now let’s move forward to individual player breakdown and analysis.
1. Acura Skyline
199 TPE; 349 carries; 1761 rushing yards; 5.0 YPC; 10 rushing TDs; 10 catches; 79 receiving yards; 7.9 YPCT
Acura Skyline is most likely going to be the first running back in this draft class picked by an NSFL team. His stats certainly don’t lie and he has shown that he can be relied on as the team’s workhorse. Current and expansion teams with a need for running back can certainly get immediate production from Skyline in the upcoming NSFL season as with the upcoming update, his TPE should be in the 200s. Skyline is certainly the most prepared running back in this draft class to battle it out on the field with big boys in the NSFL.
2. Tatsu Nakamura
193 TPE; 265 carries; 1256 rushing yards; 4.7 YPC; 10 rushing TDs; 5 catches; 23 receiving yards; 4.6 YPCT
Tatsu Nakamura is one of the highly active rookies in this draft class, even prior to the S21 DSFL draft. Honestly speaking, I disliked him for a brief period because, in his Prospect Bowl media article, he kinda dissed my performance and as another Asian running back in the class, he became the Sasuke to my Naruto. Well anyway, he’s actually a great guy and also a great running back. Glancing over at his stats shows that he was THE guy in the backfield for the Portland Pythons and he certainly showed that when he gashed my team, the Tijuana Luchadores, for a 70-yard touchdown. He might also be another NSFL ready running back from this draft class, depending on which team picks him.
3. White Goodman
221 TPE; 200 carries; 914 rushing yards; 4.6 YPC; 6 rushing TDs; 8 catches; 60 receiving yards; 7.5 YPCT; 1 receiving TD
White Goodman is third in this power ranking because his stats on the field are below what Acura Skyline and Tatsu Nakamura have produced and this isn’t a knock on Goodman because he had to share the backfield this season with another premier running back in this class in Kichwa Jones. Please note that even though he is third on the list, Goodman still has a strong argument as the best running back in this class. The fact that he was still able to produce such performances through the season in a shared workload with another strong running back means HE IS EFFICIENT. He is the only running back in this draft class with a receiving touchdown. One thing that he can improve is probably his strength and build his muscles in the upcoming offseason to prepare his body in facing NSFL defenders. With his 221 TPE, White Goodman is definitely the most NSFL-ready running back in this rookie class.
4. Kichwa Jones
196 TPE; 203 carries; 904 rushing yards; 4.5 YPC; 8 rushing TDs; 3 catches; 22 receiving yards; 7.3 YPCT
Kichwa Jones is the lightning to White Goodman’s thunder and they certainly have been workhorses for the Dallas Birddogs this season. Jones has elite speed and he is actually the fastest running back in this draft class. His speed alone makes him another good candidate to play immediately in the NSFL. However, whether or not Jones will make the step up immediately or stay an extra season in the DSFL will depend on the team that drafts him. Just like Goodman, Jones probably will also need to improve his strength. Staying in the DSFL for an extra season might benefit him as he can improve his endurance, his agility, and his hands to make him a more rounded running back and more productive in the NSFL.
5. Richard Gilbert
172 TPE; 198 carries; 978 rushing yards; 4.9 YPC; 10 rushing TDs; 13 catches; 98 receiving yards; 7.5 YPCT
Richard Gilbert has become one of the surprises among this draft’s rookie running backs. Gilbert became the first rookie running back this season to reach 10 rushing touchdowns. He is also a very productive dual-threat running back, attacking opposing teams both on the ground and on the air. The fact that he shared the backfield with two other running backs, one of them being NOLA Second Line’s Wombat and still able to produce such numbers certainly showed his great potential. His position in this ranking would have been much higher if he was the main workhorse for the Tijuana Luchadores this season as his production on the field would certainly be much higher. Gilbert might be staying the DSFL for an extra season to be the starting running back for the Luchadores but do not be surprised if the team that drafts him decides to play him immediately in the NSFL.
6. Jamar Lackson
173 TPE; 194 carries; 931 rushing yards; 4.8 YPC; 5 rushing TDs; 4 catches; 47 receiving yards; 11.8 YPCT
It has been a disappointing season for the Minnesota Grey Ducks but it certainly wasn’t for Jamar Lackson. Honestly, not bad for a QB. Lackson has been efficient with the touches that he got, playing alongside Baby Yoda in the backfield. It can be argued that Lackson outperformed Baby Yoda this season. He had 16 fewer carries from Baby Yoda and only 28 rushing yards behind. Lackson is in the top 3 strongest running back in this draft class and that has certainly helped him get the on-field results he produced last season. Expect Jamar Lackson to be back for another season in the DSFL but the NSFL team that picks him will certainly be set at their running back position for the future.
7. J. B. Apollo
122 TPE; 265 carries; 1267 rushing yards; 4.8 YPC; 5 rushing TDs; 6 catches; 16 receiving yards; 2.7 YPCT
J. B. Apollo was lauded as one of the top running backs prior to the DSFL draft, especially after his showing in the Prospect Bowl. However, he certainly has not lived up to that hype. He also has not been improving as much as his peers have. The production on the field was the result of volume. The Myrtle Beach Buccaneers led the league in rushing attempts with 592 rushings. With a running back like Dax Frost in the team, you would want to focus on the run. But with the volume that Apollo got, he was not efficient with his carries, especially on touchdowns. Whether or not his goalline touches were being taken by the rushing touchdown leader in Dax Frost, I’m not sure. Now, this is not saying Apollo is a bad running back, he still rushed for over 1200 yards. But, NSFL teams should realize that Apollo will need an extra season in the DSFL, which will benefit him as he can improve some aspects of his game and contribute as the main workhorse in next season’s Buccaneers backfield.
8. Jacoby Batista
117 TPE; 231 carries; 1093 rushing yards; 4.7 YPC; 4 rushing TDs; 3 catches; 17 receiving yards; 5.7 YPCT
Jacoby Batista played behind Acura Skyline this season in the Royals backfield. Batista had decent production and might have produced more if he didn’t have Skyline in front of him. Then, why is Batista ranked lower than some of those who rushed for fewer yards than him? The reason is his development, he hasn’t been improving as much as his peers have, indicating that his production is the result of volume as he is the only other running back beside Skyline playing for the Royals. Batista will definitely have to stay an extra season in the DSFL and work hard to catch up to his peers in terms of his skills and attributes to be a successful running back in the NSFL. With Skyline most likely playing in the NSFL, the Royals backfield is basically Batista’s as long as he isn’t leapfrogged by a rookie next season.
9. Kevin Fakon
117 TPE; 226 carries; 1042 rushing yards; 4.6 YPC; 9 rushing TDs; 7 catches; 61 receiving yards; 8.7 YPCT
Kevin Fakon has been quite productive and a significant contributor to the Kansas City Coyotes run to win the Ultimini this season. Then, why is he ranked so low? Lack of speed hurts Fakon’s case to be a top running back in this draft class. He is the only running back with a speed below 80. The NSFL team that drafts him will certainly have him stay an extra season in the DSFL to improve his game, especially his speed because as the wise and great Ricky Bobby once said, “I wanna go faaaaaaasssstttt!”
10. Aaron Feels
105 TPE; 89 carries; 455 rushing yards; 5.1 YPC; 2 rushing TDs; 6 catches; 30 receiving yards; 5 YPCT
Aaron Feels played behind White Goodman and Kichwa Jones in the Birddogs backfield. If Goodman is the Thunder and Jones is the Lightning, Feels is the Rain that comes afterward. Given his workload, Feels is efficient and he’s also contributed two touchdowns this season. He will still be playing in the upcoming week as the Birddogs are preparing themselves for the playoffs. With both Goodman and Jones most likely playing in the NSFL next season, Feels might be the starting running back for the Birddogs and this will be good for his development to become NSFL-ready.
11. Julio Tirtawidjaja
137 TPE; 13 carries; 70 rushing yards; 5.4 YPC; 2 rushing TDs; 5 catches; 28 receiving yards; 5.6 YPCT
Julio Tirtawidjaja has been developing well this season after his late start in the offseason and seems to be on an upward trend in regards to his TPE. But then, why is he so low, even lower than some of those with lower TPE than him? The answer is the lack of on-field production. Yes, you read that right, he’s had 13 carries this whole season. Tirtawidjaja is the definition of fresh legs. He was still able to convert those carries into two rushing touchdowns. Any NSFL teams that draft him will probably gamble on his potential and look at his production in the DSFL next season. Tirtawidjaja’s on-field performance is still shrouded in mystery, which also isn’t helped by his surprise start as QB during one of Tijuana Luchadores’ games this past season. He threw for a touchdown in that game but for some reason not recorded in the stats sheet. Fans that were at the stadium are still convinced that the touchdown pass was real but noticed something to be different in Tirtawidjaja’s appearance as he was looking very Jim Watersesque. Expect a bigger production from Tirtawidjaja’s upcoming season with the Luchadores as he pairs up with Richard Gilbert in Tijuana’s backfield.
12. Zed Keppler
87 TPE; 111 carries; 485 rushing yards; 4.4 YPC; 2 rushing TDs; 5 catches; 25 receiving yards; 5.0 YPCT
Zed Keppler is the least developed running back in this draft class. He also only played in 8 games, 6 fewer games than all the active rookie running backs. Despite that, Keppler still puts out a respectable performance with the workload that he received. He will most likely be staying in the DSFL for another season to help with his development.
This is the end of my power ranking analysis. If feedback is good for this article, I might do it for some other positions. Hope this will help the people drafting and also the running backs in this draft class to see where they stack up with their peers.
TL;DR
I decided to do a power ranking of this season’s rookie running backs. I evaluated TPE, attributes, and on-field performance then aggregate them to put together the final ranking. This is my final power ranking for this draft class’ running backs:
Acura Skyline
Tatsu Nakamura
White Goodman
Kichwa Jones
Richard Gilbert
Jamar Lackson
J.B. Apollo
Jacoby Batista
Kevin Fakon
Aaron Feels
Julio Tirtawidjaja
Zed Keppler
Now as a disclaimer I am not claiming that this ranking is the end all, be all ranking. I’m just doing this for fun and to get the money during this 1.5x week. Regardless, I tried my best to make this as viable as possible so that readers that read it can still see the points I will be making in this post. Now let’s get started on this power ranking.
I started by evaluating all the active running backs in this class. My definition of active is someone who updated their player’s TPEs in the last 14 days. The TPE I put in this power ranking is based on the 03/28/20 update. The list that I had contained these players.
White Goodman
: 221Acura Skyline
: 199Kichwa Jones
: 196Tatsu Nakamura
: 193Jamar Lackson
: 173Richard Gilbert
: 172Julio Tirtawidjaja
: 137J.B. Apollo
: 122Kevin Fakon
: 117Jacoby Batista
: 117Aaron Feels
: 105Zed Keppler
: 87At a glance, White Goodman can be considered as the undisputed No. 1 running back in this rookie class with 221 TPE. Goodman is the only one with TPEs in the 200s but Acura Skyline, Kichwa Jones, and Tatsu Nakamura will most likely hit at least 200 in the latest update this week. Back to White Goodman, he certainly backed this evaluation with his great performances throughout the season for the Dallas Birddogs so the argument to be No. 1 is very solid. But, before we jump to conclusions, let’s continue to evaluate these players.
I decided to look at what these players spent their TPEs on. Then I proceeded to put weighted points on stats that I deemed as important to the success of running backs. These are the stats that I included and the weights that I assigned to each attribute:
Speed: 0.40
Endurance: 0.20
Strength: 0.15
Hands: 0.075
Agility: 0.075
Intelligence: 0.05
Pass Blocking: 0.025
Run Blocking: 0.025
I multiplied the weights with their attributes then sum the results to get the total points. You can find the full breakdown here. The results that came out will certainly surprise many. Check it out below:
Richard Gilbert
: 70.2White Goodman
: 69.9Acura Skyline
: 69.5Jamar Lackson
: 69.5Tatsu Nakamura
: 69Julio Tirtawidjaja
: 67.8Kichwa Jones
: 67.5J.B. Apollo
: 67.5Kevin Fakon
: 66.6Jacoby Batista
: 64.8Aaron Feels
: 64.6Zed Keppler
: 63.8Some of you may be wondering who Roberto Gilbert is but he was actually the first rookie running back this season to get 10 rushing touchdowns. He played behind NOLA’s Wombat, who is spending an extra season in the NSFL and also the starting running back for the Tijuana Luchadores. Now my theory as to why Ryker Gilbert edged out White Goodman as the No. 1 running back based on their attributes is because Reggie Gilbert has a whopping 30 point lead on Strength over Goodman. We all know Speed is the most important attribute for all NSFL players and endurance is also important for running backs so that they can outrun their defenders. But it seems like Strength also contributes a lot to the success of running backs. My theory is with higher Strength, players can shed tackles and run through defenders so they are able to gain more yardage in the simulation. It doesn’t matter how fast a player runs if they get easily tackled as they cannot always outrun the defenders. Strength will also factor into run blocking and pass blocking, especially in the NSFL-level where running backs in certain teams might be required to block in some plays.
Now let’s see how these attributes and TPE translate to on-field performance. I know some players are playing behind NSFL sent-downs, including myself, or drafted after a higher-TPE running back. Different player types also factor into why some players get more carries than others, depending on things such as team formations or team strategies that can affect how much of a workload each player receives. I tried to make this as even as possible considering two players in a team might have considerable differences in their amount of carries and targets, pointed out by Sakrosant’s TPE analysis on each positional group. So I assigned weights on each attribute of on-field performance to try to eliminate the gap in attempts and total yardage. I prioritize yard per carry and yard per catch (onward will be referred to as YPC and YPCT) because more or less that’s the easiest attribute to compare between players. Yes, I understand YPC and YPCT might be skewed from players having fewer carries or targets result in better YPC and YPCT but since there isn’t a huge difference in players with a major workload and players with only the occasional touches, YPC and YPCT are the attributes I put the biggest emphasis on. These are the weights I assigned to each attribute:
YPC/YPCT: 0.4
TD: 0.3
Rushing YD/Catching YD: 0.2
Carries/Receptions: 0.1
I combined the weighted points of rushing and receiving and see which player is No. 1 based on their on-field performance. Here’s the result:
Acura Skyline
: 412Tatsu Nakamura
: 289J.B. Apollo
: 288Kevin Fakon
: 251Jacoby Batista
: 250Richard Gilbert
: 244Jamar Lackson
: 223White Goodman
: 222Kichwa Jones
: 212Zed Keppler
: 117Aaron Feels
: 111Julio Tirtawidjaja
: 26Acura Skyline jumps out as the No. 1 running back in this list. Skyline was workhorse this season, pulling the carriage in which the London Royals are aboard. Skyline led all the running backs in rushing yards and carries with 1,761 yards and 349 attempts respectively. That’s 405 yards and 84 carries more than Tatsu Nakamura. No wonder Skyline scored so high based on his on-field performance. You may notice that Julio Tirtawidjaja (yes, that’s my player) scored very low with 26 and that’s because, despite his great YPC (actually the best out of all the running backs), the rest of his stats aren’t so great with 13 carries, 70 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Sitting behind two great running backs in Richard Gilbert and Wombat certainly is the main factor in his lack of playing time.
So now with all these evaluations done, who is the consensus No. 1 running back in this rookie class? I decided to aggregate TPE, Attributes, Rushing Performance, and Receiving Performance and assign a weight of each of those. I still put higher emphasis on TPE and attributes because I believe those are more important in the sim results as on-field performance is affected by many factors that can change the results significantly if it happens in different scenarios.
Acura Skyline
: 160.7Tatsu Nakamura
: 141.3White Goodman
: 140.6Kichwa Jones
: 130.1Richard Gilbert
: 126Jamar Lackson
: 123.9J.B. Apollo
: 115.8Jacoby Batista
: 107.1Kevin Fakon
: 107.1Aaron Feels
: 81.6Julio Tirtawidjaja
: 81.6 Zed Keppler
: 76.1Acura Skyline comes out on top again in the aggregated ranking. Skyline has been consistently in the top 3 on all the different evaluations I did and his big lead in the stats line most likely contributed to him having the highest weighted point total. This makes sense as he is the de facto starting running back for the London Royals with only Jacoby Batista the other running back to share the workload with. Dallas Birddogs probably have the best rookie running back duo with White Goodman and Kichwa Jones coming in at No. 3 and No. 4. Both have more or less an equal share of the workload while being helped by Aaron Feels. The result totally makes sense with expansion teams running backs to come out on top as they will start immediately without having to play behind any NSFL sent downs. Now let’s move forward to individual player breakdown and analysis.
1. Acura Skyline
199 TPE; 349 carries; 1761 rushing yards; 5.0 YPC; 10 rushing TDs; 10 catches; 79 receiving yards; 7.9 YPCT
Acura Skyline is most likely going to be the first running back in this draft class picked by an NSFL team. His stats certainly don’t lie and he has shown that he can be relied on as the team’s workhorse. Current and expansion teams with a need for running back can certainly get immediate production from Skyline in the upcoming NSFL season as with the upcoming update, his TPE should be in the 200s. Skyline is certainly the most prepared running back in this draft class to battle it out on the field with big boys in the NSFL.
2. Tatsu Nakamura
193 TPE; 265 carries; 1256 rushing yards; 4.7 YPC; 10 rushing TDs; 5 catches; 23 receiving yards; 4.6 YPCT
Tatsu Nakamura is one of the highly active rookies in this draft class, even prior to the S21 DSFL draft. Honestly speaking, I disliked him for a brief period because, in his Prospect Bowl media article, he kinda dissed my performance and as another Asian running back in the class, he became the Sasuke to my Naruto. Well anyway, he’s actually a great guy and also a great running back. Glancing over at his stats shows that he was THE guy in the backfield for the Portland Pythons and he certainly showed that when he gashed my team, the Tijuana Luchadores, for a 70-yard touchdown. He might also be another NSFL ready running back from this draft class, depending on which team picks him.
3. White Goodman
221 TPE; 200 carries; 914 rushing yards; 4.6 YPC; 6 rushing TDs; 8 catches; 60 receiving yards; 7.5 YPCT; 1 receiving TD
White Goodman is third in this power ranking because his stats on the field are below what Acura Skyline and Tatsu Nakamura have produced and this isn’t a knock on Goodman because he had to share the backfield this season with another premier running back in this class in Kichwa Jones. Please note that even though he is third on the list, Goodman still has a strong argument as the best running back in this class. The fact that he was still able to produce such performances through the season in a shared workload with another strong running back means HE IS EFFICIENT. He is the only running back in this draft class with a receiving touchdown. One thing that he can improve is probably his strength and build his muscles in the upcoming offseason to prepare his body in facing NSFL defenders. With his 221 TPE, White Goodman is definitely the most NSFL-ready running back in this rookie class.
4. Kichwa Jones
196 TPE; 203 carries; 904 rushing yards; 4.5 YPC; 8 rushing TDs; 3 catches; 22 receiving yards; 7.3 YPCT
Kichwa Jones is the lightning to White Goodman’s thunder and they certainly have been workhorses for the Dallas Birddogs this season. Jones has elite speed and he is actually the fastest running back in this draft class. His speed alone makes him another good candidate to play immediately in the NSFL. However, whether or not Jones will make the step up immediately or stay an extra season in the DSFL will depend on the team that drafts him. Just like Goodman, Jones probably will also need to improve his strength. Staying in the DSFL for an extra season might benefit him as he can improve his endurance, his agility, and his hands to make him a more rounded running back and more productive in the NSFL.
5. Richard Gilbert
172 TPE; 198 carries; 978 rushing yards; 4.9 YPC; 10 rushing TDs; 13 catches; 98 receiving yards; 7.5 YPCT
Richard Gilbert has become one of the surprises among this draft’s rookie running backs. Gilbert became the first rookie running back this season to reach 10 rushing touchdowns. He is also a very productive dual-threat running back, attacking opposing teams both on the ground and on the air. The fact that he shared the backfield with two other running backs, one of them being NOLA Second Line’s Wombat and still able to produce such numbers certainly showed his great potential. His position in this ranking would have been much higher if he was the main workhorse for the Tijuana Luchadores this season as his production on the field would certainly be much higher. Gilbert might be staying the DSFL for an extra season to be the starting running back for the Luchadores but do not be surprised if the team that drafts him decides to play him immediately in the NSFL.
6. Jamar Lackson
173 TPE; 194 carries; 931 rushing yards; 4.8 YPC; 5 rushing TDs; 4 catches; 47 receiving yards; 11.8 YPCT
It has been a disappointing season for the Minnesota Grey Ducks but it certainly wasn’t for Jamar Lackson. Honestly, not bad for a QB. Lackson has been efficient with the touches that he got, playing alongside Baby Yoda in the backfield. It can be argued that Lackson outperformed Baby Yoda this season. He had 16 fewer carries from Baby Yoda and only 28 rushing yards behind. Lackson is in the top 3 strongest running back in this draft class and that has certainly helped him get the on-field results he produced last season. Expect Jamar Lackson to be back for another season in the DSFL but the NSFL team that picks him will certainly be set at their running back position for the future.
7. J. B. Apollo
122 TPE; 265 carries; 1267 rushing yards; 4.8 YPC; 5 rushing TDs; 6 catches; 16 receiving yards; 2.7 YPCT
J. B. Apollo was lauded as one of the top running backs prior to the DSFL draft, especially after his showing in the Prospect Bowl. However, he certainly has not lived up to that hype. He also has not been improving as much as his peers have. The production on the field was the result of volume. The Myrtle Beach Buccaneers led the league in rushing attempts with 592 rushings. With a running back like Dax Frost in the team, you would want to focus on the run. But with the volume that Apollo got, he was not efficient with his carries, especially on touchdowns. Whether or not his goalline touches were being taken by the rushing touchdown leader in Dax Frost, I’m not sure. Now, this is not saying Apollo is a bad running back, he still rushed for over 1200 yards. But, NSFL teams should realize that Apollo will need an extra season in the DSFL, which will benefit him as he can improve some aspects of his game and contribute as the main workhorse in next season’s Buccaneers backfield.
8. Jacoby Batista
117 TPE; 231 carries; 1093 rushing yards; 4.7 YPC; 4 rushing TDs; 3 catches; 17 receiving yards; 5.7 YPCT
Jacoby Batista played behind Acura Skyline this season in the Royals backfield. Batista had decent production and might have produced more if he didn’t have Skyline in front of him. Then, why is Batista ranked lower than some of those who rushed for fewer yards than him? The reason is his development, he hasn’t been improving as much as his peers have, indicating that his production is the result of volume as he is the only other running back beside Skyline playing for the Royals. Batista will definitely have to stay an extra season in the DSFL and work hard to catch up to his peers in terms of his skills and attributes to be a successful running back in the NSFL. With Skyline most likely playing in the NSFL, the Royals backfield is basically Batista’s as long as he isn’t leapfrogged by a rookie next season.
9. Kevin Fakon
117 TPE; 226 carries; 1042 rushing yards; 4.6 YPC; 9 rushing TDs; 7 catches; 61 receiving yards; 8.7 YPCT
Kevin Fakon has been quite productive and a significant contributor to the Kansas City Coyotes run to win the Ultimini this season. Then, why is he ranked so low? Lack of speed hurts Fakon’s case to be a top running back in this draft class. He is the only running back with a speed below 80. The NSFL team that drafts him will certainly have him stay an extra season in the DSFL to improve his game, especially his speed because as the wise and great Ricky Bobby once said, “I wanna go faaaaaaasssstttt!”
10. Aaron Feels
105 TPE; 89 carries; 455 rushing yards; 5.1 YPC; 2 rushing TDs; 6 catches; 30 receiving yards; 5 YPCT
Aaron Feels played behind White Goodman and Kichwa Jones in the Birddogs backfield. If Goodman is the Thunder and Jones is the Lightning, Feels is the Rain that comes afterward. Given his workload, Feels is efficient and he’s also contributed two touchdowns this season. He will still be playing in the upcoming week as the Birddogs are preparing themselves for the playoffs. With both Goodman and Jones most likely playing in the NSFL next season, Feels might be the starting running back for the Birddogs and this will be good for his development to become NSFL-ready.
11. Julio Tirtawidjaja
137 TPE; 13 carries; 70 rushing yards; 5.4 YPC; 2 rushing TDs; 5 catches; 28 receiving yards; 5.6 YPCT
Julio Tirtawidjaja has been developing well this season after his late start in the offseason and seems to be on an upward trend in regards to his TPE. But then, why is he so low, even lower than some of those with lower TPE than him? The answer is the lack of on-field production. Yes, you read that right, he’s had 13 carries this whole season. Tirtawidjaja is the definition of fresh legs. He was still able to convert those carries into two rushing touchdowns. Any NSFL teams that draft him will probably gamble on his potential and look at his production in the DSFL next season. Tirtawidjaja’s on-field performance is still shrouded in mystery, which also isn’t helped by his surprise start as QB during one of Tijuana Luchadores’ games this past season. He threw for a touchdown in that game but for some reason not recorded in the stats sheet. Fans that were at the stadium are still convinced that the touchdown pass was real but noticed something to be different in Tirtawidjaja’s appearance as he was looking very Jim Watersesque. Expect a bigger production from Tirtawidjaja’s upcoming season with the Luchadores as he pairs up with Richard Gilbert in Tijuana’s backfield.
12. Zed Keppler
87 TPE; 111 carries; 485 rushing yards; 4.4 YPC; 2 rushing TDs; 5 catches; 25 receiving yards; 5.0 YPCT
Zed Keppler is the least developed running back in this draft class. He also only played in 8 games, 6 fewer games than all the active rookie running backs. Despite that, Keppler still puts out a respectable performance with the workload that he received. He will most likely be staying in the DSFL for another season to help with his development.
This is the end of my power ranking analysis. If feedback is good for this article, I might do it for some other positions. Hope this will help the people drafting and also the running backs in this draft class to see where they stack up with their peers.
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