The 2022 NFL Draft has come and gone, and that means it’s time for dynasty rookie and startup drafts to really take off. We’ll have you covered throughout the draft season. You can find our full dynasty startup, dynasty rookie, and dynasty superflex rookie rankings that will be updated through draft season.
Below, we take a look at the order of the top running backs in our staff consensus dynasty rookie draft rankings.
1) Breece Hall (NYJ – RB)
Breece Hall lands with the New York Jets and should get all the volume he can handle. Michael Carter was immensely productive when healthy and given the opportunity last year, but this type of draft capital speaks volumes. New York deployed inside and outside zone runs on 60% of their rushing snaps last year (per PFF). These run designs are Hall’s bread and butter, as he registered a 36% missed tackles forced rate on outside zone runs in 2021 (per PFF). The Jets should have no issues springing him into space with an offensive line that was 11th in open field yards last season (per Football Outsiders). Hall remains a top ten dynasty running back.
2) Kenneth Walker III (SEA – RB)
Pete Carroll sidesteps the quarterback position for his establish the run fetish and selects the best pure runner in this draft class. For 2022 this is a nightmare scenario for Kenneth Walker to get the full workload with last season’s stretch run darling and efficiency king Rashaad Penny still in town. This move does show Seattle’s hand that Chris Carson is likely not healthy, so he’s not factoring into how I’m evaluating this backfield. Walker will have to deal with the headache of Penny this year, but it could be wheels up in 2023. Walker plummets from a top ten perch among dynasty running backs to RB20 in my current rankings.
3) James Cook (BUF – RB)
The Buffalo Bills selected running back James Cook at the end of the second round with the 63rd overall pick. The Georgia product has immediate fantasy appeal across all formats based on his draft capital, pass-catching prowess and offensive situation.
And it’s no secret that Buffalo’s front office has been trying to upgrade the position, specifically with a running back capable of excelling in the passing game. The Bills tried to sign J.D. McKissic this offseason and were heavily rumored to be in the market for Travis Etienne in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The fact that they are constantly sniffing around for other running backs despite having Devin Singletary on the roster suggests that Singletary’s late-season surge – he was the fantasy RB3 over the last six weeks – might not be sustainable.
Cook represents an immediate upgrade across all facets.
The younger brother of Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook finished with the fifth-highest PFF receiving grade at the position in 2021 among his draft class.
He hauled in 27 of 30 targets for 274 receiving yards, including 112 in the College Football Playoff game against Michigan.
His overall counting stats are not particularly great, but that’s because he split work with Zamir White and Kenny McIntosh, as many Georgia backs often do. What matters more is Cook’s career three yards per snap – a mark that is a strong indicator of future production at the position.
If Cook added 10-plus pounds of muscle to his frame, he’d look highly similar to his brother. At his current build, he just looks like a smaller, faster version of Dalvin – Andre Ellington-esque.
I’d anticipate he operates in some kind of committee with Devin Singletary/Zack Moss, but it will be hard to keep him off the field based on his receiving ability and explosiveness.
And the fact that he went in Round 2 matters dramatically for redraft. Round 2 running backs finish as RB3s more than half the time based on my research of valuing rookies in Year 1.
4) Dameon Pierce (HOU – RB)
Dameon Pierce never topped 106 carries in any college season but forced a nasty 39% missed tackle rate – second best in the class. At 5-10 and 224 pounds, there’s no reason this guy can’t be Houston’s bellcow.
2022 Dynasty Rookie Rankings
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