2016 NFL Draft RB Class

Consensus board vs. draft day: the full RB class, charted.

The Steal

Who was the steal of the 2016 RB class?

Alex Collins was ranked RB7 on the consensus board (#90 overall) but lasted until pick 171, where the Seattle Seahawks took him in Round 5. A 81-spot fall, the largest gap between consensus and draft day of any RB in the class. Behind him, Kenneth Dixon (+75) and Devontae Booker (+73) also outlasted their rankings.

The Conviction Pick

Which RB did teams value above the consensus board?

The Las Vegas Raiders took DeAndre Washington at pick 143, 79 spots ahead of his #222 consensus rank. That's the league's strongest disagreement with the public board at the position. Teams showed similar conviction on Wendell Smallwood (60 spots) and Kenyan Drake (50 spots).

The Cliff

Where did the RB talent drop off in 2016?

After Ezekiel Elliott went at pick 4, the next RB didn't come off the board for 41 picks. That's the sharpest drop in the class.

The Spend

How much did teams invest in RB in the 2016 draft?

Teams spent 21 picks on RB, 2 of them in the first two rounds. That's right at the position's average of 21.1 since 2018.

The Bet

Which team bet biggest on RB in 2016?

The Dallas Cowboys spent more draft capital on RB than any other club: picks 4 and 216, 36% of their total draft investment.

The One Who Slipped

Who was the highest-ranked RB to go undrafted in 2016?

Josh Ferguson, ranked #177 on the consensus board, went undrafted through all 253 picks.

PickPlayerPos RankConsensusΔSchoolTeam
4Ezekiel ElliottRB1#5−1Ohio StateDallas
45Derrick HenryRB2#39+6AlabamaTennessee
73Kenyan DrakeRB10#123−50AlabamaMiami
90C.J. ProsiseRB8#91−1Notre DameSeattle
119Tyler ErvinRB11#156−37San Jose StateHouston
134Kenneth DixonRB3#59+75Louisiana TechBaltimore
136Devontae BookerRB4#63+73UtahDenver
143DeAndre WashingtonRB17#222−79Texas TechLas Vegas
149Paul PerkinsRB5#86+63UCLANY Giants
150Jordan HowardRB6#87+63IndianaChicago
153Wendell SmallwoodRB16#213−60West VirginiaPhiladelphia
156Jonathan WilliamsRB9#112+44ArkansasBuffalo
171Alex CollinsRB7#90+81ArkansasSeattle
176Andy JanovichRBNebraskaDenver
198Derek WattRBWisconsinSDG
211Kelvin TaylorRB12#159+52FloridaSan Francisco
216Darius JacksonRBEastern MichiganDallas
236Dwayne WashingtonRBWashingtonDetroit
237Daniel LascoRB13#166+71CaliforniaNew Orleans
242Keith MarshallRB15#206+36GeorgiaWashington
247Zac BrooksRBClemsonSeattle
Undrafted (UDFA)
Josh FergusonRB14#177Illinois
Aaron GreenRB18#235
Glenn GronkowskiRB19#240Kansas State
Devon JohnsonRB20#258Marshall
Peyton BarberRB21#281Auburn
Tra CarsonRB22#286Texas A&M
Marshaun CoprichRB23#292Illinois State
Tre MaddenRB24#299USC
Andrew BonnetRB
Brandon WildsRBSouth Carolina
Chris SwainRB
Jhurell PressleyRB
Johnathan GrayRB
Jordan CanzeriRB
Quayvon HicksRBGeorgia
Will RatelleRB

Pre-draft projections are from the Wide Left Consensus Big Board compiled by Arif Hasan, an aggregation of published analyst boards.