Todd McShay re-stacks top-five running backs ahead of 2022 NFL Draft

With the NFL Draft quickly approaching, ESPN analysts Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay are continuing to make changes to their mock drafts. While Kiper recently released an updated draft order with a new No. 1 overall pick, McShay has now re-stacked his top five running backs in the 2022 draft class.

During a recent segment on ESPN, McShay focused in on his top-five running backs ahead of the NFL Draft and explained why he ranked the prospects where he did. Although he’s not at the top of his list, McShay had plenty to say about Kyren Williams out of Notre Dame – saying that the running back is one of the most versatile in the entire draft class.

“Another versatile player, and I go back to the running back position – Kyren Williams from Notre Dame,” McShay said. “He’s a guy who’s never going to be – or never really has been – a 30-plus carry guy. … He just doesn’t have that frame, but he is a patient as a runner, the pick-and-slide maneuvering and the vision to go with it. He senses where the linebackers are going, he senses where the cutback is, he picks and slides through and then he has that upfield burst.

“What I love is that he runs with urgency, he churns his legs at the end of runs – and don’t tell him what his height and weight is when he’s carrying the football.”

Williams – who is just 5-foot-9 and 19 pounds – rushed for 1,002 yards and 14 touchdowns and caught 42 passes for 359 yards and three more touchdowns in 13 games for Notre Dame in 2021. McShay is clearly high on the former Fighting Irish star, and he has him listed at No. 4 on his running backs list.

Here’s a look at McShay’s top-five running back prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft.

McShay’s top-five running backs

1.) Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State: Walker rushed for 1,636 yards and 18 touchdowns on 263 carries, while making 13 receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown in 2021.

2.) Breece Hall, Iowa State: Cook rushed for 1,472 yards and 20 touchdowns on 253 carries, while making 36 receptions for 302 yards and three touchdowns in 2021.

3.) James Cook, Georgia: Cook rushed for 728 yards and seven touchdowns on 113 carries, while making 27 receptions for 284 yards and four touchdowns in 2021.

4.) Kyren Williams, Notre Dame: Williams rushed for 1,002 yards and 14 touchdowns on 204 carries, while making 42 receptions for 359 yards and three touchdowns in 2021.

5.) Isaiah Spiller, Texas A&M: Spiller rushed for 1,011 yards and six touchdowns on 179 carries, while making 25 receptions for 189 yards and a touchdown in 2021.