Saints RB coach working out Tyjae Spears at Tulane Pro Day; Spears will meet with Saints later

I really like the kid but I think people are possibly over valuing his draft stock and how teams view the RB position as a whole. RB is a position that has just been devalued. The wear and tear and the ability to find players in the mid/late and undrafted have just put less of a premium on that. You can see it in the RB free agent market. We signed a guy with 1000 yards and 17 rushing TD’s for 4 million a year. Mark Ingram, coming off a 645 yard 6 TD year signed for 5 million a year in 2019 with Baltimore. That’s pretty significant. Add to the fact you have a 27 year old Zeke that is possibly on his last NFL leg and you can see the reasons NFL running backs don’t get the lure of old. 3-4 years out of a good back and the table tends to run out.

Generational guys will still be taken in the 1st round but when guys like Chubb, Kamara, Sanders, Cooks we’re all 2nd and later guys the NFL has transitioned away from investing big in the RB position, in free agency and the draft.

Take a guy like Bjian. Even as talented as he is what’s the chances of him getting through a 2nd NFL contract? Even guys like Barkley and Jacobs, who were great last year can’t get long term deals and a major factor in that is guaranteeing how long they’ll really be around.

There’s several of these guys, Gibbs, Charbonet, Spears, Achane, Bigsby, Spears, Evans, Tucker, McBride that are going to lose value because of the way RB is valued, or undervalued and because of the market and availability of good, solid guys. You had a fairly strong free agent market, you have 2 top tier guys in the draft in Bjian and Gibbs and you have a glut of talent after they’re gone.

If you’re a GM you have to factor in taking a RB, giving up draft capital and a roster spot for a guy that position average 3-4 years on a roster and all the other factors that come with the draft.