Eagles extend RB Saquan Barkley with a massive 2-year $41.2 million contract
New? No. But there was a period from around 2011 - 2017 where we saw a record low of RB's selected in the first round and even the second round compared to most time periods. The league was also pass heavy compared to any other time period of the NFL and operated primarily off timing-based passing offenses. As far as QB's go, the top 5 QB's now couldn't hold a candlestick to the top 5 QB's in 2014. Even Mahomes, Burrow and Allen are nothing compared to the likes of Brees, Manning, Brady, Rodgers and maybe even Rivers for years proceeding and after 2014. Maybe they could rival Roethlisberger, Luck and Flacco for 6-10. But there was a massive gap between the top 4 and everyone else, back when RB's weren't a premium for a time.
No offense, but I think you're learning the wrong lesson. From 2011 to 2017, let's look at the RB draft classes. It wasn't that RBs weren't a premium. There weren't any premium RBs. No one coming out the drafts during the time period you quoted were on the level of Tomlinson, Peterson, Lynch before them or McCaffery, Kamara, Barkley after them.
https://www.betus.com.pa/nfl/picks/best-running-backs-from-each-nfl-draft-since-2010/
From that time period, none of the RBs drafted are really threatening the record books as an all-time great. Yes, there's been a few good RBs in that time period but no one I would call generational just good. There were several years where the RB classes just weren't really good. If there was 1 or 2 good players, the classes definitely weren't deep. So of course, the value for RBs were down. Worthy RBs just weren't there. It wasn't until 2017 that there was a really decent RB class.
And this points back to the issue with drafting need aka drafting position ask BPA at a position of need or whatever you're calling it to rationalize drafting on anything besides the actual players in the draft. If you "needed" a RB in 2014 and just had your heart set on taking one, you probably ended up with a lemon. But if you were smart and realized the RB class was terrible and pivoted to taking BPA, you likely got a player that contributed more to your team than the RB you avoided who ended out the league after a few years.
Teams weren't just undervaluing RBs. Think about that time period, the RBs just weren't as good. The Giants GM also totally learned the wrong lesson. It wasn't that the value for RBs had dropped so much as the RBs deserving the value had fallen. Barkley is special and the Giants totally missed that thinking no one would offer him as much as they would. They were incredibly wrong. And the Eagles know what they have. The Niners know what they have. The Saints know what they have.
Fast forward to this year's draft. Jeanty is going early barring some horrific bombshell about him drops. Teams aren't going to avoid drafting him because they don't value RBs anymore. He's worthy so he'll go early. It's as simple as that. Unless you're a kicker or punter, great players are getting undervalued in the draft. If your tape looks insane and you kill it at the combine/pro-day, you're not going to be sitting around until day 2 or later because your position isn't in style at the moment. If anything, certain positions get overvalued in the NFL draft: QB, Tackles, and DEs. Teams drafting positions over players make that mistake every year. With this new regime, I'm hoping it's not the Saints.