Following the departure of Jonathan Brooks, Texas running back CJ Baxter has emerged as a potential breakthrough star. Tashard Choice boasts a skilled and deep position room once again.
3 NFL Draft selections for Texas running back Jonathan Brooks
The majority of media sources predict that Jonathan Brooks of Texas football will be the first running back selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Former Texas football standout Jonathan Brooks is regarded by many, including Pro Football Focus, as the best running back prospect available for the 2024 NFL Draft. With his height, physicality, and adaptability, 6-foot-5, 205-pound Brooks can be an NFL star back for a very long time.
Texas football running back Jonathon Brooks is a candidate to be selected early on Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft.
2023 saw Brooks make his debut as Texas’ primary running back, rushing for over 1,000 yards and ten touchdowns. In a conference that included Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon II, the winner of the Doak Walker Award, he was among the best running backs in the Big 12.
If Brooks hadn’t sustained a season-ending knee injury against TCU in Week 10 of the 2023 season, he would have been well on his way to contending for a position as a finalist for the Doak Walker Award. Prior to that injury, Brooks had eight straight games with over 125 total yards from scrimmage, ranking among the Power Five’s best running backs.
The fact that Brooks hasn’t been able to practice during the draft scouting process because of a knee injury he sustained last autumn, but he is still expected to be the best rusher in this class, shows how valuable his skill set is as a modern running back in the NFL.
These are three places where Brooks may go in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys and head coach Mike McCarthy have made it their top priority to select a starting running back in the NFL Draft or through free agency this offseason. Tony Pollard, the Cowboys’ starting running back and two-time 1,000-yard rusher, was allowed to go in free agency after he finished 2023 with a career-low four yards per carry.
Following the release of former Ohio State standout Ezekiel Elliott at the end of the 2022 season, the Cowboys let their starting rushing back to go free in each of the previous two offseasons.
Although it is undoubtedly a dangerous move for the Cowboys to start a running back who is still healing from an ACL tear, Brooks has all the makings to be a long-term success in Dallas.
The height and speed of Brooks, along with his ability to burst through defenses rushing between the tackles and catch passes out of the backfield, would be a great asset to a Cowboys offense that at times last season lacked the try explosive threat.
Chargers of Los Angeles
The Chargers are hoping to move on from the termination of former head coach Brandon Staley after a turbulent offseason in Los Angeles. Along with losing Staley, the Chargers also lost a lot of players on both sides of the ball, most notably star running back Austin Ekeler.
During the early 2020s, Ekeler was the Chargers’ workhorse running back who seemed to be able to do it all. In his first four seasons as the main running back for the Chargers, he averaged 4.5 yards per carry. In 2021 and 2022, he led the league in total touchdowns from scrimmage.
However, it appeared as though Ekeler’s body had some wear and tear during the course of his five seasons as a starter with the Chargers. Early in the season, Ekeler had an ankle injury that kept him out of a few games.
The Chargers have given former Michigan Wolverines and San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh the assignment of rebuilding this roster this winter. With the Chargers in the AFC West, Harbaugh will now employ his signature run-heavy offensive scheme.
Finding a running back who can spearhead the Chargers’ ground attack in this new era of LA offensive is one of Harbaugh’s early offseason tasks.
The Chargers’ most apparent choice would be to select Blake Corum, Harbaugh’s standout running back at Michigan the past few years. At Michigan, Corum’s vision and strength allowed him to regularly blow past rival defenses, ultimately leading the Wolverines and Harbaugh to a national championship in the previous season.
However, when contrasted to the small Corum, Brooks is the more complete back, particularly in the modern NFL. Additionally, Brooks is the more explosive of the two backs, which should help the Chargers spread the ball more and provide Justin Herbert with a powerful weapon out of the backfield.
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