In 2017, James Conner was drafted by the Steelers at the tail end of the third round to add depth behind superstar running back Le’Veon Bell. In the three seasons prior, Bell never finished lower than fourth among RBs in PPR points per game, scoring as the overall PPR RB1 and RB3 in 2014 and 2016, respectively.
Conner concluded his four-year career at the University of Pittsburgh with an impressive 84% backfield dominator rating in his final season, but his draft stock was bogged down due to some unimpressive testing numbers at the combine.
Conner’s rookie season played out like most would expect — backing up Bell, as the veteran put up yet another elite season as the overall RB2. However, 2018 saw a twist that few were expecting as Bell staged a holdout over his contract situation. While practically the entirety of the football community assumed he would eventually join the team, Bell took an unprecedented stance and sat out the entirety of the season. This opened up the door for Conner to step into the lead role in the Steelers’ backfield, as he ended up finishing as the overall RB6 in 2018 despite only playing in 13 games. Since then, Conner has finished as a top-20 RB in three of the following five seasons — including a finish as the overall RB5 in 2021. In fact, Conner has never finished lower than the RB34 despite missing at least two games in every season.[1] Not only that, but Conner is heading into his eighth season at the age of 29, and is still going strong as the projected lead back for the Cardinals.
Coincidentally, this past April’s draft provided a strikingly similar storyline that mirrored Conner’s path to the NFL seven years ago. After some disappointing athletic testing, a college workhorse fell to the middle rounds of the draft. While sliding down the draft board isn’t necessarily a death knell for a prospect’s career, being drafted behind a young superstar RB can be. Just like Conner, that is the exact scenario this young RB currently finds himself in. Directly following the draft, this rookie saw his ADP in dynasty and best ball drafts plummet, but a steady drum beat of positive camp reports have seen him recover some of his lost value. Sporting similar athletic and production profiles to Conner — plus one glaring advantage — can this rookie also overcome a less-than-ideal team situation to become a fantasy producer early in his career?
Gearing up for your home league draft? Be sure to go back and refresh yourself on all of the rookie RB profiles featured on RotoViz this offseason:
Can Trey Benson Become an NFL Bell Cow, or is He Destined to Spend His Career as a Committee Back?
Could These 3 Late-Round Rookie Running Backs be Leading Their Backfields by the End of 2024?
This Alvin Kamara/Tony Pollard Clone Is Borderline Free and a Must-Draft In All Formats
Footnotes
| ↑1 | Conner has never played a full season in his career; averaging 13 games per year. |
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