Shawn Siegele looks at two running back prospects who will battle to be the next Aaron Jones. One enters the NFL as a trendy pick who looks overrated by the RB Prospect Lab. The other has more production but will have to craft his own underdog story.
Jones entered the league as the 182nd pick in the 2017 draft. Despite one of the most explosive 2,000-yard campaigns in college football history, he wasn’t even the first RB selected by the Packers. While Jamaal Williams has also gone on to a solid career, Jones’ ascent made him one of the best dynasty values in recent memory.
Starting outside the top 200 as a rookie, Jones climbed to the edge of the top 100 in his second year, even with a four-game suspension staring him in the face. He jumped into the top 50 last season, and the ensuing No. 2 finish vaulted him in the top 25. It will be difficult to maintain such gaudy TD numbers this season, but he landed in a key tier in my 2020 top 150 dynasty rankings.
After Jones’ underdog success story, dynasty owners are searching for the next young RB to follow in his path. The 2020 draft offers two players who look almost identical. One of them is an expensive red-flag risk. The other had the stronger overall college career and is going at quite a discount in early drafts.
