NFL draft: Trevor Etienne among running backs hoping to surprise in rookie year

Etienne is a projected late-round pick in the coming draft, though he’s certainly helped his stock during the spring process. He ran a 4.42 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine — sixth best among backs — and showed the explosiveness that made him a home-run threat in college. Etienne won’t be a feature back, but he could serve a valuable role as a big-play complementary player. He was a proven pass catcher in his college career (snagging 62 of 63 targets).

“I felt like there was nothing I could come back and show coaches and teams that I didn’t show in the past three years, so I felt like it was time to take this next step,” Etienne said of his decision to go pro.

This is a loaded running back class. It’s headlined by Ashton Jeanty, the Boise State rusher who qualifies as one of the better runners in recent years. He’s expected to be taken in the top half of the first round, with North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton potentially following him among the first 32 picks.

Then there’s Cam Skattebo, the Arizona State sensation who largely carried their offense into a playoff appearance. Skattebo was underappreciated nationally — he wasn’t even a Heisman Trophy finalist — but he left Tempe a legend. He’s had an encouraging predraft process, a testament to the past year he’s spent preparing for the pro level.

“My physique needed to change,” Skattebo said. “I was a little high in body fat, so I needed to drop that a little bit and gain some more muscle. I needed to work on my speed, so running technique was something I didn’t really know about until I started learning and understanding what was going on. Then, just being a better leader and becoming a better person. I was immature in years past and then maturing over the senior year of my college career helped me a lot. Those are the main three things we talked about and those were focuses for the whole senior season.”

Beyond the big names, the question, as it always is, centers on which back will be the surprise pick on Saturday. Last year, the Buccaneers took Oregon’s Bucky Irving in the fourth round, and he was an instant hit, taking over the backfield and establishing himself as a top-tier running back.

Those stories occur every year. There will be somebody — maybe Central Florida’s R.J. Harvey, Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson or someone further down the list — that assumes a significant role as a rookie. The fantasy football crowd will laud him; fans of his employee will love him. Identifying those late-round gems are where the better scouting departments shine.

“When I was a kid, running back was arguably the most important position on the field,” Ravens executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta said. “I grew up a Cowboys fan — Tony Dorsett, Emmitt Smith, guys like that were my idols. Then, we went through this period over the last five, 10 years, where the analytics certainly de-emphasized the position. I think last year, you saw the impact that some of these guys had. Howie Roseman, a great GM (of the Eagles), went out and got Saquon (Barkley), and they won the Super Bowl. A lot of credit to Howie.

“These are guys that touch the ball, these are guys that impact games. I think they’re looked at as probably replaceable by some people, but if you have a great one, you’ve got a historic one, you just can’t replace those guys. They impact the game in many different ways and are nightmares for defense.”

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