5 NFL Teams and the Key Offensive Positions They Neglected in the Draft

Philadelphia Eagles: Running Back

For the second year running, the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles declined to use a high draft pick on a running back. This is despite having a host of backs on their roster who were mostly below average in 2017.

The team did not re-sign LeGarrette Blount, who led the team in carries a year ago. He signed with the Detroit Lions in free agency.

That left Jay Ajayi, former undrafted free agent Corey Clement, and Wendell Smallwood as the leading ball carriers on the roster. Of this trio, only Clement was above the league average of -0.05 in Rushing NEP per play with a mark of 0.11 in 2017. Clement only had 74 carries all season.

Across two teams, Ajayi had 208 carries last season, but only 70 of them came as an Eagle. Of the 18 running backs with at least 200 carries in 2017, only two had a worse Rushing NEP per play than Ajayi's -0.07.

The Eagles did use a fourth round pick on former San Diego State Aztecs back Donnel Pumphrey last season. But at 5'8" and 176 pounds, Pumphrey does not profile as a player capable of handling a bell-cow workload. The Eagles had the 11th-lowest pass-to-run ratio in the NFL last season of 1.27.

If they repeat this, it looks like they will do so with a committee at running back. The Eagles' wait for their first 1,000-yard rusher since 2014 may continue.