How to tell if rookie running backs good enough to warrant 1 more on Rams roster

When it comes to the Los Angeles Rams offense, the last position you might think of in terms of shopping during the 2025 NFL Draft is the running back position. With the extension of veteran running back Ronnie Rivers, the Rams roster is back to four running backs. That is not just about the 90-man training camp roster. All four players were on the 53-man Rams roster throughout the 2024 NFL season.

But when it came down to workload distribution, the team was almost exclusively focused on RB Kyren Williams. The team could have gotten away with two running backs on the roster last season. Why do I say that? Just check out the number of carries handled by the Rams running backs in 2024:

• Kyren Williams - 316 car | 1,299 yds | 4.1 YPC | 14 TDs | 2 20+ car | 34 rec | 182 yds | 2 TDs
• Blake Corum - 58 car | 207 yds | 3.6 YPC | 0 TD | 0 20+ car | 7 rec | 58 yds | 0 TD
• Ronnie Rivers - 22 car | 99 yds | 4.5 YPC | 0 TD | 0 20+ car | 5 rec | 34 yds | 0 TD
• Cody Schrader - 1 car | 3 yds | 3.0 YPC | 0 TD | 0 20+ car | 1 rec | 6 yds | 0 TD

If you compare what the Rams did on offense, there is the category of Kyren Williams, and then the 'all other' category. So you have to ask the question: Are the Rams simply unwilling to give other running backs a significant share of the work? Or did the Rams carry three suspect running backs on the roster all season?

It's a bit more complicated than that. The Rams wanted to carry a homogeneous blend of running backs in 2024. That homogeneity gave the team a seamless plug-and-play option throughout the season. But as you can detect from the table above, the Rams' entire running back room could only produce two 20+ yard runs from scrimmage in 2024. That was among the worst in the NFL.

Part of the problem is the lack of speed in the Rams' backfield. If you consider that Rams WR Tutu Atwell ran a 40-yard dash in 4.32 seconds, and WR Jordan Whittington ran his 40-yard dash in 4.56 seconds, you have the range of NFL expected speed from the Rams backfield. Only one running back, RB Blake Corum, posted a 40-time that falls within that range.

• Kyren Williams - 4.65 seconds 40-yard dash
• Blake Corum - 4.53 seconds 40-yard dash
• Ronnie Rivers - 4.57 seconds 40-yard dash
• Cody Schrader - 4.61 seconds 40-yard dash.

Why are the Rams loading up with slow and small running backs? Well, it's tough to dispute the success of Kyren Williams. But how well would the Rams' rushing attack be if the team could get faster at the position? There are plenty of speedy runners up for grabs in this draft:

• Ashton Jeantry - 5-foot-0 | 211 pounds | did not run
• Omarion Hampton - 6-foot-0 | 221 pounds | 4.46 seconds
• R.J. Harvey - 5-foot-8 | 205 pounds | 4.40 seconds
• Bhayshul Tuten - 5-foot-9 | 206 pounds | 4.32 seconds
• Treveyon Henderson - 5-foot-10 | 202 pounds | 4.43 seconds
• Dylan Sampson - 5-foot-8 | 200 pounds | 4.42 seconds
• Quinshon Judkins - 6-foot-0 | 221 pounds | 4.48 seconds
• Kaleb Johnson - 6-foot-1 | 224 pounds | 4.57 seconds

As you can see, thee slowest of the group is burly 6-foot-1 224-pound running back Kaleb Johnson out of Iowa runs a 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds. And that is just the tip of the iceberg:

In 2024, some running backs with draft profile of grades of under 5.70 were still being selected on Day 3. 20 running backs were chosen in the draft last season. But in 2025, there are 32 running backs with draft profile grades at 5.80 or better. That makes for at least one running back with a draftable grade for each NFL team. Will the Rams help themselves to the abundance of rushing firepower in this year's rookie class? There are reasons why the team will, and reasons why the team won't.