2013 NFL Draft running back rankings

Despite missing last season with an ankle injury, Davis still considered entering the NFL Draft. As a sophomore, Davis averaged 101.6 yards rushing per game and runs with a powerful, bruising style. In March, Davis posted a ridiculous 4.33 40, so he's not purely a power runner.

Is Ball just a product of the Wisconsin offense or a legitimate NFL prospect. This sort of rating would suggest the latter, but Ball's ceiling isn't very high and he's not a break away runner. He does, however, run with good pad level and works through trash well. Ball may not develop into a first-round player, but his floor is high.

Injuries limited Michael to just nine games last season, but he still ran for 899 yards and eight touchdowns. He impressively shredded Arkansas for 230 yards and three touchdowns. When he's healthy, Michael is a great combination of power, pure speed and vision. His injury history, however, is a major red flag.

Although Ellington is somewhat slight of frame, he's one of the fastest running backs in college football. In space, Ellington is a weapon. He led Clemson in rushing last season with 1,178 yards and earned second-team all-ACC honors. He's a solid receiving option as well.

He's been overshadowed throughout his career at Oregon, either by LaMichael James or D'Anthony Thomas, but Barner is a dangerous talent. Despite missing two games last season, he still ran for 939 yards and 11 touchdowns. He's a bit of a hot and cold runner, but he should be a good speed back who can contribute on special teams.

Before he was lost to a knee injury in October, there were few more exciting running backs last season than Graham. He's rated highly because of his lateral agility to make defenders miss and quickness hitting the hole.

Some consider Taylor a product of the Stanford offense and it's excellent offensive line. We'll find out for sure this year, but Taylor possesses some good natural traits. He runs hard, gets good leg drive and shows excellent effort. With another good season, he could become Stanford's all-time rushing leader.

As he showed against USC last season, Franklin has a good burst and very good straight line speed. He's an explosive runner who can get to the edge in a hurry. Between the tackles, though, Franklin struggles because he's not a powerful runner and doesn't break a lot of tackles.

Johnson is a compact, powerful runner who stood out at times while Davis was out last season. When he gets going, Johnson is hard to take down and could be a factor on special teams in the NFL.

In Nebraska's offense, Burkhead is used a lot on sweeps and pitch plays to the outside. When he's in space, Burkhead has a good first step and decent speed. Despite his frame, he's not necessarily a power back, but he's a fluid runner through traffic.

Lattimore's game is built around speed, vision and fast feet. For a bigger runner, Lattimore is exceptionally good at making defenders miss in open space. But what's unknown is how quick and agile he'll be following a knee injury last season.

Rating Lacy this highly is largely an educated guess based on his ability and the past success of Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson. Lacy certainly looked like the real deal against Mississippi State in 2011, carrying the ball 11 times for 96 yards. Lacy has better open field speed than he's often given credit and is hard to take down on first contact.

After splitting carries with Edwin Baker last season, the Michigan State back field belongs to Bell this year. He's a classic one-cut runner with solid vision and good strength to lower his shoulder to run through tacklers. Bell's deep speed is only ordinary, but he does flash quick feet to elude defenders.

Where Kendall Hunter left off at Oklahoma State, Randle has picked up. He'll be counted on even more this season without Brandon Weeden or Justin Blackmon on the Cowboys' offense. Last season, Randle ran for 1,216 yards, but is also an adept receiver.

Josey has impressive pure speed and specializes in making plays in space. But his speed may take a hit. He's attempting to come back from a nasty knee injury. Had to have initial surgery on his patellar tendon, meniscus and MCL and follow-up surgery on his ACL.