THE MMQB: This year’s draft class was just the third since 2000 to have seven running backs go in the first two rounds, joining your draft in 2008 and the 2010 draft. No draft since 2008 has seen five backs taken in the first round. What do you think of the value of the running back and the prevailing theory that teams can find running backs late in the draft and can handle the position by committee?
FORTE: We had a really good class that year. Some guys are still out there, Jonathan Stewart is still playing, Jamaal Charles is a free agent but he wants to play. One of the best classes I think personally that has come out. I’ve been talking about this since this draft, and the [idea that running backs are devalued] is a shame. We are one of the most valuable assets on offense, because we have to do everything. Tight ends block and catch, but they don’t get the ball as much as the running back does. A receiver catches the ball down the field, and they block in the run game a little bit if they want to, depending on the receiver. I’d get 20 carries and eight catches—that’s 28 times you’ve got the ball in your hands. That’s production and usage right there, so why shouldn’t the value be higher on that?
If you have an all-purpose running back who can play every down and is consistent, you know what you are going to get, day in and day out. The game is about matchups. If you have a team that has really good defensive lineman but their secondary isn’t that good, you want to try to create mismatches in the secondary, and if your running back can catch the ball and run routes like a receiver, then you can do that.
They are watering it down, because they are saying you can get so many running backs and do it by committee, which you can. You can get a guy who is a runner, and a guy who is a catcher and a guy who can block, but for the guys who do it every single down, their value should still be high because of what they add to the team and how much production and work they put in.
