2023 NFL Draft: The most elusive running backs in the draft class

• A familiar name at the top spot: Bijan Robinson was incredible in his final season at Texas, forcing 104 missed tackles on the ground — 21 more than the next-closest running back.

• Watch out for DeWayne McBride: The UAB product averaged 4.60 yards after contact per carry last season, the best rate of any player at the position in this draft class.

• Zach Charbonnet stands out: Charbonnet’s 93.6 rushing grade trailed just Robinson and Mitchell among running backs in this draft class. He averaged 4.15 yards per carry, sixth at the position, and he forced 53 missed tackles on 194 carries.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

If a running back is to make an impact in the NFL, he needs to be able to make defenders miss and create additional yardage beyond what his offensive line provides.

Here is the draft class' best at doing just that, according to PFF’s elusive rating. Elusive rating and a whole host of other predictive metrics can be found in PFF Premium Stats as a part of your PFF+ subscription.

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1. Bijan Robinson, Texas

PFF elusive rating: 169.1

Robinson was incredible in his final season at Texas, forcing 104 missed tackles on the ground — 21 more than the next-closest running back. He also averaged 4.17 yards after contact per carry, the fourth-best mark of any running back in this class.

2. DeWayne McBride, UAB

PFF elusive rating: 150.8

The UAB product averaged 4.60 yards after contact per carry last season, the best rate of any player at the position in this draft class. He forced 76 missed tackles on 233 carries.