Alabama has a strong case for "RBU" with multiple former starters playing prominent roles across the National Football League. Friday afternoon, it might have bolted that status a little more.
Kenyan Drake signed a one-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts, who suddenly have a large need at the position.
Drake played four years at Alabama, and it wasn't exactly the easiest Crimson Tide career. He suffered a gruesome ankle injury in 2014 against the Ole Miss Rebels and missed the final nine games of the season. The following year, Drake broke his arm against the Mississippi State Bulldogs and missed two games.
However, Drake did play a lot of meaningful football at Alabama, despite never being the 'starting' running back. Also on the roster at the time was Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry. While Henry stole the spotlight, Drake still carved out a role of his own in the passing game and on special teams.
"Look out, Kenyan Drake can fly!" is a call etched into the hearts of Alabama fans, as Drake flew down the sideline on a kickoff return in the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship to help Alabama close out a win against the Deshaun Watson-led Clemson Tigers. Drake was not only a prominent special teams player when healthy, but he also had 1,495 rushing yards, 2,065 receiving yards, and 40 total touchdowns out of the backfield during his time at Alabama.
Drake was the 73rd-overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. He's also played for the Dolphins, Cardinals, Raiders and Ravens. Drake has 3,866 rushing yards, 1,624 receiving yards, and 41 total touchdowns in his career. His best season came in 2020 with the Arizona Cardinals, where he had 955 rushing yards, 137 receiving yards, and 10 total touchdowns.
Drake enters a running back room that has been at the forefront of the NFL over the last couple of days, with Colts star running back Jonathan Taylor entering the final year of his rookie contract and has been battling it out with owner Jim Irsay on X (formerly known as Twitter). After meeting with Irsay, Taylor requested a trade from the team. According to Andrew Moore of FanNation's Horseshoe Huddle: "Taylor has been at Colts practice, but his demeanor has completely changed. He does not interact with anyone, instead watching with his hood up and a scowl on his face."
The only other two running backs on the Colts roster with NFL experience are Zach Moss and Deon Jackson, neither of whom have seen prominent roles as starters in the NFL, and neither has had over 500 yards or four touchdowns in a season.
Drake could immediately become a sort of a de facto placeholder for Taylor, and maybe more.
As for RBU, the league is already full of former Crimson Tide running backs: Derrick Henry is one of eight running backs in NFL history to have a 2,000-yard season; Josh Jacobs led the NFL in rushing yards in 2022 with 1,653 yards and had 12 touchdowns; Najee Harris has improved over the past two seasons in the NFL, tallying over 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns both years; Damien Harris is the projected starting running back for the Buffalo Bills, a yearly Super Bowl contender; Brian Robinson Jr. recovered from a serious injury to play in 12 games his rookie season, where he had almost 800 yards; and Jahmyr Gibbs was just drafted number 12 overall in the 2023 NFL draft.
See Also:
Bama in the NFL: Active Alabama Crimson Tide Players by Team
Bama in the NFL: DeMeco Ryans Aims to Turn Houston Texans Around, Again
Alabama DC Kevin Steele Focused on the 'Little Things,' Forcing Turnovers
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