After not selecting a running back in the 2021 NFL draft until the seventh round, it certainly appears the Miami Dolphins are ready to run it back with Myles Gaskin as their lead performer at the position.
It's a decision that's apparently not winning over some national analysts, including former three-time Pro Bowl selection and NFL rushing champion Maurice Jones-Drew, now an analyst for NFL.com.
The man known as "Pocket Hercules" ranked the No. 1 backs around the NFL and he had Gaskin dead last, coming in behind Mark Ingram of the Houston Texans and Devin Singletary of the Buffalo Bills.
This is what Jones-Drew said about Gaskin: "Gaskin was a solid back for the Dolphins last season, averaging 4.1 yards per attempt on 142 carries. But I need to see more. He has a real opportunity to be the bell cow and help Tua Tagovailoa in his first season as the full-time starter. Miami's run game must be better than the 22nd-ranked outfit it was a year ago. It starts with Gaskin but that could change quickly if he can't handle the load."
As harsh as Jones-Drew's ranking was, it actually was better than what PFF came up with because the analytics and evaluation website didn't have Gaskin anywhere in its top 32 ranking that allowed for more than one running back per team.
But the question is why so much disrespect for Gaskin? Is it because he entered the NFL as a seventh-round pick and landed the starting job with the Dolphins after 2020 free agent pick-up Jordan Howard failed to produce.
For the record, Gaskin averaged 58.4 rushing yards per game in the NFL last season , which ranked 19th, and his average of 97.2 yards from scrimmage ranked in top 10 among running backs. He also was one of only nine running backs with at least 500 rushing yards and 350 receiving yards, and this despite being limited to 10 games because of COVID-19 and knee issues.
Gaskin figures to enter training camp at the top of the depth chart ahead of free agent acquisition Malcolm Brown and he can do over the course of 16 games what he did in his 10 games last season, perhaps he can start changing the national perception of his ability — and his standing among his peers.
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