I will be interested to see what the Cardinals do with running backs in the draft. I expect they’ll probably add one before the end of the third round.
James Conner had a good season for them last year, with 18 touchdowns in 15 games. But Chase Edmonds signed with Miami, and I don’t think they have another back they would be comfortable with as their No. 2 guy going into the season. I don’t see Eno Benjamin or Jonathan Ward being able to fill that role.
And while Conner was impressive at times last year, he’s always been a slower back. He averaged only 3.7 yards per carry. He also has always had problems staying healthy. His body of work indicates there’s no way he’s playing 17 games.
On the Conner front (while I’ve got his package of stats in front of me) I notice that he caught 37 of the 39 passes thrown his way last year. That’s an almost unbelieveable high percentage. At pro-football-reference.com, they’ve got the target data going back to 1992. In the last 30 years, no running back (with at least 30 targets) has finished with a better catch rate than Conner did last year.
That’s partially a reflection of Conner having good hands and the Cardinals using him wisely. It’s also, I think, just an indication of the game changing. There have been 15 running backs who’ve caught at least 90 percent of the passes thrown their way, and three of them came from last year.
Another 2021 running back (Devontae Booker of the Giants) caught 40 of 45 passes thrown his way last year, just below 90 percent.
On the list, I’m showing the top 30 pass-catching backs of the last 30 seasons, based on the percentage of passes they caught. Conner is not only No. 1 but also shows up in the top 20 for one of his seasons with the Steelers.
As a statistical oddity, there are three backs who show up on the list with seasons for different teams, and all three played their college football at Pitt – Conner, Curtis Martin and Dion Lewis.
| RUNNING BACKS WITH HIGH CATCH RATES | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Pct |
| 2021 | James Conner, Ariz. | 39 | 37 | 375 | 10.1 | 3 | 94.9% |
| 1992 | Cleveland Gary, LAR | 55 | 52 | 293 | 5.6 | 3 | 94.5% |
| 1996 | Dorsey Levens, G.B. | 33 | 31 | 226 | 7.3 | 5 | 93.9% |
| 2020 | Jonathan Taylor, Ind. | 39 | 36 | 299 | 8.3 | 1 | 92.3% |
| 2010 | Felix Jones, Dall. | 52 | 48 | 450 | 9.4 | 1 | 92.3% |
| 2021 | AJ Dillon, G.B. | 37 | 34 | 313 | 9.2 | 2 | 91.9% |
| 1999 | Curtis Martin, NYJ | 49 | 45 | 259 | 5.8 | 0 | 91.8% |
| 2013 | Pierre Thomas, N.O. | 84 | 77 | 513 | 6.7 | 3 | 91.7% |
| 2006 | DeAngelo Williams, Car. | 36 | 33 | 313 | 9.5 | 1 | 91.7% |
| 2017 | Dion Lewis, N.E. | 35 | 32 | 214 | 6.7 | 3 | 91.4% |
| 1994 | Natrone Means, S.D. | 43 | 39 | 235 | 6.0 | 0 | 90.7% |
| 2021 | Christian McCaffrey, Car. | 41 | 37 | 343 | 9.3 | 1 | 90.2% |
| 2002 | Michael Bennett, Min. | 41 | 37 | 351 | 9.5 | 1 | 90.2% |
| 1998 | Dorsey Levens, G.B. | 30 | 27 | 162 | 6.0 | 0 | 90.0% |
| 1995 | Harvey Williams, Oak. | 60 | 54 | 375 | 6.9 | 0 | 90.0% |
| 2012 | Jacquizz Rodgers, Atl. | 59 | 53 | 402 | 7.6 | 1 | 89.8% |
| 2019 | James Conner, Pitt. | 38 | 34 | 251 | 7.4 | 3 | 89.5% |
| 2014 | Roy Helu, Was. | 47 | 42 | 477 | 11.4 | 2 | 89.4% |
| 2015 | Melvin Gordon, S.D. | 37 | 33 | 192 | 5.8 | 0 | 89.2% |
| 2014 | DeMarco Murray, Dall. | 64 | 57 | 416 | 7.3 | 0 | 89.1% |
| 2021 | Devontae Booker, NYG | 45 | 40 | 268 | 6.7 | 1 | 88.9% |
| 2005 | Alvin Pearman, Jac. | 36 | 32 | 240 | 7.5 | 0 | 88.9% |
| 2020 | Jamaal Williams, G.B. | 35 | 31 | 236 | 7.6 | 1 | 88.6% |
| 2012 | Jason Snelling, Atl. | 35 | 31 | 203 | 6.6 | 1 | 88.6% |
| 1996 | Curtis Martin, N.E. | 52 | 46 | 333 | 7.2 | 3 | 88.5% |
| 2017 | Joe Mixon, Cin. | 34 | 30 | 287 | 9.6 | 0 | 88.2% |
| 2005 | William Henderson, G.B. | 34 | 30 | 264 | 8.8 | 0 | 88.2% |
| 2018 | Dion Lewis, Ten. | 67 | 59 | 400 | 6.8 | 1 | 88.1% |
| 2005 | Edgerrin James, Ind. | 50 | 44 | 337 | 7.7 | 1 | 88.0% |
| 2003 | Mack Strong, Sea. | 33 | 29 | 216 | 7.5 | 0 | 87.9% |
—Ian Allan