The Vitruvian Prospect

JOSH JACOBS -- RB, ALABAMA Photo | USA Today Physical Measurables & Athletic Profile Alabama's Josh Jacobs is as physically well built to be an NFL workhorse as any of the top backs in this class. At 5'10, 220 pounds, the 3.14 pounds per inch he carries on his frame puts him in what I've noticed is a bit of a sweet spot for elite RBs. Most of the best fantasy producers at the position in the last decade or so have carried at least 2.95 pounds per inch (78% of players with an RB1-quality season), and many of the really top-end guys have been in that 3.10-3.20 range. Despite making up just 23.3% of all runners in the database, guys in the 3.10s make up 31.8% of RBs with elite fantasy seasons (at least 274.5 half-PPR points -- based on the average score of the RB5 in that timeframe), with Todd Gurley, Ezekiel Elliott, Le'Veon Bell, Arian Foster, LaDainian Tomlinson, DeAngelo Williams, and Frank Gore as the qualifying players. In short, Jacobs is built ver

JAMES WILLIAMS -- RB, WASHINGTON STATE Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman Review Physical Measurables & Athletic Profile Little Red Riding Hood is pretty stupid -- after all, she mistook a wolf for her own grandmother. But even Little Red knows a prototype satellite back when she sees one, and James Williams fits that mold perfectly. At 5'9.5 and just under 200 pounds, nobody is mistaking the former Washington State Cougar for a three-down workhorse. Carrying just 2.83 pounds per inch on his frame means it's pretty unlikely that Williams is headed for a big ground-based workload in the NFL. RBs under the 2.85 pounds per inch threshold average only 76 carries per 16 games, significantly lower than the all-RB average of 117, and that same group of players have targets make up an average of 32.7% of their total opportunities, 9.5% higher than the average for all RBs since 2007. Such a different role for the NFL pass-catching back sometimes makes it feel like they p

TRAVIS HOMER -- RB, MIAMI (FL) Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images Physical Measurables & Athletic Profile At just over 5'10 and 200 pounds, former Miami Hurricane Travis Homer is built more like a Golden Tate-type slot receiver than he is like a bellcow NFL runner. That 2.86 pounds per inch he carries on his frame does not portend a heavy ground-based workload in the pros: of players drafted since 2007, only Chris Johnson, Jamaal Charles, Phillip Lindsay, and Jahvid Best have been sub-205 pound backs carrying less than 2.90 pounds per inch that have received at least 10 rushing attempts per game for their careers in the NFL (and only 15 players in that timespan have had such a body type and averaged even 5 attempts per game). Athletically, Homer is pretty unique. While not incredibly agile, he is fast and very explosive, boasting upper and lower-body strength that are uncommon for a player his size. While his pounds per inch ratio is in the 15th-percentile of NFL RB

ALEX BARNES -- RB, KANSAS STATE Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire Physical Measurables & Athletic Profile Alex Barnes is probably the most physically impressive RB in this year's class. At 226 pounds and with 3.12 pounds per inch on his frame, he's well within the size and density range we want for potential bellcow backs. He looks a lot like other tall, heavy runners like TJ Yeldon, Todd Gurley, and Arian Foster, and is certainly capable of handling a full workload as a lead RB.  Athletically, Barnes blew everybody away at the Combine. Previously thought to be some sort of poor man's Benny Snell, he came out and established himself as the best athlete in this RB class, especially considering his size. He was a beast on the bench and very good in the jumps, displaying upper body strength and lower body explosiveness that, along with his workhorse frame, generated a 69.4 Power Score, a mark that indicates his ability to carry a heavy load and that is higher