2 RB draft prospects who can help Bengals fans forget about Samaje Perine

In the same way that the Cincinnati Bengals need a specific type of tight end in their offense, what Samaje Perine brought to the team was something specific to him.

This is why when discussing who Cincinnati should select at running back in the upcoming draft, there are a couple who can take the literal sting out of losing him to the Denver Broncos. It will not be easy, but there are a couple of players in the draft capable of easing the pain of his loss for Bengals fans. 

Stats and rankings courtesy of ESPN, Pro Football Focus, Mock Draft Database, and NFL Draft Buzz.

Chase Brown (Illinois)

Brown is an extremely smart player when it comes to pass blocking and picking up blitzes. He is consistently where he needs to be and knows which player he needs to pick up. Furthermore, it is not just knowing who to pick up. A running back must be able to do it and Brown executes his pass block as well as you could hope for from a running back. 

Ideally, you do not want your running backs or tight ends to have to pass-block top edge rushers in the NFL but as Bengals fans know, it happens. It happened to Brown as well when he found himself one-on-one against Wisconsin’s Nick Herbig. 

Herbig is one of the best pass rushers coming out of this draft class. Brown did an excellent job of pass-blocking against a player with 36 career sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss last season.

The cliché is that rookie running backs need time to adapt to this part of the game in the NFL. Sort of. If a running back can’t do it in college, teams would be foolish to count on him doing it in the NFL. In Brown’s case, he would have no issue in performing in this area. 

He is an incredible player in the other aspects of the game as well. On the very first drive versus Wyoming, Brown was a one-man wrecking crew. On the very first play from scrimmage, he broke off a 38-yard run where he showed off his elusiveness to make a man miss in the backfield, acceleration through the hole, speed down the sideline, and power to break tackles. Again, on just one play.

On the very next play, he ran a wheel route and went right by the outmatched linebacker for a touchdown reception. An amazing start to a football game from just one player!

Brown never came off the field for situational purposes. He ran the ball on third and short. He was in the game on third and longs to help protect the QB and he was constantly a threat to break off a big run or make a big play in the passing game. 

Last season, the former Fighting Illini running back was fourth in the nation in rushing with 1,643 yards. He also had 27 receptions for 240 yards and three receiving touchdowns. 

Not only is he the perfect back to help Bengals fans forget about what Perine brought to pass blocking, but Brown should also be considered a running and receiving threat as well. 

PFF has Brown ranked 143rd. NFL Draft Buzz’s overall rank has him at 124.1. Mock Draft Database ranks him 120th overall. ESPN has his overall rank at 130. The Bengals pick at 131 in the fourth round. They might consider using the 92nd overall pick in the third round if they want a running back of Brown’s caliber. If not, he might not make it to them at 131.

Tyjae Spears (Tulane)

Tyjae Spears did everything for the Green Wave offense. He is everything that the Bengals need from the running back position. He can do it all. He is a good receiver and runner. More importantly for the Bengals, when it comes to minimizing the loss of Perine, he is a great blocker. 

Spears is smart and knows how to pick up the blitz. He knows to block the inside rusher when facing multiple defenders and executes his assignment well as he did versus UCF. He is fast to recognize when and which offensive linemen need help when they are beaten. He doesn’t hesitate when pass-blocking versus defensive tackles. Once he is engaged, he bodies up and anchors extremely well for a running back. 

He is also a good and willing lead blocker when he needs to be like he showed against Memphis on a QB fake handoff dive for a touchdown. In fact, Spears was used as a lead blocker on designed quarterback runs on multiple occasions during the year. He was also the lead blocker on some wide receiver jet sweeps. You can do that when your running back is an effective and willing blocker. It is a nice dimension to add to the offensive game plan. 

The University of Cincinnati Bearcats fans got to witness all of these aspects of Spears’ game up close and personal. We also got to see him used as a Wildcat QB several times versus the home team Bearcats. 

Spears got pushed back by a blitzer versus UCF which got the QB hit as he was throwing the ball. Running backs are not going to win every battle. However, he definitely won most of the time. 

You can tell that Tulane focused on their running backs and tight ends pass blocking. They did it often and they were good at it. You don’t have to follow Tulane football to know that their offensive coaching staff screams something like, “If you can’t pass block, you can’t play running back or tight end here.” They all played that way. It jumps out to anyone watching their games.

Spears is an excellent runner as well. There is no hesitation or false steps when a hole opens up in front of him. He hits the opening fast and explodes into the secondary. A lot of his big runs are between the tackles. Even when there is nowhere to go, he diagnoses it quickly and puts his shoulders down. 

The young running back finished last season with 1,581 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns. Those numbers were good for fifth and third best in the nation, respectively. 

One of the most surprising things about the combine was Spears’ 40 time. He was timed at 4.54. He looks and plays faster. Watching him, you would think he would run in the low 4.4s or high 4.3s. However, his vertical (top 93%)and broad jump (top 88%) numbers speak to his explosiveness. 

PFF has Spears ranked 99th overall. NFL Draft Buzz's overall rank has him up from 97.9 a couple of weeks ago to 86.7. ESPN puts him at 66 overall. 

If the Bengals covet Spears, and they should, they might not want to wait until the 92nd overall pick to select him. However, with Brown more than likely still on the board, it may be a chance they are willing to take.

The Cincinnati Bengals will, more than likely, take a running back at some point during the draft. Hopefully, the player they select is someone who the team can count on early, not only to produce in the run game but also help Joe Burrow stay upright in the pocket the way Perine did.

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