The offseason can seem somewhat unreal when it comes to the NFL calendar. There are so many things that are like football, yet are just not quite. Most of it you don’t even get to see until teams get to training camp and the preseason. Before that, it’s all just storylines.
But storylines are fun to follow, and everybody likes an underdog. It’s always great to have at least one undrafted rookie to focus your attention on, for example, and just root for him to be able to make the team. Last year, one of those guys was running back Jaylen Warren. 2023 Morgan State product Alfonzo Graham hopes to be the next. And draft analyst Emory Hunt believes he has the talent.
“Once he gets on the field, you put the ball in his hands and it’s a house call potentially, because he has great speed, quickness, explosiveness”, he told Ross Tucker recently on the College Draft podcast. “Big fan of Graham and what he was able to do at Morgan State”.
The rookie running back played two seasons for Morgan State, rushing for over 1600 yards during that time and averaging 6.6 yards per carry with 13 touchdowns. He also has a background returning kicks and has some receiving ability on top of that. He averaged over 100 rushing yards per game last season, totaling 1150, topped off by a 203-yard game.
And he’s got a little swagger about him as well. He reportedly requested to go up against three-time All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick during a one-on-one session in practice. Head coach Mike Tomlin granted his request—it didn’t end well, but you’ve got to start somewhere.
“Already like that he’s creating buzz as a rookie, calling out Minkah Fitzpatrick, like, ‘I want him one-on-one’”, Hunt said. “And that’s what you’re supposed to do. Find the best guy on defense, call him out, and try to make your bones that way”.
He’ll have another shot to go up against the best in the league during training camp, and by then they’ll have the pads on. Not that he’s the biggest running back in the world. He is only listed at 5’9” and 180 pounds, but showing he can play above his weight would be a good way to get himself noticed.
The Steelers are looking for a third running back this offseason, as it just so happens. While they are satisfied with their top two backs in Najee Harris and Warren, they opted not to re-sign Benny Snell Jr., who had been on the team for the past four years.
Returning this season is Anthony McFarland Jr., a former fourth-round draft pick who was on the 53-man roster in 2020-21 and on the practice squad last season. He was bumped down in 2022 because of Warren’s emergence but should be the favorite for the third spot in Latrobe this year.
We’ll see what Graham has to say about that. McFarland is a competitor more his size—both literally and figuratively—than Fitzpatrick.
