Going into the 2021 NFL Draft, there were two running back prospects who many had a notch among the rest. Alabama’s Najee Harris and Clemson’s Travis Etienne were both finalists for the Doak Walker Award, which was given to the NCAA’s best running back. Harris ultimately won the award and was also named a unanimous All-American.
When the draft rolled around, Harris was again the top selection, and the Steelers selected him 24th overall. One pick later, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Etienne, paring him up with his college quarterback Trevor Lawrence, whom they selected with the first overall pick in the same draft.
Fast forward to 2023, and the two both serve as engines for their respective offenses and prepare to face off on Sunday. While they are similar in age, they are quite different in playstyle. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin had this to say on The Mike Tomlin Show when asked if Etienne’s style of running fits well in the Jaguars’ offense.
“It does. Particularly because they went and also got his quarterback. They operate a lot outta shotgun and he was a sidecar runner at Clemson and he is doing very similar things in Jacksonville. Trevor Lawrence’s mobility is a component that you have to deal with, not only in terms of just playmaking but also schematically. So there’s a lot of reasons why he’s a perfect fit for those guys. In the same ways that [Najee] was the perfect fit for us.”
Looking at the way both are used, you can see how you need to build your offense differently around each of them. For Etienne, he’s at his best when he is running to the outside of his guards. He’s averaging 4.98 yards per carry when doing that, compared to just 3.35 when running up the middle or behind a guard. Harris, however, is the opposite of this. He averages just 3.48 yards per carry when running to the outside, but 4.1 yards per carry when running up the middle. Harris will likely be relied on heavily on Sunday against the Jaguars’ run defense.
Additionally, Etienne is one of the premier receiving threats out of the backfield in the NFL right now. He’s fifth among all running backs in receiving yards. For the Steelers, Jaylen Warren typically handles the majority of the receiving work. While Harris did get substantial receiving work in college and his rookie season, the emergence of Warren has eased his load a bit.
Harris and Etienne play a big role for each of their respective offenses, and while it can be debated who is the more talented back, it seems like each team got the better fit for their offense in the 2021 draft.
