The top running back for four NFL teams during the 2019 season was an Alabama alumnus. Kenyan Drake almost was No. 1 for two.

The Tennessee Titans’ Derrick Henry was the NFL’s rushing leader in 2019 with 1,540 yards. Josh Jacobs had 1,150 rushing yards as a rookie for the Oakland Raiders. Mark Ingram reached 1,000 rushing yards for the third time in his career in his first season with the Baltimore Ravens.

“We all know that it’s going to be a tough task because pretty much only one running back can be on the field at a time,” Drake told NBC Sports Bay Area about the current success of former Alabama ball-carriers in the NFL, “and we have a lot of people there that go there, maybe wait in the wings, like Josh Jacobs or me or anybody else that goes there because there’s only going to be one person that gets a shot at one time. But then you just wait your turn, you learn from the people that are older than you. You kind of go out there when you get your time, you just make the most of it because of the great talent that we have around each other at Alabama.

“You go to the league, and we are just able to kind of show that hard work and dedication because of the things that we learned there because it’s a great university. I just feel it’s a culmination of everybody kind of coming together and things working the way they’re supposed to.”

ALABAMA ROOTS: NFL 1,000-YARD RUSHERS

Drake didn’t reach 1,000 yards as he topped the Arizona Cardinals’ rushing chart with 643. But he played only half the season with the Cardinals. That pace over a whole season is 1,286 rushing yards.

Drake joined Arizona on Oct. 28 in a trade with the Miami Dolphins. In six games with Miami, Drake had 174 yards on 47 carries.

The Dolphins had the fewest rushing yards in the NFL in 2019, and despite his limited opportunities, Drake finished second among the Miami running backs in rushing yards for the season, behind Mark Walton’s 201. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick finished as the Dolphins’ top rusher with 243 yards in 2019.

“I feel like, at the end of the day, they had a plan of how they wanted to go in a direction,” Drake told the Miami Herald about the Dolphins portion of his 2019 season. “I feel like I didn’t fit in that plan. I just feel like when they put in a specific role, just playing third down or coming out and being a receiving back, I felt like I could run and be a little bit more productive.”

This season was another opportunity for Miami to make Drake their No. 1 running back. After joining the Dolphins in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Drake held that status only when the team didn’t have a choice.

Drake had the most rushing yards in the NFL in the final month of the 2017 season after Miami traded Jay Ajayi and an injury sidelined Damien Williams. After that showing, though, the Dolphins signed veteran Frank Gore for the 2018 season. Drake entered 2019 as the only Miami running back with more than 40 NFL rushing attempts, but the Dolphins opened the season with second-year player Kalen Ballage at the top of their depth chart.

The Cardinals obtained Drake with its top running backs out with injuries. After delivering 110 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries and catching four passes for 52 yards in his Arizona debut three days after joining the Cardinals, Drake stayed in the starting lineup for the rest of the season, even after former All-Pro running back David Johnson returned from his injury.

“I got a lot of touches,” Drake said about his turnaround in Arizona. “I was able to be out on the field and impact on a lot of different levels. I just felt like I was able to go out there and play free without constraints being in a specific roles.”

After four seasons, Drake has 2,175 yards and 17 touchdowns on 456 rushing attempts and 144 receptions for 1,107 yards and six touchdowns in 62 games, including 24 starts.

“I just feel like every year, every game, every step that I took, it was a learning experience,” Drake said, “and so I’m just excited about the opportunity that I have.”

ALABAMA ROOTS: THESE NFL PLAYERS NEED CONTRACTS FOR THE 2020 SEASON

Now Drake has a new opportunity. He has completed his rookie contract and will become a free agent on March 18 if the Cardinals do not sign him to an extension before then. Drake said he would be looking for a good football fit in free agency, but he wasn’t going to forget about the business side of the game.

“Football is the ultimate team sport,” Drake told NBC Sports Radio, “so, obviously, I want to put myself in the best position that I have the best guys around me -- the best individuals in general, not just football players, but men. But at the same time, you got to understand that behind the game there is a big business, and I want to make sure I do the right thing for not just right now, but for the trajectory of my family. I play this game to change the lives of the people around me that I love and care about, so I’m going to do the thing, obviously, that helps put me in the best situation for football, but I have to go out here and do the things, like I said, that will change the trajectory of my family.”

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.

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