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Is the star running back back in the NFL? It sure looks that way after three straight drafts with at least one runner drafted in the top 10. Those top picks are translating to Sundays too. We all know the NFL is a copycat league, so are teams ready to embrace the star running back again?

The obvious answer is yes.

In the 2014 NFL draft, not one running back was selected in the first 50 picks. Washington's Bishop Sankey came off the board with pick No. 54, and all the talk was that the running back position was dead in the first round. Why draft a running back early when you can get Le'Veon Bell in the second round or Jamaal Charles in the third? NFL teams were tired of missing on top running backs (thanks, Trent Richardson) and started investing premium selections elsewhere.

Then Todd Gurley happened.

The 2015 NFL draft class was a good one, with Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Leonard Williams and Amari Cooper all at the top of most draft boards. To have a back ranked as a top-10 player on talent signified that teams must change their opinion of running back value.

Gurley would go on to be drafted by the St. Louis Rams at No. 10 overall, and another back, Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon, went to the San Diego Chargers at pick No. 15. When the first round of the 2015 NFL draft ended, the idea that you shouldn't take a running back in the opening round was gone.

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One year after Gurley went in the top 10, Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott was drafted at No. 4 overall by the Dallas Cowboys. The next year? Leonard Fournette out of LSU goes to Jacksonville at No. 4 and Stanford's Christian McCaffrey goes to Carolina at pick No. 8. In three years' time, the NFL went from avoiding runners early in the draft to once again focusing on "best player available" and selecting elite backs whenever possible.

That brings us to present day. Now there is a 5'11", 230-pound star at Penn State named Saquon Barkley.

Draft fans complain that every year is the best year or that "generational" talents have a way of coming around every few seasons, but Barkley might be the best prospect at running back in the last decade. NFL teams are taking notice thanks to his ability as a powerful runner with deep speed and the hands to be one of the best receivers in the Big Ten.

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

Barkley is unlike anything I've seen at the position, and my early comparison of Marshall Faulk was before seeing him play at 230 pounds. Barkley is already a better prospect than Gurley, Fournette or Elliott when you factor in on- and off-field grades. As the top player on my draft board right now, Barkley may end up with a grade closer to that of Myles Garrett than his competition at running back.

The 2016 draft was arguably the deepest ever at running back, but top-tier talents like Dalvin Cook and Joe Mixon slipped in the draft due to off-field issues. However, the NFL still embraced their talent enough to make both top-50 picks. This year's class looks to be deeper and cleaner as a group. There's no Mixon or Cook here. Barkley, Derrius Guice (LSU), Ronald Jones (USC) and Rashaad Penny (San Diego State) all look like true Round 1 talents after four weeks, and all check out off the field.

The 2018 draft might be eight months away, but already the running back class is emerging as a strength. That's great news for the players and those teams that are now embracing the star running back again.

Here's what else is going on this week:

Top five matchups to watch in Week 5

matchups to watch in Week 5 Grading the top QBs' Week 4 performances

NFL players handing out game checks

Stick to Football Episode 25 with New York Jets running back Matt Forte

The Scout's Report

— Josh Allen Week 4 grade: C

Wyoming beat Hawaii in overtime thanks to a touchdown from Allen, who had his best game despite completing just nine of 19 passes for 92 yards. I asked a scout what happened last week and he said, "Allen had a lot of passes dropped, but Hawaii dominated [time of possession] and [the Wyoming] offense is still struggling to get any pace or rhythm going."

—Sam Darnold Week 4 grade: B+

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Sam Darnold retains his QB1 ranking on my big board this week, but it's important to point out that anyone expecting perfection from the USC redshirt sophomore has some misplaced expectations. Darnold isn't perfect; no quarterback prospect is. He's a 20-year-old with 13 starts under his belt, and he's still learning what to do and what not to do. Darnold is very talented and incredibly poised, but he (and every other QB prospect) is going to make bad decisions. It's the nature of the business. That said, you can't box-score-scout Darnold given the high number of tipped and dropped passes that are becoming interceptions. The proof is in the tape.

—Josh Rosen Week 4 grade: B

Josh Rosen's decision-making at this stage reminds me a lot of Matt Ryan at Boston College. It's like he knows it's all on him and he's throwing hero balls to try to make every pass a touchdown. That works sometimes, but it also leads to interceptions (he threw two against Stanford) and affects accuracy. Rosen is picture-perfect as a prospect, but the word from NFL scouts that he doesn't trust his coaching isn't helped when he's forcing passes and plays. The good? Rosen threw for 480 yards and three touchdowns and is showing mechanics that look like a young Andrew Luck.

—Lamar Jackson Week 4 grade: C

One week after a loss to Clemson, Lamar Jackson faced an easier opponent in Kent State. The numbers from the game were so poor I had to get a copy of the game film to check. It wasn't much better. Jackson threw two bad interceptions and fumbled the ball away once. On the plus side, he was 18-of-22 and threw two touchdowns, but I still see an inconsistent passer who needs more work on timing routes and throwing in the pocket.

—Baker Mayfield Week 4 grade: A

Brandon Wade/Associated Press/Associated Press

Mayfield gets an "A" this week despite only throwing the ball 19 times in a win over Baylor. Why? Because he continues to be an amazing downfield thrower. His 13 completions went for 283 yards and three touchdowns. Let's not forget that Mayfield is doing this without Dede Westbrook, Joe Mixon or Samaje Perine in the offense since all three went to the NFL after last season.

—LSU running back Derrius Guice is questionable this weekend with a knee injury. Right now this isn't a concern, but it is something to watch if he continues to miss time or loses carries to injury. Also, why can't LSU's starting running backs stay healthy? Last year Guice got his start because Leonard Fournette was injured, and now he's giving way to Darrel Williams.

—Another running back, Ohio State's Mike Weber, is expected to be 100 percent this weekend, according to a coaching staff source. He's been slowed with a hamstring injury so far this season.

—The Clemson offensive line and game plan featuring a heavy dose of running plays slowed down Boston College edge-rusher Harold Landry last week. One area scout told me to not worry, Landry is still a top-10 player in this class.

—It's rare that an Alabama player could be underhyped, but that's the case with safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Scouts I've talked to say he's a mix between Jamal Adams' character and Jalen Ramsey's athleticism. Fitzpatrick is ranked No. 5 on my big board, which will be published soon. He's a rare breed that can play safety, nickel and outside corner.

—The quarterback and running back classes look very good for 2018, but one NFL team executive I spoke to this week likes the offensive tackle group: "There could be five or six of them drafted in the first round. Especially after how bad last year was."

—The Clemson offense has become more of a running attack this season, which has affected the number of targets for receiver Deon Cain. One area scout said they won't let numbers affect his grade though, as it's obvious he's still naturally gifted and just not getting the looks he did before.

AJ MAST/Associated Press

—Courtland Sutton at SMU is another top receiver in this class, but an area scout I spoke to recently said the big receiver isn't a top-20 pick: "Too big, too slow. I'm not sure he can separate."

5 Matchups to Know

5. Luke Falk (Quarterback, Washington State) vs. Sam Darnold (Quarterback, USC)

It pains me to write it like that, but the Friday night matchup between Washington State and USC will be highlighted by the quarterbacks. USC defenders Porter Gustin, Uchenna Nwosu and Cameron Smith are all top-50 talents, which means Falk's success (or lack thereof) against them makes this a key game to evaluate this year. On the other side, Darnold could benefit from a turnover-free game.

4. Clayton Thorson (Quarterback, Northwestern) vs. T.J. Edwards (Linebacker, Wisconsin)

Sleeper quarterback watch! Clayton Thorson might get that Trevor Siemian treatment because he's a redshirt sophomore quarterback from Northwestern, but already area scouts are praising his ability as a potential NFL quarterback with some starting tools. We'll find out a lot about him against T.J. Edwards and a fast Wisconsin defense.

3. Tremaine Edmunds (Linebacker, Virginia Tech) vs. Clemson Tigers Offense

The Clemson offense has done a great job neutralizing defenders this season, which makes the matchup against Tremaine Edmunds one of the best of the week. Edmunds is a rangy, instinctive 'backer who has the speed to chase down the ball outside the hashes.

2. Josh Rosen (Quarterback, UCLA) vs. Colorado Buffalo Defense

Not enough has been written about how challenging the UCLA schedule is in terms of defenses played. Last week it was Stanford, and this week Rosen must face a Colorado secondary that's tough, smart and well-coached. Keep an eye on cornerback Isaiah Oliver for the Buffs.

1. Simmie Cobbs (Wide Receiver, Indiana) vs. Penn State Secondary

I love these big-versus-big games. Simmie Cobbs blew up in Week 1 against Ohio State and will get another marquee game to make an impression against Marcus Allen and the Penn State secondary. The two won't likely ever be locked up in man coverage, but watching to see if Allen has the range to take Cobbs' deep game away will be a great test for both.

Parting Shots

8. Deshaun Watson did a good thing this week, delivering his game check to members of the Houston Texans' staff who were affected by Hurricane Irma.

What an awesome video and a great gesture by Watson.

7. Another quarterback talking game checks: Carson Wentz told the sideline he'd give kicker Jake Elliott his game check if he hit a game-winning, 61-yard field goal. Then he made it. Wentz makes a little over $31,000 per game.

Michael Perez/Associated Press

Elliott, per Pro Football Talk, declined the game check and instead asked Wentz to donate it to charity.

*Note to self: Don't bet paychecks.*

6. Is it time to start Mitchell Trubisky in Chicago? Hell yes.

Mike Glennon isn't a starting-caliber quarterback on a team like the Bears that is lacking legit targets at wide receiver. Sure, Glennon might be solid on a better roster, and he could even win some ballgames thanks to the Chicago defense. But each week it's becoming more and more clear that Glennon is a one-and-done player and the future belongs to Trubisky.

Now is the time to make the change. Coming off a Thursday night game against Green Bay, the Bears have a 10-day break before facing the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football. That's a nice stretch to make the change.

5. Is Cam Newton breaking down physically?

That's what some NFL team officials think, according to Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman. It would make sense. Newton doesn't look like the same dominant player we saw in 2015.

Newton was sacked 33 times in 2015 and 36 times in 2016, but those numbers are misleading given how often he's carrying the ball as a runner. Newton had surgery before the 2017 season on a partially torn rotator cuff, and he hasn't looked as strong or as explosive since.

The Panthers offense is in disarray, but Newton's struggles are the leading culprit for why players such as Christian McCaffrey aren't being used to their full potential. At 28 years old, it's startling to think we may have seen the best of Newton, but it's possible given the beating he's taken.

4. Not a hot take: Jalen Ramsey is NFL's best cornerback so far this season.

Our friends at Pro Football Focus shared the information that opposing quarterbacks would be better off throwing the ball away than targeting Ramsey this season. Through three weeks, Ramsey is the service's top-ranked cornerback and is allowing a quarterback rating of 14.6.

In that way, it's almost like he's playing Mike Glennon every week.

3. Xavier Rhodes is an eraser.

I love stats like this, courtesy of a Reddit poster named dielawn87, who broke down the stats in his post: "Since 2016, when covered by Rhodes: OBJ, AB84, DeAndre Hopkins, Michael Thomas, Mike Evans and Dez Bryant have averaged 44 yards and 0.3 TDs per game."

The Minnesota Vikings got a good one in Rhodes. It's also interesting that the two cornerbacks highlighted here both went to Florida State.

2. This past week, I was able to help B/R with some original reporting around a story about the NFL players' protests, the "Stick to Sports" era and the comments from President Donald Trump regarding NFL players. Part of that reporting was talking to Indianapolis Colts linebacker Joshua Perry.

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

His full remarks didn't make the article, but they were so moving I wanted to share them in totality here.

B/R: Why are NFL players so afraid to speak out on politics, race and society?

Joshua Perry: Fear is one of the most powerful illusions known to man. In the context of race and society, historically fear was used to control the masses by just a few people.

Fear kept slaves in line on plantations, although they had the numbers to rebel. Fear pushed blacks out of cities and schools, and away from jobs and ballot booths during Jim Crow. And now fear is keeping (mostly) black football players silent.

Black football players are largely seen as objects: Commodities that are valued for the athletic prowess and entertainment value, not their political and social ideas and values. We know that we only have a small window to capitalize on our talents, and honestly, most guys on a roster can be pretty easily replaced.

I make comments on Twitter all of the time. Sometimes I fear for my job security. I even lost an opportunity at a $30K endorsement because of my outspoken Twitter page. The fear of sick financial loss is crippling to many players' voices.

We fear that being outspoken will leave us jobless and out of the game we love.

B/R: How did the NBA move our culture beyond "stick to sports"?

Perry: I think there are two main factors.

The first is that all of the best players in that league are black, so they have a better opportunity to drive a narrative. Being the best players, the job security is there, so they can be outspoken. And the narrative is unified across their league.

The other factor is their visibility. Everyone recognizes NBA players because you can actually see their faces while they play. The visibility helps them build a brand, even in social and political arenas.

B/R: Is LeBron James more presidential than Trump?

Perry: Sure. Look at the qualifications: Both rich businessmen/entertainers. That's a draw in my eyes. The factor that makes 'Bron more presidential is his tact and diplomacy.

He handles the media with more tact. He handles personal beef with diplomacy. He does a way better job at creating a likable brand, and I think those factors are important in a president who isn't a politician.

1. Stick to Football Episode 25 is ready to download—and if you haven't already, go ahead and subscribe with a 5-star review!

This week, Connor does all the work interviewing Jets running back Matt Forte to find out why he had to attend the Senior Bowl back in the day and what fantasy football fans mean to him.

We also hear from two former college players—Devon Gales and Marshall Morgan—who were involved in a collision that left one paralyzed.

To close it all out, we take your fan questions.

Matt Miller covers the NFL and NFL draft for Bleacher Report.