Through 14 weeks, the Pittsburgh Steelers are 8-5. A lot of that success has come from a stifling defense. The offense, on the other hand, has struggled for the most part. Now, injuries to players like Ben Roethlisberger, Juju Smith-Schuster and James Conner are certainly a part of those struggles.
And speaking of Conner, after compiling nearly 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns in just his second season, many expected Conner to be the team's definite running back of the future.
However, the 6-foot-1, 233-pound back has regressed in his third year. He has had to deal with injuries but in eight games, the former Pitt star has totaled 390 rushing yards and four touchdowns on just 3.8 yards per carry.
If Pittsburgh feels as though they need someone else to carry the rushing load for the team in the future, Ohio State's J.K. Dobbins could be a possible option.
The junior running back has had a monster junior season for the Buckeyes. In 13 games, Dobbins has over 2,000 all-purpose yards and 22 touchdowns while averaging an impressive 6.5 yards per carry.
As arguably the top running back in college football this year, the junior has gained a lot of hype as an NFL prospect. Dobbins, along with Georgia's D'Andre Swift and Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor could all be the first running back taken this April.
Running back isn't as important in the NFL, at least in the draft, as it was 10 years ago so there's a good chance Dobbins could fall to the Steelers in the mid to late second round. If that happens, Dobbins would follow Le'Veon Bell's path from Big Ten star to Steelers feature back.
At 5'10” and 217 pounds, Dobbins doesn't have the size that someone like Conner has. With that being said, Dobbins has an excellent frame and his low center of gravity allows him to use his size as an advantage.
The Ohio State product has elite short-area quickness and has a great mix of elusiveness and power. He has shown ability as a pass-catcher but usually isn't asked to run many advanced routes. Like many college backs, he could improve as a blocker but all in all, Dobbins has no real weaknesses and is good at just about everything.
The Steelers drafted a dynamic running back from Kentucky in Benny Snell in the fourth round last year. So far, Snell has struggled to find his footing as a rookie but still could develop into a strong pro. Pittsburgh could certainly do worse than Conner as their lead back but if this year is any indication, they might want to consider someone else as the feature back in the future.
If the Steelers end up drafting Dobbins, he and Conner could be a solid duo for the team. Conner becomes an unrestricted free agent after next season. Therefore, if they want to avoid paying him a large contract, drafting and developing Dobbins in his first year or two could be a smart move business-wise and could be exactly what the 25th ranked Steelers rushing offense needs.
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