Anonymous scout calls this year’s running back draft class “historic,” which is good news for Colts

One of the many positions that the Indianapolis Colts will likely be looking to potentially address this offseason is the running back spot.

Frank Gore had a productive year last year, but he’ll be 34 when next season starts. The Colts need a young guy who can be their running back of the future and who can complement Gore in 2017. That need is widely agreed upon, but there are differing opinions on how the Colts should address it. Some have had the Colts taking Dalvin Cook in the first round, while others are very opposed to a first round running back.

Whatever the case, I think we can safely assume that the Colts will probably be looking to draft at least one running back at some point this year. The good news for them is that it seems to be a very good class at the position.

Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller spoke with an anonymous area scout for an NFL team this week, and that scout raved about the running back class.

“Running back,” the scout responded when asked what the strength of this year’s draft class is. “This is a historic running back class. Not just with the first-rounders, but with the overall depth. I think we'll have around 30 draftable running backs in this class—which probably translates to like Round 5 or higher on your board. That's an unreal number. And the variety is nice, too. Power runners. Speed backs. It's a great class. Best I've seen.”

That’s really good news for the Colts. The top of the class obviously features Leonard Fournette and Dalvin Cook, but there are other good backs as well - such as Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, and others. What that means is that if they don’t take a running back in the first round, they’d still be able to get a good prospect. That’s why it’s such great news for the Colts, as it means they don’t have to take a running back in the first round if they hope to get a good one, which would free them up to address other positions too. Ideally, the Colts would focus on defense early and still grab a solid running back with a day two or three pick. With the depth of this year’s class, that should be a real possibility.