The latest barometer for how much — or how little — teams covet top running back prospects will be presented in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Texas junior Bijan Robinson tallied the highest production score and the second-best athleticism rating at the NFL Combine. Draft analysts have Robinson rated as one of the best prospects in his entire class.

Still, he is not guaranteed of being one of the top 10 players taken in the first round.

Given the draft’s recent history, that is hardly shocking.

Since the New York Giants drafted Penn State’s Saquon Barkley with the No. 2 overall pick in 2018, no running back has been drafted higher than 24. The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Najee Harris with the No. 24 pick in 2021, two years after fellow Alabama runner Josh Jacobs went to the then-Oakland Raiders at that number.

In fact, since Barkley and two other backs were selected in the first round of the 2018 draft, only four have gone in the opening round in the ensuing four drafts combined. Last year, a running back wasn’t taken until the second round when Breece Hall was picked by the New York Jets with the No. 36 overall selection.

With Robinson waiting in the wings, it again raises the question of the extent to which NFL teams value running backs.

“They value them. They just don’t prioritize them in the first round,” ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr said. “That’s what you have to differentiate. They certainly have great value as a player and what they mean to your team, and you can get immediate production from a rookie.”

Teams have been willing to wait until the later rounds to add running backs. Consider that just two others went in the second round last year after the Jets selected Hall. When the Steelers drafted Harris in 2021, Travis Etienne went with the No. 25 pick to Jacksonville but only one running back was taken in the second round. In 2019, the year Jacobs was picked at No. 24, one other back was chosen before the third round.

“My philosophy is I don’t mind taking a running back in the first round as long as your team is ready to win right now,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. “Because if you take into account the guy has four, five or six years of elite production, I don’t mind getting him in the first round because you get the extra (fifth) year on the contract.

“It’s easy to control. But I don’t want to waste carries on a crappy team. I want to have all of his carries over that five-year period count and help push towards a championship. To take a big-time running back like that and your team stinks, you’re going to waste his prime, and it’s not going to do anything for you.”

Teams trying to rebuild are more apt to take a quarterback, offensive lineman, pass rusher or cornerback with their top pick. That’s another reason a player such as Robinson might last until the back half of the opening round.

After getting their running back in Harris in 2021, the Steelers found his backup last year after the draft when they signed Jaylen Warren. It’s telling how content the Steelers are at the position that they have yet to bring in a running back for a top-30 visit.

“Most teams have a stable of running backs,” Kiper said “That’s what makes it so hard.”

Robinson did his part to raise his stock by leading Texas in rushing all three years he was on campus. In 2022, he ranked sixth in FBS with 1,580 rushing yards, averaging 6.1 per carry. He also had 18 rushing touchdowns, caught 19 passes for 314 yards and two scores and won the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top running back.

ESPN analyst Todd McShay has labeled Robinson the best running back prospect since Barkley emerged five years ago.

“I have him as one of the top five players in the entire draft class if you’re basing it on skill and his entirety as a football player,” McShay said. “I would make an argument that he is slightly better as a prospect than Saquon.”

One team that could take Robinson off the board early is the Philadelphia Eagles, who hold the No. 10 pick. The Eagles drafted Miles Sanders, who was Barkley’s successor at Penn State, in the second round in 2019. After four seasons, Sanders left the Eagles in free agency and signed with Carolina.

“If he were to go in the top 10, he would not get laughs around the league,” Jeremiah said, “because people know how good this guy is.”

Other analysts project Robinson going after the Steelers make their pick at No. 17. The Detroit Lions, holding the No. 18 pick, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 19, Los Angeles Chargers at No. 21 and Dallas Cowboys at No. 26 are potential destinations.

“It’s a huge test,” McShay said. “It’s hard to find a perfect landing spot for him.”

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