When you do this long enough, there are examples of when you’ll turn on the tape of a player and know after eight quarters that this going to be “one of your guys” in this draft class. For UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet, I barely even needed eight quarters. I started with his 2022 games against Arizona and Stanford before moving on to his 2021 performance against an SEC staple — LSU. Charbonnet is often discussed in draft circles as a well-rounded running back prospect without the speed, but I think those evaluations are missing what his actual trump card is — his contact balance.
Out of the past three seasons evaluating the top-15 running back prospects in every class to enter the NFL for Fantasy Football and real-life NFL purposes, Charbonnet has the best contact balance of the bunch. Defenders fall off him both in the open field and in the hole. If you’re looking to see what I see, watch any of Charbonnet’s full-game cut ups and notice how many times he finishes the sideline plays upright on his feet. He doesn’t go down.
Contact balance is Charbonnet’s trump card, but he has a slew of other translatable traits for the NFL game and I’m excited to see him at the next level. Charbonnet is my RB2 in this class, over Jahmyr Gibbs and in some classes he’d be my RB1. While I don’t see the breakaway ability translating like a Bijan Robinson or even a Gibbs, Charbonnet’s vision and ability to make defenders miss in open space will lead to chunk plays.
Age as of Week 1: 21 | Height: 6-foot-0 | Weight: 214 | 40-time: 4.53
Comparable body-type to: Michael Turner
We’re breaking down everything you need to know about Charbonnet from a Fantasy manager perspective, including best fits, Dynasty outlook, measurables, scouting report, key stats and an NFL comparison.
Best Fantasy Fits
Eagles
Coming from a Chip Kelly offensive system at UCLA, Charbonnet has run behind a lot of power/gap blocking during his collegiate career. You’ll turn on his tape and often see a combination of shotgun runs and Charbonnet running behind pulling guards, centers and tackles. If he joins the Eagles, Charbonnet will play behind the best pulling center in NFL history in Jason Kelce alongside two dominant run-blocking offensive tackles and two guards who can move in space. The Eagles operate out of the shotgun often and use power/gap often. While this match hurts Charbonnet’s receiving upside, it…
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