Jaleel McLaughlin

McLaughlin has occasionally been compared to Darren Sproles, but that's unfair to both players. Sproles is one of the most notable athletes in NFL history, while McLaughlin would sooner categorize as a fairly unremarkable athlete by NFL running back standards. More specifically, at around 5-foot-8, 190 pounds with roughly 4.5 speed McLaughlin is not nearly as powerful or fast as Sproles was. McLaughlin's relative lack of size-adjusted athleticism likely limits his application from scrimmage, because a player with McLaughlin's modest physical tools risks overexposure the more you use them. It's one thing to catch a defense by surprise with a well-timed change of pace - and in that capacity McLaughlin is excellent - but it's another thing to wear out a novelty by overusing it. With the second-round selection of RJ Harvey, the Broncos will likely restrict McLaughlin to an RB3-type role that suits his selective applications. McLaughlin's rushing average (5.4 to 4.4) and yards-per-target figures (4.4 to 2.8) both fell from 2023 to 2024, indicating that his increased 2024 playing time resulted in overexposure.