Top Fullbacks In 2019
In 2019 there are some very talented fullbacks playing in the NFL. San Francisco’s Kyle Juszczyk has been reported to be among the top five blocking fullbacks since the 1970 NFL merger. The 49er’s ran a 21 personnel formation (2 RB, 1 TE) for 28% of the snaps in 2019. That was a league high use of that formation. They were successful in that formation 55% of the time. Their running back Raheem Mostert led all backs in rushing yards per attempt and was tie for eighth among backs in rushing touchdowns. Juszczyk led all fullbacks in offensive snap percentage with 37% and also led in number of snaps with 389. Yet he only touched the ball 23 times. Juszczyk made the Pro Bowl each of the last four seasons.
Kansas City Chief fullback Anthony Sherman is a hard-working strong fullback. His 2011 combine bench press was tops among skill positions that year and tie for fifth best among skill positions of the last decade. Sherman had a key block in Super Bowl LIV when he cleared a path for Damien Williams to score a 38-yard touchdown run to seal the victory. Sherman is considered one of the best at the position currently playing,
Patrick Ricard of the Ravens is another talented fullback. His nickname is Project Pat. He got that as an undrafted free agent that converted from a defensive lineman to a fullback. He is a 6’3″ 313 lb bulldozing run blocker. His defensive lineman experience helps him in analyzing blocks. He has an impressive ability to move off one block for another, more-pressing need. He was in on the third highest offensive snaps (31%) for a fullback and made the Pro Bowl. The Ravens had the first and third highest rushers in yards per attempt in Lamar Jackson and Gus Edwards.
Another talented fullback is Patrick DiMarco on the Buffalo Bills. In 2015 DiMarco made the Pro Bowl and was Second Team All-Pro. In 2016 he was Pro Football Focus’ third best graded blocking fullback. In 2019 he was in on 16% of the offensive snaps which was above the league average of 14.9% for a fullback. DiMarco is a smart, tough physical player. Buffalo running back Devin Singletary was fifth in yards per rushing attempt and quarterback Josh Allen at thirteenth was the second best quarterback in yards per rushing attempt.
Viking fullback C.J. Ham was in on 35% of the offensive snaps which was second in the league among fullbacks. The Vikings played in the 21 formation 21% of the time which was also second in the league. In that formation they had their highest passing success rate. Ham had 17 receptions and 7 rushing attempts for the second most touches by a fullback. C.J. blocks for running back Dalvin Cook. Both players made the 2019 Pro Bowl,
The Giants Fullbacks
Two great blocking fullbacks from Giants history were both on Super Bowl winning teams. They are Maurice Carthon and Madison Hedgecock. In 1986 Carthon helped block for running back Joe Morris who had a then franchise record 1,516 rushing yards. The Giants went on to win the Super Bowl that season. In 2007 Hedgecock was called an unsung hero on the Giants Super Bowl team by the Daily News. He blocked for Brandon Jacobs who had a 1,009 yard rushing season. The next year with Hedgecock blocking the Giants had two 1,000 yard rushers of Jacobs and Derrick Ward. Justin Tuck had this to say about Hedgecock – “Madison plays with reckless abandon, his tolerance for pain is just phenomenal”.
Currently only George Aston is listed on the Giants roster as a fullback. However Elijhaa Penny has also been referred to as a Giant fullback. Penny was in on 12% of the offensive snaps or 127 snaps. He was given the ball on only 19 of those snaps. So he is definitely utilized mostly in a blocking capacity.
The Giants ran a 21 or 22 formation with two backs 5% and 2% of the time which were both below the league average, New England ran both those formations above the league average and Dallas ran the 21 formation above the average, It would seem to be a likely scenario that the Giants will increase their use of the fullback position in 2020 and run more two-back formations.
George Aston was signed to the Giants practice squad on December 23, 2019 after being released by the Broncos in late August. Aston is a tough, bruising physical runner and blocker. He has soft hands. He had 45 receptions in college with 8 receiving touchdowns. In his 2018 senior season at Pittsburgh Aston was used mostly as a blocking back. His blocking helped Pittsburgh produce it’s first season ever with two 1,000 yard running backs. In his 2016 sophomore season he had 5 receiving touchdowns and 5 rushing touchdowns. Aston missed the 2017 season due to injury. Aston is a blue-collar hardworking player. In his 2016 season Aston had 11 rushing attempts in the red zone and came away with five touchdowns. That was augmented by four red zone receptions all for touchdowns. Going into the 2019 NFL draft Aston was ranked as the third best draft eligible fullback by one NFL Draft website.
Aston is passionate about the game of football. His University of Pittsburgh running backs coach Andre Powell had coached many fullbacks in his coaching career. One of his favorites was former Tar Heel Madison Hedgecock, who was mentioned as a great Giants fullback earlier. Yet Powell said he’s never had a fullback take on as much responsibility and be as versatile as Aston. Aston made 2018 All ACC Honorable Mention as a tight end. They did not have a fullback position on the All ACC team. He was considered one of the strongest players on the Pittsburgh team during his college years. Aston bench pressed 225 lbs for 29 reps at his Pro Day. That would have been second best among running backs at the 2019 NFL combine. Pittsburgh offensive line coach Dave Borbely, in his 39th year, called Aston “the best fullback I’ve ever been around” in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Elijhaa Penny was pulled by the Giants from the Cardinals practice squad in September of 2018. In 2018 Penny blocked for Saquon Barkley in his rookie year. Barkley rushed for over 1,300 yards and made the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. Following his 2017 season on the Cardinals, Pro Football Focus said Penny’s strong-suit was as a blocker. In 2017 Penny graded out with a 75.7 pass-blocking grade and a 67.0 run-blocking grade. The word is that Penny is a hard worker and a great teammate.
The Giants currently have eight running backs/fullbacks on the roster. Most projections have the Giants keeping four on the 53 man roster with Penny being one of them. Aston would qualify for the practice squad. It seems likely the Giants have a fullback on the 53 man roster. The preseason should determine if it is Penny or Aston.
