Desmond Ridder, Carson Strong and the best Group of Five NFL Draft prospects for 2022

9. Camerun Peoples will be a fan favorite in the ’22 class

I’m a big believer in finding value at running back, if I was a general manager I’d always be looking for running back talent on Day Three and this kid from Appalachian State is going to be a steal in Rounds 4-7.

Camerun Peoples has impressed me on nearly every single carry he’s had in his career. In 2018 as a freshman he toted the rock 17 times for 164 yards and two touchdowns for an impressive 9.6 yards a carry.

I was all aboard the Peoples hype train in 2019 but unfortunately, he suffered a season-ending leg injury on his third carry of the season. He bounced back big time in 2020 with 1,124 rushing yards and a dozen rushing touchdowns on 168 carries. To rush for 6.7 YPC with that much volume and coming off a terrible leg injury.

An area he can improve on this coming year is in the receiving game but App State running backs do not get many opportunities as pass-catchers in this offense. He’s caught just three passes for 15 yards.

Camerun is 6-foot-2, 210-pounds and he’s a bully with the ball in his hands. He’s not somebody that defenders want to meet downhill, it’s a frightening sight to see this tank coming at you full speed in the App State outside zone run scheme with a power football identity. In addition to being a tough runner, he takes really long strides which when combined with his solid speed, makes it hard to track him down. There’s a reason he’s always breaking off long runs. It’s his lengthy strides, fearless, good speed, and a motor that never stops.

Three teams that would benefit from drafting Camerun? The Bears, Buccaneers and Falcons. Peoples is my favorite running back sleeper in the 2022 class and I see no reason for it to change.