2. Wendell Smallwood
Wendell Smallwood is another player that physically can be compared to Herbert. Their big difference coming out of college was that Smallwood was much more respected as a pass-catcher. Smallwood was better as a pass-catcher, but Herbert caught twice as many balls as a rookie.
| Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Player | Year | G | Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | Lng | Rec | Yds | TD | Y/R | Lng |
| 1 | Khalil Herbert | 2021 | 17 | 103 | 433 | 2 | 4.2 | 29 | 14 | 96 | 0 | 6.9 | 20 |
| 2 | Wendell Smallwood | 2016 | 13 | 77 | 312 | 1 | 4.1 | 19 | 6 | 55 | 0 | 9.2 | 18 |
Overall Herbert was a bit more productive than Wendell Smallwood as a rookie. Still, the comparison is there. Smallwood would probably be a middle outcome between Murray, and Brown. He is entering year seven in the NFL and has been active for all six of his years.
Still, he has been a third-string running back for most of his career. Off of the bat, it is hard to make the comparison to Smallwood because of the roles, but the outcome of a player who is depth in the NFL for five years without real starting work is a legitimate outcome for Khalil Herbert.