Comeback for the fullback? Bruising position goes from the brink of extinction to modern NFL advantage

Matt Saunders grew up in Chester, Va., a short drive south from the state's capital on Interstate 95, and spent time in the backyard emulating NFL fullbacks.

"People wanted to be Randy Moss," Saunders said. "I wanted to be Lorenzo Neal."

He played fullback and middle linebacker in high school for the Thomas Dale Knights, the bitter crosstown rival of L.C. Bird, where both his grandfather and father coached. As a player, according to MaxPreps, Saunders stood at 5 feet 10, 230 pounds and wore No. 46. His offense ran most of its plays out of the I-formation, bruising with a smash-mouth style fueled by power, counter and trap running concepts.

His coach, Kevin Tucker, once said he "hits like a truck."

Saunders didn't pursue football past high school. "Just wasn't big enough, wasn't fast enough," he says now. Still, he spent some time in coaching and always stayed involved in the game. Often, he enjoyed randomly cutting up film and breaking down schemes that piqued his interest.

In Sept. 2021, Saunders, now 31, started an X (formerly known as Twitter) account dedicated to highlighting the position he loved most: fullback.

"You're short, you're stocky, you're not very fast, you're just there to hit stuff," Saunders said. "You know you're not going to get the recognition you probably deserve. I've kind of clung to it as a personality trait."

Throughout the late 2000s and 2010s, the fullback became something of an endangered species in the NFL. Spread offenses favored quickness and speed, and suddenly there was less room for a 240-odd pound Mack Truck paving the way for a running back.

Saunders lamented the decline of the fullback, but what he found with his account was that, "there's a whole lot of people out in the world that think like I do." Called Last of the Fullbacks, his account has eclipsed 31,000 followers. Saunders posts daily fullback clips and running schemes he's seen from high schools to colleges to the NFL.

He even runs a Substack called "The Fullback Weekly," where he devotes a more comprehensive effort to concept breakdowns and fullback news.

In 1999, there were 10 fullbacks selected in the NFL Draft, including future three-time Pro Bowler Cory Schlesinger from Nebraska. There haven't been as many in a draft since, and there may not be half as many this weekend.

But over the phone, Saunders' excitement is easy to detect. Perhaps it's because the fullback - which just a handful of years ago felt like an ancient relic - is starting to see an NFL renaissance in a new way.

‘Tough as nails'

Picture a fullback.

Go ahead, what do you see? Who do you see?

Likely there's a broad set of shoulders and a thick neck roll. Maybe a fierce scowl and a bloody nose. If you're thinking names, maybe there's Daryl "Moose" Johnston. Franco Harris. Larry Csonka. Mack Strong. Henry "Hynoceros" Hynoski.

The position - and the nostalgia it carries - is guided by an ethos quite unlike anything else in the NFL.

In 1998, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers super-sized backfield featured Mike Alstott (6 feet 1, 248 pounds) rumbling behind Lorenzo Neal (5-11, 255). No. 40 wore a beefy neck roll and churned forward, following the path cleared by No. 41 who, of course, donned an equally bulky collar.

There's a singularity to the attitude of a fullback.

A few years ago, "Good Morning Football" host Kyle Brandt ranked his top five "fullbackiest fullbacks" of all time.

"These are just the guys who are punching lockers before the game and taking on Mike linebackers for the whole game, their whole career," Brandt said. "The optics. The snot bubbles. All the glorious stuff."

Even at the high school level, the fullbacks who remain embody a similar disposition.

At Central Catholic, the reigning WPIAL Class 6A champions and state runners-up, the Vikings ran plenty behind fullback Bobby Macurak, who is headed to play at John Carroll University.

"He's probably the most selfless person on our roster, and that position really glorifies who he is," coach Ryan Lehmeier said. "He's low maintenance, high output. He's tough as nails, reliable and always ready. He's like a good car - just always starts. I'm a big fan of fullbacks."

On Monday, recent Los Angeles Chargers signee Alec Ingold addressed assembled media in a press conference and provided a candid, quintessential fullback soundbite.

Reporter: "What do you feel like you're bringing to the team?"

Ingold: "I run and hit [expletive]. That's, ya know, something I do."

Ingold was signed from the Miami Dolphins, where he spent the last four seasons as a key cog in one of the NFL's most innovative offenses. The 6-foot-1, 232-pounder is one of the last traditional fullbacks in the league.

The days of the featured fullback have all but vanished, and in 2024 only 12 NFL players that took offensive snaps were designated as fullbacks to begin with.

"It's disappointing to see that the position has gone away," Steelers Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis told the Post-Gazette a few months ago.

In 2006, NFL teams used multiple running backs on 41% of plays, according to ESPN. In 2017, that figure nosedived to 14%. The usage of fullbacks took a small jump in 2022 but has yet to see a further increase leaguewide since.

However, in 2025, four of the NFL's top 10 rushing offenses heavily utilized fullbacks - or at least a player operating as a fullback. The Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens, who finished No. 1 and No. 2 in average rushing yards per game, respectively, both employed multi-back sets on north of 22% of snaps.

The two teams that played in this year's Super Bowl, the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahwaks, both frequently operated from under center and used a fullback on at least 19% of their total offensive plays.

As defenses have opted for nimbleness and agility to match the pass-heavy offenses over the years, players have naturally become lighter, particularly at linebacker. In turn, a handful of offenses have countered that trend with heavier sets - like 21 personnel, which includes two running backs and one tight end - to create more favorable matchups, especially in the running game.

"Now the key is all about creating a mismatch," Bettis said. "If you can find a guy who can be physical, but who can also create a mismatch in the passing game, that's where the true value is at the position now."

‘Jack of all trades'

Kyle Juszczyk is the new-age fullback.

Plenty of teams are sticking backup tight ends in the backfield as lead blockers. Others, like the Ravens did with Patrick Ricard, are converting defensive linemen. Some - like the Los Angeles Rams did a few years ago with Ben Skowronek - are even using capable blocking receivers to act as fullbacks.

The name of the game is versatility.

"They're just going to be a complete jack of all trades," Saunders said. "To me, that's where the position is headed."

Look no further than Juszczyk for a blueprint.

The 34-year old was a high school champion shot putter and played tight end at Harvard. In 2016, with the Ravens at the time, Juszczyk was one of 17 full-time fullbacks in the NFL. He made his first Pro Bowl that season and inked a four-year, $21 million deal with the San Francisco 49ers ahead of the 2017 season.

Since then, he's made nine consecutive Pro Bowls and received two first-team All-Pro nods, as well as a second-team All-Pro nomination. Last season, Juszczyk played 45.4% of the 49ers' offensive snaps.

At 6 feet 2, 235 pounds, he has the size to spring running backs open by chipping defensive linemen and sealing off linebackers. Additionally, with his tight end background, he has the receiving chops to run a variety of routes and the athleticism to extend plays after the catch.

"It's a hybrid," North Allegheny coach Art Walker said of the modern fullback role. "You got to be able to block, you've got to be able to move, you got to run the ball a little bit and you also have to be a pass-catcher. It's definitely something that's been more phased out, position-wise, than anything.

"But it's football, so like anything else, it's going to come back."

There are few natural fullbacks rising from the high school to college ranks anymore. But in this NFL Draft, as Saunders pointed to from his evaluation of prospects, there's a shining example of a fullback-adjacent player who fits the modern mold.

Indiana's Riley Nowakowski is a 6-foot-2, 250-pound tight end who lined up just about everywhere for the national championship-winning Hoosiers, including as a short-yardage running back. Nowakowski - who's drawn comparisons to Connor Heyward - is projected to be selected on Day 3.

Saunders also noted Michigan's Max Bredeson and North Dakota State's Truman Werremeyer as players he could anticipate having an impact at the next level.

So no, to Saunders' chagrin, the fullback position hasn't been completely revived. But it's still finding a role in today's NFL, and as the archetype and conventions change, the opportunities just might grow.

"I'm excited to see the game getting the position back," Saunders said. "Excited to see some of these guys who have been overlooked over the years starting to get a chance."

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