Rod Smith RB - Cowboys Madden Career 2017-2020 - Peak 71 OVR

This Rod Smith is not the Broncos Hall of Fame receiver, but a big Ohio State running back who went undrafted in 2015 and caught on with Dallas as a backup behind Ezekiel Elliott. He spent his career as depth and a special-teamer, the brother of Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith, waiting behind one of the league's workhorses for the rare chance to touch the ball.

The Madden card is a modest line that peaked around his one real opportunity. He climbed from a 66 to a 71 peak in Madden NFL 19, his most productive stretch coming during Elliott's 2017 suspension, highlighted by an 81-yard touchdown reception against the Giants that showed the athleticism in his big frame. The number rose only when he got snaps, an honest read on a back buried on the depth chart.

He bounced to the Giants, Titans, Raiders and Panthers as his career wound down, then to the XFL, a journeyman backup throughout. Smith is the archetype of the big change-of-pace back stuck behind a star, valuable as depth and special-teams muscle. The climb to a 71 is the fair, modest read on a runner whose career was mostly spent waiting for carries that rarely came.