Bengals look for more well-rounded running backs as position evolves in college

Cincinnati Bengals second round draft pick Jeremy Hill (2), a running back from LSU, answers questions during a news conference, Saturday, May 10, 2014, at the NFL football team's stadium in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Al Behrman) (The Associated Press)

Cincinnati Bengals second round draft pick Jeremy Hill (32), a running back from LSU, and Will Clarke (93), a defensive end from West Virginia, are introduced during a news conference, Saturday, May 10, 2014, at the NFL football team's stadium in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Al Behrman) (The Associated Press)

Jeremy Hill watches NFL running backs and knows their value, even as they become a lesser commodity in the draft.

For the second year in a row, a running back wasn't taken in the first round of the draft last week. That hadn't happened since the NFL and AFL merged in 1967.

The Bengals took Hill from LSU in the second round with the 55th overall pick. Bishop Sankey was the first running back picked, going to Tennessee one slot earlier.

Coach Marvin Lewis says the proliferation of spread offenses in college has changed the position. Hill point out that they're still valuable in the NFL, which continues to evolve as a pass-dominated league.

___

Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL