In part two of this series to prepare for the upcoming NFL Draft, Devils Digest breaks down the Sun Devil running backs to make their way into the National Football League.

History in the NFL Draft: The first football player in Arizona State history to be drafted into the professional ranks, Norris Steverson blazed his trail away from Tempe to the Chicago bears in 1934, where he would play five total games with 22 yards on eight carries.

Nearly 20 years would go by until the next Sun Devil running back saw duty in the NFL and to no surprise it was Wilford "Whizzer" White, clearly the top player in program history at the time and still one of the most legendary names to play for Arizona State.

After rushing for 1,502 yards as a senior in 1950, White was selected in the third round (36th overall) of the 1951 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. In 17 career games spanned across two seasons, White carried 28 times for 67 yards with one rushing touchdown and one receiving touchdown.

John Henry Johnson came to ASU to play just the 1952 season with the Sun Devils after California's St. Mary's College disbanded its football program, but his NFL career stands among the very best of any to have played at Arizona State.

During his time in Tempe, Johnson split action between running back and defensive back and was an All-Border Conference selection his lone season with ASU. The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Johnson in the second round (18th overall) in the 1953 NFL Draft, and through his 12-year pro career, Johnson manufactured Hall of Fame credentials that would ultimately gain him football immortality with his induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.

One of the most dynamic running backs to ever play for Arizona State, Leon Burton graduated as the school's second-leading career rusher behind White and in the 1958 NFL Draft he was chosen in the eighth round (87th overall) by the San Francisco 49ers.

Burton's NFL career was limited to 14 games for the New York Titans in 1960, through which he totaled 119 rushing yards on 16 carries with one touchdown.

Also drafted in 1957 was do-it-all legend Bobby Mulgado, taken in the fifth round (52nd overall) by the Philadelphia Eagles, but Mulgado ultimately played his professional ball in the Canadian Football League.

In the 1964 NFL Draft, the Charley Taylor became-and remains-the highest picked Sun Devil of all time when the Washington Redskins selected him third overall. Taylor began his career at halfback but shortly would shift to wide receiver where he became one of the greatest in NFL history to play the position.

Nineteen selections later, the Baltimore Colts chose Tony Lorick in the second round with the 22nd overall pick and Lorick would play four seasons with Baltimore before two spent with the New Orleans Saints. In 83 total NFL games, Lorick rushed 548 times for 2,124 yards with 14 touchdowns and caught 86 passes for 890 yards with five scores.

Also in that same draft, Gary Lewis was taken in the sixth round (71st overall) by the San Francisco 49ers. Lewis played at both ASU and Washington State at the college level but had a decent seven-year pro career with the 49ers and New Orleans Saints as he totaled 1,421 rushing yards and 604 receiving yards with 18 total scores in 73 games with 17 starts.

A pair of pro rushers from Arizona State came out of the 1965 NFL Draft in Gene Foster and Larry Todd. Todd was taken in the fourth round (44th overall) by the San Francisco 49ers and Foster was picked in the 15th round (201st overall) by the Dallas Cowboys.

Both would play six years in the NFL, with Foster spending the 1965-70 seasons with the San Diego Chargers totaling 1,613 rushing yards and 903 receiving yards with seven total touchdowns in 68 games while Todd appeared in 57 games across six seasons with the Oakland Raiders, posting 625 rushing yards and 522 receiving yards with seven total touchdowns.

Following a two-year stint at Arizona State after transferring from the junior college level, Travis Williams was selected in the fourth round (93rd overall) of the 1967 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. In four seasons with Green Bay and two with the Los Angeles Rams, Williams rushed for 1,166 yards with four touchdowns and caught 52 passes for 598 yards with five scores but earned substantial distinction on special teams as he returned an NFL record four kickoffs for touchdowns as a rookie and through his career he returned six kicks and one punt for touchdowns.

In 1968, Max Anderson was taken in the fifth round (132nd overall) by the Buffalo Bills, where he played two seasons and totaled 599 rushing yards with three touchdowns and 205 receiving yards in 25 total games played.

The 1970 NFL Draft saw a pair of Sun Devil running backs taken by the Atlanta Falcons in Art Malone ,one of the top rushers in school history, as well as Mike Brunson.

Chosen in the second round (39th overall), Malone played 80 games with 64 starts over seven seasons with the Falcons and Eagles, with 2,457 yards with 19 touchdowns on 635 carries with 19 receptions for 161 yards and six scores. Brunson's career was limited to eight games as a rookie in Atlanta with nine yards on a single carry.

Bob Thomas surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark in his only season at Arizona State, helping guide ASU's legendary undefeated squad in 1970 and used that momentum to be drafted in the 15th round (379th overall) by the Los Angeles Rams. In four NFL seasons totaling 48 games with the Rams and Chargers, Thomas collected 537 rushing yards and 155 receiving yards with four total touchdowns.

A trio of Sun Devil backs made their way to the NFL from the 1972 class, with Hugh McKinnis being taken in the eighth round (201st overall) by the Cincinnati Bengals, then Oscar Dragon was chosen in the 17th round (423rd overall) by the Minnesota Vikings.

McKinnis played three years in Canada between the conclusion of his Sun Devil career in 1969 and the start of his NFL career in 1973, but he ultimately played four seasons with the Browns and Seahawks, totaling 960 rushing yards and 572 receiving yards with 10 rushing touchdowns.

Though drafted by the Vikings, Dragon played 13 games his rookie season with San Diego, totaling 30 rushing yards on the year.

Also from the same class as McKinnis and Dragon, Monroe Eley went undrafted and played three seasons in Canada before spending the 1975 and '77 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, collecting 276 rushing yards with one touchdown.

The Sun Devil backfield of the early 1970s was the best the program has ever seen, with school rushing record holder Woody Green at halfback pairing with Brent McClanahan and then Benny Malone at fullback, with all three making their way to the NFL after college.

Altogether, the 1971 Sun Devil squad astonishingly featured five running backs that ultimately played in the NFL in Dragon, Eley, Green, Malone and McClanahan.

McClanahan was chosen in the fifth round (118th overall) by Minnesota in the 1973 NFL Draft, and over seven seasons with the Vikings he appeared in 95 games with 32 starts, rushing 367 times for 1,207 yards with six touchdowns while also catching 107 passes for 772 yards with four touchdowns.

After torching the school rushing record in just three seasons, Green was taken 16th overall in the 1974 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. Unfortunately, due to injuries his career was limited to three seasons and he played in 28 games with 24 starts, rushing 375 times for 1,442 yards with nine touchdowns while also catching 58 passes for 562 yards and two scores.

Also in the 1974 NFL Draft, Malone was taken in the second round (47th overall) by the Miami Dolphins, where he would play five seasons before two spent with the Washington Redskins. Overall, Malone rushed for 2,693 yards and 19 touchdowns in 82 career NFL games with 40 starts, while also posting 33 receptions for 400 yards with one score.

Following a career that placed him second on ASU's all-time rushing chart behind Woody Green, Freddie Williams was drafted in the eighth round (221st overall) of the 1977 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys but never saw NFL game action, making him the most productive Sun Devil rusher to never see the professional field.

As the Sun Devils merged into the Pac-10 Conference in 1978, the next standout running back to break into the NFL was a player who was very good at the college level while primarily splitting reps with other backs but excelled tremendously at the professional level.

Prior to his senior season at ASU, Gerald Riggs ' top season in terms of carries was his junior year with just 89 on the season, but his final year saw increased reps as he posted 891 yards on 148 carries. His top level abilities were evident at Arizona State and beyond, as the Atlanta Falcons made him the ninth overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft. Riggs' career with the Falcons and Redskins would include three 1,000-yard rushing seasons, three Pro Bowl selections and a Super Bowl championship and overall he is one of the absolute best pro running backs to come from Arizona State.

Riggs' backfield mates of Robert Weathers, Newton Williams and Alvin Moore also made their way to the professional ranks, showcasing the tremendous depth at running back for ASU in the early 1980s.

Weathers and Williams were picked in 1982 along with Riggs, with Weathers being selected in the second round (40th overall) by New England, while Williams was taken in the fifth round (139th overall) by San Francisco. Moore was chosen in the seventh round (169th overall) by the Baltimore Colts in the 1983 NFL Draft.

In five seasons with the Patriots, Weathers totaled 159 rushing yards with four touchdowns, while Williams appeared in 22 career games with 77 rushing yards with the 49ers and Colts. Moore put together a five-year career with the Colts, Lions and Seahawks, totaling 641 rushing yards with seven touchdowns and 291 receiving yards with one score in 58 total games played.

Darryl Clack finished his Sun Devil career ranked fifth on ASU's career rushing list, and in 1986 the Dallas Cowboys chose him in the second round (33rd overall). Also in that draft, Mike Crawford was taken by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 12th round (334th overall). In four seasons with the Cowboys, Clack appeared in 51 games with 113 rushing yards and two touchdowns while also totaling 213 receiving yards with one touchdown. Crawford appeared in three games with the Cleveland Browns in 1987.

A 1,000-yard rusher on ASU's Rose Bowl champion team, Darryl Harris fell undrafted in 1988 but signed with the Minnesota Vikings where he played 14 games as a rookie with 151 rushing yards with one touchdown.

After two seasons at Arizona State, Bruce Perkins made his way to the NFL as an undrafted free agent and spent the 1990 and '91 seasons with Tampa Bay, appearing in 30 games with four starts and totaling 47 rushing yards and 83 receiving yards. Perkins' son, Paul, is currently a running back at UCLA and another son, Bryce, signed with Arizona State this February.

A one-year marvel at Arizona State, Leonard Russell played only the 1990 season in Tempe after transferring from the junior college level and was chosen with the 14th overall pick in the 1991 NFL Draft by New England. The decision to leave early was instantly justified as Russell was voted the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1991 after rushing 266 times for 959 yards with four touchdowns in 16 games with the Patriots. In 1993, Russell became only the third Sun Devil to surpass the 1,000-yard rushing mark in the NFL when he totaled 1,088 yards on the ground on 300 carries with seven touchdowns.

After three seasons in New England, Russell would relocate to Denver, St. Louis and then San Diego to complete the final three seasons of his six-year career. In all, Russell appeared in 85 career games with 3,973 rushing yards on 1,164 carries with 29 touchdowns, making him the third-leading pro rusher to come from Arizona State.

Next into the NFL at running back was Jerone Davison, who, despite finishing his Sun Devil career in 1992, would play the 1996 and '97 seasons with the Oakland Raiders, appearing in 10 total games with one start.

A player with immeasurable talent but one who was somewhat limited at ASU due to injuries, Mario Bates enjoyed a solid pro career as a running back and kick returner. After rushing for 1,111 yards his junior season in Tempe, Bates left school a year early and was picked in the second round (44th overall) by New Orleans in the 1994 NFL Draft. Bates played four seasons with the Saints, with his top year coming in 1995 when he rushed for 951 yards and seven touchdowns as a starter in all 16 games. He then played two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals and one with the Detroit Lions, and over his seven-year career, he played in 98 total games with 43 starts, rushing 841 times for 3,048 yards with 38 touchdowns while also catching 65 passes for 419 yards.

In his four years at ASU, J.R. Redmond established himself as one of the top all-purpose offensive threats in school history and the Sun Devil football program's third-leading career rusher. Redmond was selected in the third round (76th overall) of the 2000 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots, where he played three seasons and was a member of the Super Bowl XXVI champion Patriot squad. He would go on to play two seasons with the Oakland Raiders and one with the Arizona Cardinals and in total, for his six-year pro career he appeared in 50 games with six starts, registering 194 carries for 676 yards with one touchdown while also catching 68 passes for 502 yards with two scores.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, ASU had an excellent run of fullbacks to play in the NFL, starting with Jeff Paulk, followed by Terrelle Smith, Stephen Trejo and Mike Karney.

Chosen in the third round (92nd overall) in the 1999 NFL Draft by the Falcons, Paulk only ended up playing in two games across two seasons. Smith, on the other hand, enjoyed a lengthy pro career, as after being drafted in the fourth round (96th overall) by the New Orleans Saints, he went on to a 10-year career that also included time with the Browns, Cardinals and Lions. In 146 career games with 84 starts, Smith carried 58 times for 185 yards and caught 69 passes for 361 yards with three scores but was more relied upon for his lead blocking skills.

A linebacker to begin with at ASU just as his predecessor Terrelle Smith, Trejo moved to fullback just for his senior season but that enabled him to catch on with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent. The Casa Grande played four seasons in the NFL with the Lions and Rams, appearing in 59 career games with two starts with just one carry but 12 receptions for 113 yards to his credit.

One of the most popular blue collar players of recent decades for the Sun Devils, Karney legendarily touched the ball infrequently at ASU but was a stout powerhouse at fullback. Selected in the fifth round (156th overall) in the 2004 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints, Karney spent five years with New Orleans and two with St. Louis, appearing in 101 games with 59 starts before retiring after the 2010 season. In total, he caught 64 passes for 325 yards with two touchdowns and carried 47 times for 99 yards with five scores.

The better part of a decade passed between true running backs selected in the NFL Draft from Arizona State, as after Redmond was selected in 2000, the next was Ryan Torain in 2007.

After an excellent two-year Sun Devil career cut short due to a foot injury, Torain was selected in the fifth round (139th overall) by the Denver Broncos. After appearing in two games in 2008, Torain was out of action in 2009 but signed with the Washington Redskins and compiled a solid season in 2010 with 742 rushing yards and four touchdowns in 10 games. Torain played in nine games the next year but his role greatly diminished and he then signed with the New York Giants, where he played in two games in 2012 before exiting the NFL.

In total, Torain played in 23 games with 13 starts, carrying 238 times for 1,011 yards with six touchdowns while catching 24 passes for 148 yards with two touchdowns.

Despite not being drafted in 2010, Dimitri Nance caught on as an undrafted free agent and worked his way into live reps as he appeared in 12 games with 36 carries for 95 yards while catching three passes for 30 yards and also earning a championship ring as part of the Super Bowl victors that season.

After two seasons established as a pay dirt playmaker for Todd Graham at Arizona State, Marion Grice was chosen in the sixth round (201st overall) by San Diego. Though he was cut by the Chargers, he ultimately signed with the Arizona Cardinals where he saw action in a reserve role.

Top NFL Players: Since we are going to categorize Charley Taylor as a wide receiver for this analysis, two backs stand clearly above the rest to come from Arizona State in John Henry Johnson and Gerald Riggs, both with comparable merits to claim distinction as the best NFL rusher from ASU.

After six decent seasons with San Francisco and Detroit, Johnson built the bulk of his Hall of Fame legacy with Pittsburgh, where he played from 1960-65. Johnson exploded for 1,141 rushing yards in 1962 and again surpassed the 1,000-yard mark with 1,048 rushing yards in 1964 - the first two 1,000-yard rushing seasons in the NFL by a former Sun Devil. A three-time Pro Bowl selection from 1962-84, Johnson ended his pro career with 6,803 rushing yards on 1,571 carries with 48 touchdowns as well as 186 receptions for 1,478 yards with seven scores.

In 1987, Johnson became only the second Sun Devil to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and remains the only true running back in ASU history to earn such an honor.

Talented as Riggs was with the Sun Devils, his NFL efforts greatly exceeded those of his collegiate career. Riggs top rushing season at ASU was his 891-yard senior season in 1981, but his pro potential was obvious as he was a top-10 NFL Draft selection by the Atlanta Falcons.

After platooning as a reserve his first two pro seasons, Riggs put together a sensational season as a starter in 1984, posting 1,486 yards on 353 carries with 13 touchdowns while also catching 42 passes. The next two seasons would be much of the same, as he had career highs of 1,719 rushing yards on 397 carries in 1985 with 10 rushing touchdowns before rushing 343 times with 1,327 yards with nine scores in 1986. These three seasons represent the three best single-season rushing totals ever to be produced in the NFL by a former Arizona State player.

A Pro Bowler three times from 1985-87, Riggs played the final three seasons of his 10-year career with the Washington Redskins. Riggs capped his NFL career by rushing for two touchdowns in Washington's Super Bowl XXVI victory, the final game he ever played.

In total, Riggs tallied 8,188 rushing yards on 1,989 carries with 69 touchdowns and added 201 receptions for 1,516 yards, making him the most productive pro running back ever to emanate from Arizona State.

In total, Johnson holds the advantage from having been selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but Riggs carries the statistical advantage with over 1,300 more career rushing yards than Johnson despite playing 14 fewer games.

The Best Not to be Drafted: In terms of the top statistical rushers in Sun Devil history, Cameron Marshall's 2,700 career college rushing yards are the most by an ASU runner not to be drafted. Behind him, Keegan Herring (2,635 yards), Nolan Jones, who played for the Sun Devils from 1958-61 and rushed for 2,122 yards and Michael Martin (2,087) are the top producing running backs in school history not to hear their names called on draft day. Marshall has spent practice squad time in the NFL recently, but none of this group ever saw regular season action at the professional level.

Currently in the NFL: For the 2014 season, just one running back from Arizona State appeared in NFL action in Marion Grice. Though he was chosen in the sixth round by San Diego, he was later released by the Chargers but ended up back near where he played his college ball with the Arizona Cardinals. In 10 games as a rookie, Grice rushed 15 times for 41 yards with one touchdown and caught seven passes for 29 yards.

2015 NFL Draft Prospects: Two Sun Devil running backs in Deantre Lewis and Kyle Middlebrooks completed their careers in 2014. Both players - especially Lewis - began their college days with substantial flair in 2010 but injuries and other issues halted their progress and by their senior seasons, both were merely role players. Neither player is expected to be called through the seven rounds of the NFL Draft, but Lewis, and to a much lesser extend Middlebrooks, could have a shot at latching on for some measure of a pro tryout.