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NFL Mock Draft 2009 Draft of 2009 Lacks Star Power NFL Draft 2009: Getting Started Super Bowl Well Worth Tuning In For
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Prospects On Center Stage NBA Preview 2008/09: Final Call
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Running Away With It By Ron Jumper This is, without question, the greatest class of running backs that I can ever recall. Never have I seen the potential for starting running backs go so far down the list. We all know about "D-Mac" at the top of the list, but that is just the beginning. From there, the debate begins on who is the second best back. Depending on who you ask, it could be Jonathon Stewart, Rashard Mendenhall, Felix Jones, Ray Rice, or someone else that follows McFadden as the second best back. There is also plenty of small school sleepers that are relatively unknown, backs like Chris Johnson, Kevin Smith, or Matt Forte. With great backs all over the place, I'm going to try and sort this out. Here goes nothing... Starting at the top, McFadden is an interesting prospect for so many reasons. On the one hand, he seems to remind us a lot of Adrian Peterson from last season. Knowing the NFL is a copycat league, it couldn't have been better timing for McFadden. On the other hand, I worry about him being injury prone and having off-the-field problems. It is a perfect example of what makes the draft so interesting, balancing risk and reward. Obviously, the reward could be pretty special. Who's Number 2? Now, where it gets interesting, the second running back. I am a huge fan of Oregon's Jonathon Stewart. Standing 5'10" 235 and running a 4.48, Stewart is an amazing athletic specimen. Throw in he can catch the ball out of the backfield and return kicks, and you've got yourself a phenomenal running back prospect. He didn't too bad as a running back either, posting 1,722 yards and 11 touchdowns with an average of 6.2 yards per carry. I like him so much, I would go as far to say he is the safest pick in the draft in terms of running back prospects. Remember, I just talked about the risk and reward with McFadden. This next running back prospect didn't impress me at first. It took time for him to grow on me, but man did he ever. Rashard Mendenhall looked like a man among boys against USC in the Rose Bowl, while the rest of his team was intimidated to compete against the big dogs. Not only was I impressed with his talent, but I admired his willingness to compete against the best. He followed up a great season (1681 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns) with an even better combine, as he measured in at 5'10.5" 225 and ran a 4.45 in the 40, cementing his place as a first rounder. Speed: You couldn't really go wrong with any of those 3 backs, as all three could be feature backs that carry the load 25 times a game. However, deciding how to seperate this year's crop of speed backs is a whole other issue. Obviously, I'm high on Felix Jones, but then there is Chris Johnson, Jamaal Charles, and Anthony Alridge. These are all smaller backs with world class speed and agility. How do we seperate them? The most proven is Felix Jones, as he is a dangerous return man and is accustomed to playing all over the field. He regularly lined up in the slot and anywhere you could imagine in the Hogs "Wildhog" offense. Teams shouldn't draft him with the idea he is an everydown back because he isn't. However, I think he could fit in an offense perfect if used in a role similar to Reggie Bush. In fact, I see Jones being a better running back 3 years from now, as Bush will never meet the hype. Chris Johnson is the fastest of the bunch, as he ran a 4.24 in the 40. However, is he proven? Can he handle the jump from Conference USA to the NFL? It will be interestng to see. He looked great in their bowl game win over Boise State, but didn't really stand out much over the course of the season. It always seemed to be QB Patrick Pinkney that would catch my eye. (As a random note, everyone is going back and breaking down film of Johnson to get a handle on how good he is. In the process, they'll be able to catch a glimpse of Patrick Pinkney and see how skilled of a young QB he is.) Jamaal Charles is a world class speedster and will be a great value in the later rounds. He'll probably land somewhere between round 3 and 5. If you need a kick returner, 3rd down back, or just more speed at skill positions then Charles can help address those needs. The last speedster I want to talk about is Anthony Alridge. Projected as a late round to undrafted prospect, I feel he is a great value because of his ability to catch the football and return kicks. Remember, Houston has a very complex passing game and requires their backs to be involved in the passing game. I see his transition to the NFL as a 3rd down back and kick returner to be very smooth. Small School Sleepers: I talked about two small school speedsters already in Chris Johnson and Anthony Alridge already, but I still haven't discussed Matt Forte, Kevin Smith, and my personal favorite Calvin Dawson. Matt Forte had a phenomenal season with 2,127 yards and 23 touchdowns for Tulane. He followed it up with nice combine numbers, standing 6'1" 217 with a 4.46 40-yard dash. Productive on the field and nice athleticism at the combine, he should feel safe that he is going in the top 3 rounds. Ultimately, he could end up being one of the best backs in this class 5 years from now. I feel that good about him. Kevin Smith didn't have the combine he needed, but I look more at what he did on the field, which was record setting. Smith posted 2,567 yards and 29 touchdowns as a junior. That is a career for most backs. While he only timed at a 4.6, he is lighting on the field. Every time he touched the ball, he was a threat to break it the distance. Granted he played in Conference USA, but he also played very well against Texas, NC State, and Mississippi State. My favorite unknown running back prospect is Lousiana-Monroe's Calvin Dawson. He only played in the Sun Belt and is undersized at 5'8" 200, but he passed the eye test on numerous occasions when I saw him play. He also put up great numbers against Tulsa, Clemson, Texas A&M, and Alabama, showing he can do it with the big guys. Second Day Value: I can't think of a year where there was so much value projected outside of the first day at one position. It is simply amazing at how many good running backs that will be available late in this draft. Look at this list of running backs: Tashard Choice, Georgia Tech Steve Slaton, West Virginia Chauncey Washington, USC Cory Boyd, South Carolina Mike Hart, Michigan Rafael Little, Kentucky Allen Patrick, Oklahoma Dantrell Savage, Oklahoma State BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Ole Miss That is just insane, considering all of these guys are big time guys at BCS conference schools. If I'm a GM, I certainly think twice about drafting a running back in the first round because of the value I can get this late in the draft. April 13, 2008 |
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Be Careful What You Wish For
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| NCAA Basketball | |
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Jumpology: My Bracket Jumpology: Scouting The Heavyweights Jumpology: Reviewing The Bracket
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