Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Running Backs You May See Drafted In The NFL This Year

Knowshon Moreno, HB, 5'11" 217, Georgia = Hits the hole quick. Very strong, and uses a stiff arm well. Very tough and never gives up. A hard runner and blocker. Has very good hands and is elusive with decent speed. Can be too much of a showboat at times, and isn't really built to be "the man" over the course of a 16 game year. His heart and desire may prove otherwise. A first round draft pick.



Bernard Scott, HB, 5'10" 200, Abilene Christian = Won the Harlon Hill Award last year. An excellent athlete who was ultra productive in college. Has great vision, as well as the ability to burst through small holes quickly. Is a superior receiver and route runner, making his stock even higher on draft boards. Will need to work on his pass blocking and ball handling skills. Has character issues that may drop him further in the draft. Could be special. A possible first day draft selection.



Kahlil Bell, HB, 5'11 212, UCLA = Injury prone type who looks for contact. Has good athleticism, but lacks vision and breakaway speed. Doesn't always square his shoulders and can get lost. Can catch the ball well, and has fierce determination. Might get drafted late, and could help someone if healthy.



Glen Coffee, HB, 6' 209, Alabama = Has good vision and hands. Extremely confidant in his abilities. Looks for contact, but tends to go down upon finding it. Works hard and is always in the weight room. Has to learn to run less erect to make it in the next level. Could get tabbed late in the draft.



Javon Ringer, 5'9" 208, Michigan State = Runs well inside and is able to power through arm tackles. Nice receiving skills. Has a bad right knee, which flared up again after carrying the ball a whopping 390 times for the Spartans last year. Needs to get stronger because he is not a speed merchant. Needs to improve his pass blocking. May get drafted in the second day.



Kory Sheets, HB, 5'11" 208, Purdue = Good speed and quickness. Experienced pass receiver and has great vision. Can return kicks and is very durable. Needs to get stronger, especially in the legs. Must improve his pass blocking. Has character issues. Might end up being special. A possible first day selection.



Brandon Ore, HB, 5'11" 214, West Liberty State = Quick cutback style with decent vision. Has good receiving skills. Has character and injury concerns from his past. Must hold onto the football better. Will probably get a look as an undrafted free agent.



Rashard Jennings, HB, 6'1" 231, Liberty = A developing talent with good power hitting the hole. Isn't a speed merchant, but has deceptive speed and gets to the line fast. Has soft hands and is a decent receiver. Needs to improve his blocking, as well as his ball placement when running. Could get a look later in the draft due to his possible upside.



Brannan Southerland, FB, 6' 242, Georgia = Missed the first seven games last year with a broken foot. A very good run blocker and is very strong. Uses technique to open holes. Not a great receiver. Did not look as good upon his return last year, so he may not get drafted until late.



Marlon Lucky, HB, 5'11" 216, Nebraska = An above average receiver who has some decent speed. Able to wait for the hole to develop before hitting it. Not a speed burner, and has marginal quickness. Might not get drafted.



Cedric Peerman, HB, 5'10" 216, Virginia = Team player who plays with excellent effort. Has good speed and runs with power. Has good receiving skills. Has had fumble and injury issues. Has a good chance to make a team and add depth. A second day draft pick candidate.



James Davis, HB, 5'11" 218, Clemson = Very quick runner who can cut on a dime. Goes down easily after first contact at times. Marginal receiving and pass blocking skills that will need to improve. Can be explosive on the edges especially. Should get looks from the second round on.




Andre Brown, HB, 6' 224, NC State = Never carried the ball more than 175 times in college, so as fresh legs. Shows good desire, especially in short yardage. Good pass blocker and receiver. Runs too upright, and is not very fast. Has a issue with his left foot. Might get a peek on the second day.




Jason Cook, FB, 5'11" 244, Mississippi = Excellent lead blocker who is smart and never quits on a play. Has good receiving skills, but wasn't used much in college. Will get notice because he one of the few quality FB's in the draft.




Shonn Greene, HB, 5'11" 227, Iowa = Had one big year in college. Strong back who leans forward into the hole with good vision. Has quick feet and is an above average pass blocker. Does not have much mileage on his legs. Was not used much in the passing game. Has decent, but not breakaway, speed. Will get drafted in the first day.



Arian Foster, HB, 6'1" 215, Tennessee = Slashing runner with above average receiving skills. Good strength and an high effort blocker. Has nice speed, but is not a home run hitter. Has been dinged up with injury and fumbling issues in college. Solid back who could fill a depth chart with someone. Second day type of draft pick.



Tyrell Sutton, HB, 5'8" 211, Northwestern = Runs hard and low between the tackles. Has great hands out of the backfield. An effort blocker often negated by his size. A tough guy, but has been injury prone in college. Might get tried as kick returner. May get drafted late in the second day.



Javarris Williams, RB, 5'10 223, Tennessee State = Solid build and has good vision and quickness. Decent receiver and pass blocker. Does not have elite speed, so may have to put on more weight and try to play FB in the NFL. Might not get drafted.



Donald Brown, HB, 5'10" 210, Connecticut = Ran for over 2,000 yards last year. Has a low center of gravity and balance, is shifty, and has good speed. Good receiver, but needs to work on pass blocking. Is not a big back, so there is a question on how much of a workload he can handle in the NFL. His desire, though, is unquestioned. Will be gone by the end of the second round.



Chris Ogbonnaya, HB, 6' 220, Texas = Only carried the ball 139 times in college, so is very raw. Runs too upright, and has average speed. Never gives up, and has leadership abilities. Has fantastic pass receiving skills, so there is a chance he can be a 3rd down type or even an undersized H-Back. He should add depth on some team. A second day type of pick.



Gartrell Johnson, RB, 5'10" 219, Colorado State = Could be moved to FB in the pros. Strong runner who is not easy to bring down. Has excellent hands, and only fumbled once in over 300 carries. Is a good blocker, and is determined. Not very fast or quick, and only has one year of starters experience. Could get looks from the mid-rounds on.



Marcus Mailei, FB, 6' 248, Weber State = Good blocker with a bulldog mentality. Locks onto his assignment and opens the hole. Decent hands, but not very elusive after the catch. Might have to make it on special teams and work his way onto the offense. Late round pick type.



Beanie Wells, HB, 6'1" 235, Ohio State = Has the size and strength to be the guy. Has shown toughness in an injury plagued collegiate career. Wasn't used much as a receiver, so questions about his ability there will have to be answered. Could be big in the pros, or fade out fast because he has yet to prove he can stay healthy. A first round draft pick.



Ian Johnson, HB, 5'11" 212, Boise State = Has excellent vision and builds up to top speed quickly. Has good power, but tends to run too high. Slashing style of runner who is a raw receiving threat. Not a burner, and has been injury prone in college. A second day type of pick.



Mike Goodson, HB, 6' 208, Texas A & M = Home run hitter each time he touches the ball. Blazing fast with excellent moves. Not an every down type, and had nagging injuries in college. Best suited as a 3rd down back and return specialist. Must get his attitude straightened, as he has issues with two different coaching staffs in college. Could be special if he truly wants to be. Might get tabbed in the second day.



LeSean McCoy, HB, 5'10" 198, Pittsburgh = Very fast with the ability to stop and go. Very quick hitting the hole and has great vision. Willing to take on, and run thru, opponents. Great balance inside. Fantastic hands and a hard worker. Not a big man, so would best be used as a change of pace back and on passing downs. Must improve his pass blocking. Should be a first round, or early second round, draft pick.



Jeremiah Johnson, HB, 5'9" 209, Oregon = Has good speed and soft hands. Able to return kickoffs. Runs low and strong, but has a tendency to be indecisive on hitting a hole. Has a possible upside that may make him enticing to teams. A mid-round prospect.



Tony Fiammetta, FB, 6' 245, Syracuse = Strong and an above average run blocker. Has good receiving skills, but is not very elusive. Decent in pass protection. Might get drafted on the second day.



P.J. Hill, HB, 5'10" 222, Wisconsin = Runs hard inside and is a good pass blocker. Little used in the Badger passing game. Not fast and runs too high. Has been injury prone in college. Might get drafted late.



Anthony Kimble, HB, 6' 216, Stanford = Former WR who may be best suited as a 3rd down back and kick returner. Decent pass blocker, and displays patience and nice leg drive when running. Could help a team needing a pass catching back. Second day draft pick type.



Quinn Johnson, FB, 6'1" 246, LSU = Raw prospect who is a good lead blocker, but needs to improve his technique. Has little experience as a receiver. Can help on special teams. May not get drafted.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

shonn & beanie are my top picks out of this list!!