jnewmant
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Jeremy hill is my pick, if we can manage a trade down to pick up an extra second rounder I'd draft best o lineman available wr and then hill
Running Backs Round 1 - 6
- Thread starter HoneyB
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I haven't looked at RBs much, but we absolutely need one. And I don't mean we need one as a backup, I mean wee need one that is the 1A to Moreno's 1B. Miller and DT should only be playing when we are up 45-0 at halftime.
The Storm Johnson comparison to Daniel Thomas made me laugh. For one, Storm has speed. Secondly, Thomas is 20 pounds heavier. Thirdly, Johnson has shake and bake, where Thomas just has...nothing. There's not even a comparison there.
I'll take Freeman in the fourth. Huge heart, great work ethic, hits the hole very fast, team player.
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So Be
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Good thread HB. Interesting "Tuna tid-bit" from everyone's favorite former football Czar earlier today. The diminished interest in RB's from the NFL is largely based on what College's now offer coming into the league. In years, gone by, there were the wishbone teams, USC' great RB's, as well as those from the Big Ten, etc. Those days age gone.
Now, it's mostly the spread O with little fast guys being developed at RB. The same can be said on the OL. Most come in as being developed in pass blocking, and not on the run, a complete change from years ago.
Now, it's mostly the spread O with little fast guys being developed at RB. The same can be said on the OL. Most come in as being developed in pass blocking, and not on the run, a complete change from years ago.
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Well I may be alone on this one, but I'm a bona fide Lache Seastrunk fan.
I would be very happy to grab him in the 4th round. He isn't Barry Sanders or Ray Rice, but you can see a little bit of each in his play style. Seastrunk should become a good pro. I definitely think he makes the transition.
Tre Mason will be one of the top 3 backs taken IMHO. I will not be surprised if he is the first RB taken.
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I would be very happy to grab him in the 4th round. He isn't Barry Sanders or Ray Rice, but you can see a little bit of each in his play style. Seastrunk should become a good pro. I definitely think he makes the transition.
Tre Mason will be one of the top 3 backs taken IMHO. I will not be surprised if he is the first RB taken.
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#1dolphinsfan
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Sankey would be awesome in round 2
HoneyB
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He's a quality player. Even rated 10th, he's got everything you need. I think these smaller players just scare people. I prefer size in the NFL, also, but if you're not looking to draft a RB high, then there are backs like Freeman who can get the job done, even if it's in a rotation. Check out SB Nation, they used Freeman as a textbook example for two important abilities for running backs: a) Pass protecting b) Decisiveness and Burst through the Hole.
http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2014/4/3/5576958/nfl-draft-2014-evaluating-running-backs
"Devonta Freeman is a skilled pass protector, and it's one of the reasons he emerged as the top dog in Florida State's talented backfield. As for burst through the hole, this is related to suddenness and first-step explosion, and can be a huge difference-maker. Florida State's Freeman again provides a few excellent examples of both concepts."
HoneyB
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Wide receivers, tight ends and running backs are the players who score touchdowns. The way I look at it, if a team can't score more than 7 points in two games, with the playoffs on the line, against their own division rivals, then something is wrong in that area. It's not just linemen. Lineman are the backbone, and we are shoring it up.
I won't be surprised either. Makes no sense how a special talent like that can be allowed to slide. I keep seeing Mason rated 3rd to 5th among backs and wonder what I'm missing. A squat guy like that with powerful legs and a fearless pinball running style fits perfectly in the league these days. He can give you 5 carries or 25 carries or anything in between.
I still go back to that late touchdown run against Florida State, when the best defense in the country was assigned to protect a national championship lead and Mason effortlessly ruined it. Unfortunately for Auburn, it was like their version of the Benny Malone run against Oakland in 1974. Too much. Too soon.
I don't know how you left out Adam Muema.
It's criminal if we don't draft him. That would be daily entertainment.
Of course, he's promised to the Seahawks.
It's criminal if we don't draft him. That would be daily entertainment.
Of course, he's promised to the Seahawks.
I've had a mancrush on Mason for a while now.
[video=youtube;GRCG939VMmM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRCG939VMmM[/video]
I'm not quite as high on Hill as everyone else seems to be. At 6'2 he runs a bit upright; gives defenders a big target. I think he could break more tackles if he ran with a lower center of gravity, which is part of the reason I like Tre so much. I think he runs with great balance.
HoneyB
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I'd love any of these top backs. But Mason sliding was part of the evolution of these rankings. He started out as #1 but slid. Bigger players were moving up the charts. Durability is a concern, and he has a wrist fracture right now that scouts were saying will hold him out of camp...Mason said it wasn't true, he wouldn't need surgery.
Plenty of tape showing him breaking big runs, but there's also a lot of tape showing him getting run down from behind by a linebacker, or tackled after he hit the hole. (See gif below). So some of those big runs in college may be bottled up in the NFL. If you can get a runner with bigger size, teams covet that. But who knows...there's so much smokescreen.
The reason I like running backs like Hyde, is because he is just so dominating. The reason I like Jeremy Hill, is for the total package (size, burst from the backfield, pass protecting ability). These types of players don't have to come off the field too often. But it's up to the teams, the backs taken in this draft won't necessarily go in this order. Mason could be first off the board, or a few may go ahead of him. We'll see.
I've lowered my opinion on Hill somewhat. I was never thrilled with him but I preferred Hill above Hyde. Now I would have it reversed.
I'd love any of these top backs. But Mason sliding was part of the evolution of these rankings. He started out as #1 but slid. Bigger players were moving up the charts. Durability is a concern, and he has a wrist fracture right now that scouts were saying will hold him out of camp...Mason said it wasn't true, he wouldn't need surgery.
Plenty of tape showing him breaking big runs, but there's also a lot of tape showing him getting run down from behind by a linebacker, or tackled after he hit the hole. (See gif below). So some of those big runs in college may be bottled up in the NFL. If you can get a runner with bigger size, teams covet that. But who knows...there's so much smokescreen.
I'm not sure I would consider that getting "run down". The linebacker was pretty perpendicular to Mason on that play, and was able to disengage because #50 who tried to block him threw an absolute patty cake block.
To me, getting run down is being ahead of a defender and that defender being fast enough to chase you down from behind. I'm certainly not arguing that Mason is a speed merchant by any means, nor do I think that's part of his appeal, I just don't think that was the best example.