5 Nfl Rookie Sleepers Who Could Make A Big Impact In 2018 | Page 2 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

5 Nfl Rookie Sleepers Who Could Make A Big Impact In 2018

I can see Gore (and Ballage if he earns it) taking some carries from Drake (in general) to keep him fresh.

In no universe do I see us taking Drake off the field on third down (and using Ballage or anyone else, regardless of how well they're playing).

Drake is as good or better on third down than he is on first or second (and he is superlative on first and second).
 
circumstances said:
I can see Gore (and Ballage if he earns it) taking some carries from Drake (in general) to keep him fresh.

In no universe do I see us taking Drake off the field on third down (and using Ballage or anyone else, regardless of how well they're playing).

Drake is as good or better on third down than he is on first or second (and he is superlative on first and second).
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That's a great point, I completely agree. With the exception maybe being 3rd & short, we go with Gore.
 
Ballage will eventually get on the field on some 3rd down plays. Not all. Whether he will replace Drake or not really doesn't matter because Drake will definitely be RB1 as long as he is healthy.

But there is a very small gut feeling that Ballage will go OFF on a series of plays and show that he is a boss in his own right. That feeling is tied to the simple fact that the Dolphins RB scouts have been hitting home runs for quite a while now. Promote them!
 
I believe we'll be seeing all 3 RB's out there. Drake will probably start with Gore getting in probably every other series or two. Ballage will start out with a few carries here and there at first but eventually he'll get some good snaps too.
 
circumstances said:
Our running game might have been awful over the entire season, but I'm pretty sure Drake led the league in yardage over the last 5 games (444 yards).

Mentioning that might have been good.
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Exactly. I'm pretty sure he led the league in rushing starting the week he first started (after the Baltimore game if I'm not mistaken).
 
Travis34 said:
What about our own Daniel Thomas as a comp? A faster, better pass catching version
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I think if Thomas had 4.4 speed he would still be on a roster somewhere. Was always a step slow from being a solid non-spectacular reserve back. Plus I think you'll see Ballage punish a defender from time to time, where Thomas had decent size but played more like a 6' 210 pound back. I never thought he was as bad as some did, but he was average at best in a few areas and special in none. It's hard to find a back that doesn't check at least one box (power, speed, receiving, elusiveness, quickness, blocking, special teams) as a special talent.
 
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raving said:
Ajayi was a tough runner but he was not willing to do what is needed. And a man does what is necessary.

Ballage has a huge ceiling. He said himself at the press conference, where he displayed poise and maturity, that he needed to get better. For all we know Ballage could transform himself into a back that learns how to explode through contact. He’s got the frame. In the meantime he’s got plenty of tools to make opponents pay big time.

Drake, Ballage, grant, Albert Wilson, Stills, Gisecki -all have speed. Miami HAS NOT had speed like this since Clayton and Duper.

Gase has been given the reigns and I said let it RAIN baby because we’ve been in a huge f...ing drought! Gase is building a group of men that are accountable - no immature boys who put themselves ahead of the team.
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That is my hope as well. I don't know much about him, honestly, other that what I've seen on highlights. Size, plus speed, plus coachability is a good starting point. If he's willing to work then he could certainly improve.
 
miami365 said:
Knock on Drake was yards after contact and he was near the top for the last third of the year. Hopefully Ballage will follow suit. Think his third down receiving and blocking skills will at worse be on par with D Williams.
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I was very down on the Drake pick for that reason and more. So I'm going to be a bit more wary about writing off Ballage for the same reasons. He reminds me a lot of Drake, watching him, so will be interesting if he too can be more productive in the pros than as an amateur.
 
Digital said:
I seem to be on an island with my analysis of Kalen Ballage. But, I see a guy who is not elusive and goes down with first contact from the sides or low. I see the anti-Ajayi. Where Jay Ajayi regularly led the league in broken tackles, Kalen Ballage simply doesn't break tackles. Ajayi had to push through a sea of hands in the backfield or a closed hole at the line to even make positive yardage. Ballage will be stopped for a loss.

In the open field, Ballage has speed to burn, and reminds me of Lamar Miller. But, we need to scheme him into space, which is not easy to do and cannot be done a lot per game. And frankly, I'd still rather have Kenyon Drake or Jakeem Grant running those plays over Kalen Ballage.

So, I see Ballage strictly as a core special teamer (where he's a good tackler and decent blocker and can use his speed), with a role as a 3rd down back because he can pass protect and catch out of the backfield well. Yeah, I know, my analysis is a buzz kill, sorry, but that's how I see it. In the NFL, if you're not very elusive or a tackle-breaker, you're not going to succeed as a primary back.
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He reminds me of Miller too. I'll add goes down to easy like Miller, along w/ speed in the open field.
 
They aren’t wrong to see Ballage as a potential sleeper. The Fins have a track record of really good mid to late round RBs. I can see Drake balling out for a couple years before trying to sign a big contract then Ballage stepping up. If the Fins can keep a stable of RBs for very cheap it’ll be good for them when it comes to spending money elsewhere
 
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