- Joined
- May 27, 2005
- Messages
- 27,422
- Reaction score
- 40,320
He would definitely be my list of running backs to potentially draft. Solid player.
Last edited:
Clyde Edwards Helaire RB LSU
- Thread starter BSQ
- Start date
raving
Active Roster
The dolphins are better off drafting an elite receiver and two RBs later...
we need 2 more RBs - we can cut our FB now that we have the LB Roberts - he doubles as A FB - same for our1st round draft pick out of Clemson last year -he plays FB - there are a number of day 2 and 3 RBs to choose from...
we need 2 more RBs - we can cut our FB now that we have the LB Roberts - he doubles as A FB - same for our1st round draft pick out of Clemson last year -he plays FB - there are a number of day 2 and 3 RBs to choose from...
ABFinsfan
Active Roster
This is the same thing I told a friend of mine, who is a Panthers fan about McCaffrey. I didn't think he would have been able to take all the hits for an entire season. LOL Man was I wrong.
Same names others have mentioned. Reminds me of a combo of Jones-Drew and Sproles.
However, there is one basic problem with that comparison: Speed is incredibly underrated at running back. Sproles ran below 4.5. Jones-Drew ran below 4.4. This guy is a 4.6 type.
We are still in the early stages of analytics and understanding tests in relation to performance. There is an incredible variance at wide receiver in regard to how early the fast guys are selected, and how they actually perform. The top producing receivers generally have moderate 40 speed. At running back it is the opposite. I have now gone back many years. It is amazing how dependably the guys with excellent speed in the 40 yard dash are atop the yards per carry lists, no matter where they were drafted or how their college career unfolded.
However, there is one basic problem with that comparison: Speed is incredibly underrated at running back. Sproles ran below 4.5. Jones-Drew ran below 4.4. This guy is a 4.6 type.
We are still in the early stages of analytics and understanding tests in relation to performance. There is an incredible variance at wide receiver in regard to how early the fast guys are selected, and how they actually perform. The top producing receivers generally have moderate 40 speed. At running back it is the opposite. I have now gone back many years. It is amazing how dependably the guys with excellent speed in the 40 yard dash are atop the yards per carry lists, no matter where they were drafted or how their college career unfolded.
This is a pure football player. He is a very valuable piece for any offense he joins. This is one guy I wouldn't sweat a tenth here or there in the 40. This is a champion, a winner and a stud player who gives his all on every play. His shiftiness is amazing and he is tough to bring down. He just has that special ingredient that makes certain players become stars. His receiving skills separate him from the other RBs in this class.
IMO, the offseason deflects perspective away from how the NFL has evolved, and that accounts for speed so absurdly overrated at wide receiver and similarly underrated at running back.
At wide receiver everyone prefers to envision a gazelle flashing into space and catching a long touchdown bomb. Yeah, that's the NFL I grew up with, when passes were sparse and you had to make the most of them. That was the Bob Hayes, Don Maynard, Cliff Branch, Isaac Curtis NFL. Obviously the Dolphins later had a stretch with Duper.
Nowadays with high volume pass attempts that position is used to moved the chains. It has become a position of fighting for territory, fighting for the ball, and maintaining just the proper blend of composure and athletic arrogance throughout. That's why the position has become so difficult to evaluate, with so many first round busts. It is amazing when you look at catch and production numbers how slow that top group is as a block. Not slow but between 4.5 and 4.6. Few exceptions in recent years. I've seen it posted elsewhere. Those 40 times aren't anywhere close to what conventional wisdom -- or scouts -- seem to prefer at wide receiver.
Running back is completely the opposite. During the offseason fans and scouts seem to want the traditional back who can instinctively deke and slide and pound while dependably gaining the 3-6 vital yards, plus catching the occasional swing pass. Again, that was the old NFL, the one I cherished. I can see how the separation is difficult these days because many college teams do still operate that way. The examples in the NFL are so few it's become mostly meaningless. Seattle tries to do it that way. Yes, the Titans had a big season. None of it seems to translate dependably from season to season. There aren't many Frank Gores out there.
Running back in the NFL has become a position in which you need the occasional running play to resemble a pass play, a guy who bursts clear and gains big yardage. There's all the difference in the world between that guy quick enough to elude the final box tackler 3 yards beyond the line of scrimmage, and the one without burst who succumbs to the typical ankle tackle. It's one of the reasons I eventually realized Kenyan Drake was not overrated, and I did not want to get rid of him. That was a poor move, IMO. Drake was overrated and limited only by template of the old NFL. He's never going to be a workhorse. But he fits the modern game perfectly, other than pass protection.
In looking back year after year recently it's remarkable that 40 yard dash speed is the defining characteristic at running back. Nothing forecasts potential to dramatically exceed college production or draft slotting than that category. I'll go back to let's say top 25 in yards per carry of a given year. The majority will be below 4.5, with some at 4.5 to 4.6 and then a handful above 4.6. Yes it is possible to overcome 4.6 speed but you need to be incredibly special to do so. I don't understand the preoccupation with that focus as opposed to understanding that somewhere out there a 4.4 guy is far beyond what you think he is.
At wide receiver everyone prefers to envision a gazelle flashing into space and catching a long touchdown bomb. Yeah, that's the NFL I grew up with, when passes were sparse and you had to make the most of them. That was the Bob Hayes, Don Maynard, Cliff Branch, Isaac Curtis NFL. Obviously the Dolphins later had a stretch with Duper.
Nowadays with high volume pass attempts that position is used to moved the chains. It has become a position of fighting for territory, fighting for the ball, and maintaining just the proper blend of composure and athletic arrogance throughout. That's why the position has become so difficult to evaluate, with so many first round busts. It is amazing when you look at catch and production numbers how slow that top group is as a block. Not slow but between 4.5 and 4.6. Few exceptions in recent years. I've seen it posted elsewhere. Those 40 times aren't anywhere close to what conventional wisdom -- or scouts -- seem to prefer at wide receiver.
Running back is completely the opposite. During the offseason fans and scouts seem to want the traditional back who can instinctively deke and slide and pound while dependably gaining the 3-6 vital yards, plus catching the occasional swing pass. Again, that was the old NFL, the one I cherished. I can see how the separation is difficult these days because many college teams do still operate that way. The examples in the NFL are so few it's become mostly meaningless. Seattle tries to do it that way. Yes, the Titans had a big season. None of it seems to translate dependably from season to season. There aren't many Frank Gores out there.
Running back in the NFL has become a position in which you need the occasional running play to resemble a pass play, a guy who bursts clear and gains big yardage. There's all the difference in the world between that guy quick enough to elude the final box tackler 3 yards beyond the line of scrimmage, and the one without burst who succumbs to the typical ankle tackle. It's one of the reasons I eventually realized Kenyan Drake was not overrated, and I did not want to get rid of him. That was a poor move, IMO. Drake was overrated and limited only by template of the old NFL. He's never going to be a workhorse. But he fits the modern game perfectly, other than pass protection.
In looking back year after year recently it's remarkable that 40 yard dash speed is the defining characteristic at running back. Nothing forecasts potential to dramatically exceed college production or draft slotting than that category. I'll go back to let's say top 25 in yards per carry of a given year. The majority will be below 4.5, with some at 4.5 to 4.6 and then a handful above 4.6. Yes it is possible to overcome 4.6 speed but you need to be incredibly special to do so. I don't understand the preoccupation with that focus as opposed to understanding that somewhere out there a 4.4 guy is far beyond what you think he is.
jimthefin
Active Roster
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2004
- Messages
- 6,698
- Reaction score
- 13,055
Maybe, but there are always late round backs who do as well or better than the alleged "premier" backs.
I am not taking a RB in the first 2 rounds, in fact I might not want one in Round 3 either.
It is an over valued position that is just not hard to fill.You do not need a "premier" RB to succeed and it is foolish to overpay with draft picks and $$$ for that position.
Build a quality OL and you will get all the production that you need from a 3rd day back.
I spend my draft assets and cash on QB/OL/DL/CB