Kenyan Drake - What's His Ceiling? | Page 4 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Kenyan Drake - What's His Ceiling?

Awsi Dooger said:
Fast forward to spring 1981. John Robinson announced that Marcus Allen was the most improved player of spring, and "a true Renaissance player." Robinson was a BSer so we didn't place full stock in it. Not until the season opener against Tennessee months later. Suddenly it wasn't the same player at all. Allen had patience and vision and fluidity and was making the most of every carry. In short, he was everything he had not been as a junior. And it carried over the remainder of that Heisman season and throughout his pro career.

The legendary Joel Bushsbaum of Pro Football Weekly always said that Marcus Allen from junior to season was the greatest one-season improvement he had ever seen as a personnel analyst. Absolutely. I was there to see both ends of it. But it is remarkable that the story is so little known or recited. People think of Marcus Allen as the great gliding versatile back and assume it was always that way.
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So that sorta goes COMPLETELY against your preference of 'you are what you are' now doesn't it??
 
I think Marcus Allen comparison is wishful thinking......maybe more like Ricky Watters.
 
Mach, I was talking about OJ Simpson on the field. I thought that much was clear. Drake has reminded me of OJ for a little while now. Drake has this spin move where he simply pirouettes away from the tackler and he's gone. OJ had a similar move and the way he attacks the second level is also a bit like OJ in my opinion. I realize that we have a small sample size on Drake but I think the kid is for real. If he stays healthy he'll easily surpass 1000 yards and 5 or 6 TDs. If the thread is about Drake's ceiling then I see a Pro Bowl guy for years to come. There's are no wrong or right answers when people are giving opinions. BTW, who does KD remind you of?
 
Mach2 said:
Drake is a good player. Maybe he will be a great player for the Phins for a decade, but Faulk was arguably the best, most complete back in the league for several years. As I recall, an MVP. You can count the number of players on your fingers that had the entire skill set that Marshall had. To say Drake has anything close to that at this point is crazy talk. Maybe someday, but not now.
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Yes he was a great player because of his versatility, reliable hands, durability and intellect..

4.3 ypc career..

perspective..
 
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I'm buying on Drake, last year he grew into the professional game in my humble opinion. His skillset if he continues to improve is a possible gamechanger. His line will determine how far he can go in Davie.
 
Mach2 said:
I'm not being negative about Drake, but you ppl are throwing out names of some of the best backs in history. How about we wait until he's played a season or two as starter.
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He reminds me of a young Earl Campbell mixed with Jim Brown with a little Gale Sayers sprinkled in, marinated in Adrian Peterson, while basted at 400 degrees for 15 minutes by God himself.

I actually compared him to Adrian Peterson in my draft analysis but he is definitely not as physically imposing as AP they just run similarly.
 
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Reminds me a little bit of a slightly lesser Ricky Watters. Watters was one of the best I'd ever seen at catching passes. He actually switched from RB to WR in Notre Dame's national championship season in '88 after Tim Brown won the Heisman and went pro. Drake is a little bit of a RB/WR hybrid type player himself. He did some damage split out at WR in Lane Kiffin's offense at Bama (see the first play of the game vs. Florida in 2014)

Drake has a very similar skillset.

Watters - 6'1", 211
Drake - 6'1", 211
 
TedSlimmJr said:
Reminds me a little bit of a slightly lesser Ricky Watters. Watters was one of the best I'd ever seen at catching passes. He actually switched from RB to WR in Notre Dame's national championship season in '88 after Tim Brown won the Heisman and went pro. Drake is a little bit of a RB/WR hybrid type player himself. He did some damage split out at WR in Lane Kiffin's offense at Bama (see the first play of the game vs. Florida in 2014)

Drake has a very similar skillset.

Watters - 6'1", 211
Drake - 6'1", 211
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I like that comparison. But Drake has that 4.3 speed. If I recall correctly, Watters was a 4.50, 4.55 guy?
 
circumstances said:
I like that comparison. But Drake has that 4.3 speed. If I recall correctly, Watters was a 4.50, 4.55 guy?
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Drake has big time speed. Watters was just so efficient in his movements and had such wonderful technique as a runner with those high knees. Guy deserves to be in the Hall of Fame someday.

We used to coach runners to get their knees up high, particularly when hitting the line of scrimmage. It betters your chances of not getting tripped up on a shoestring tackle by those guys laying on the ground with nothing but daylight in front of you.

Ricky Williams was one of the most gifted runners to ever put on cleats. But he always got tripped up by shoestring tackles going through a hole more than any other great running back I've ever seen. He could've cracked 12,000 career rushing yards if he'd just have picked his damn feet up in my opinion.
 
nick1 said:
I'll play along. I think he can get 1200 rushing yards and 500 receiving but he'll likely not get the full work load he would need for that. For this year 800 yards rushing and 300 receiving is realistic
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He should hit a 1000 easy with this RB room.
 
I think if y'all read the scouting reports on DeMarco Murray and Drake, you'll find they are almost identical. Murray 3 lbs heavier, 1" shorter. Murray 4.41 40, Drake 4.45. Both have extra gear for top end speed, both have similar builds that are not typical RBs builds, both like to kick the ball outside rather than get tough yards up the middle, both have injury history, both have solid receiving skills ... literally identical in almost every respect, and if you look at Murray footage, they run with the same posture.

BTW, while I think Watters was a fantastic athlete (I saw him do 360 slam dunks in traffic in a local pickup basketball game) and excellent all around back, I don't see the comparisonl. Watters was relatively slow, and as a pure runner he was just good, not great. Great receiver out of the backfield, though.
 
Murray, at least in Dallas started to run with some serious power and would just run over defenders.
Drake doesn't have that yet, but he still is quite young.
I do like the comparison though.
 
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