Najee Harris versus Travis Etienne

[SF Dolphin Fan]

How the Dolphins fill their running back need in the offseason will be interesting. I like Gaskin and Ahmad, but more as complementary pieces. I believe Travis Etienne is the best running back in the draft, but Najee Harris might be a better fit for Miami. Then there's the question of when do you take one, or if you go the free agent route instead? Draft one and sign one?

Daniel Jeremiah compares Harris to Matt Forte and Eddie George, while his comp for Etienne is Alvin Kamara.

If Miami wanted to, they could use that 1b pick and very likely get the back they prefer. Although, that might be considered high for a running back. Will one or both make it to pick 2a? Hard to know when the "run" will start. The Dolphins missed out on the run last year, which started with KC on the last pick of round 1.

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

Jeremiah on Etienne:

Biggest takeaway: NFL offensive play-callers are starving for explosive plays. It's hard to maintain long drives without getting off schedule as the result of a penalty, individual breakdown or poor play call. Players like Etienne have tremendous value because he's capable of scoring from anywhere on the field at any time. He's a dynamic playmaker and still has room to improve.

He reminds me of: I see a lot of Alvin Kamara after studying these three games. Both guys have rare quickness and burst. Kamara is more advanced as a route runner, but Etienne has the tools to achieve that level of performance. They also share a natural feel for the position. Kamara doesn't need to touch the ball 25 times to have a major impact on a game. The same can be said for Etienne. Kamara is one of the top weapons in the NFL, and I believe Etienne could develop into the same type of player.

 

[SF Dolphin Fan]

Jeremiah on Harris:

Biggest takeaway: I loved watching Harris on tape. His game is so smooth and effortless. He has a natural running style and his feel/instincts make up for his lack of elite speed. He isn't going to be a home-run hitter at the next level, but he's going to pile up a bunch of doubles. What does that mean? Well, it means he's going to routinely turn 2- and 3-yard runs into 12- and 15-yard runs. He is going to excel in short yardage and he'll be an asset out of the backfield on third down.

He reminds me of: I wrote down Matt Forte at the top of my notes about 10 plays into my study of the LSU game. The two players share the same build and smooth/easy running style. Forte had a little more juice, but they are both physical, instinctive runners with added value in the passing game. Another name that popped into my mind was Eddie George. However, George was bigger and more violent as a runner. It will be interesting to see how the league values Harris in the draft. My advice: Ignore the 40-yard-dash time. He's going to be an excellent pro.

 

[A1.]

Running Harris down peoples throat in the Miami sun is something I look forward to.

not touching him in the 1st though.

 

[Pachyderm_Wave]

James Cook is an underrated kid that displays some Kamara type skillset. Dalvin's younger brother is a stone cold sleeper that will blow up in the right offense at the next level.

 

[Kebo]

James Cook is an underrated kid that displays some Kamara type skillset. Dalvin's younger brother is a stone cold sleeper that will blow up in the right offense at the next level.

Yeah Cook has the hands and the speed. He has improved every year at Georgia. I still like Gainwell better. Gainwell is better at making the first guy miss. He has more wiggle.

 

[LargoFin]

Need to get exceptional bruising #1 backs, two of those, then we can take change of pace smallish backs like Etienne, Ahmad, etc. Najee is borderline, but good enough. We'll find out about them all at the combine.
The back Miami needs, and two of those are like: Najee, Brian Robinson, Jaylen Warren, Javonte WIlliams, Jermar, and any explosive back with weight to height ratio 3.10 and over. Grier needs to build a base team, and then he can fk around with change of pace backs.

 

[Kebo]

Need to get exceptional bruising #1 backs, two of those, then we can take change of pace smallish backs like Etienne, Ahmad, etc. Najee is borderline, but good enough. We'll find out about them all at the combine.
The back Miami needs, and two of those are like: Najee, Brian Robinson, Jaylen Warren, Javonte WIlliams, and any explosive back with weight to height ration 3.10 and over. Grier needs to build a base team, and then he can fk around with change of pace backs.

Disagree, CMC, Kamara, etc are the future direction of the league. The days of Csonka are over.

 

[Pachyderm_Wave]

Yeah Cook has the hands and the speed. He has improved every year at Georgia. I still like Gainwell better. Gainwell is better at making the first guy miss. He has more wiggle.

There's a lot of difference in the caliber of players they're making miss.

That reminds me - Grant Delpit tore his achilles and Hakeem Adeniji came in and helped the Bengals not allow a single sack in his first game after they gave up 28 sacks in the first 7 games.

You may have quit reading right there, but it appears you read far enough.

 

[Kebo]

Delpit was taken at 44. Adeniji was taken at 180. I get what you are saying though.

 

[Pachyderm_Wave]

Delpit was taken at 44. Adeniji was taken at 180. I get what you are saying though.

Kinda like Akili Smith was taken at 3 and Tom Brady at 199.

Where they're taken doesn't matter. Where they should've been taken is what matters.

Now all the sudden the Bengals are saying they had a 2nd round grade on Adeniji. Funny how that works.

 

[Kebo]

I actually agree with you on this. I would much prefer waiting on RB in this draft. There are a bunch of guys that will be available later than Etiene and Harris that I like. James Cook is one of them.

 

[jimthefin]

I think with both Harris and Etienne you have to consider the monster talent they are surrounded by.They both are usually presented with huge holes to run through making it harder to know how much credit either of them deserve for their yards.

That is always the problem with grading RB's from huge programs like Bama/Clemson and OH ST, nothing to do with either of these guys.

At least in the case of Harris more Bama RB's have done well in the NFL so maybe you can trust him a little more.

I would assume that the Combine and workouts will help but sometimes it is easier to rate RB's from weaker teams because you can see them doing it on their own.

I like them both and would take would take either on my team if i could get them without using a 1st rounder of course.

Etienne looks to be a better receiver than Harris but that is not a knock on Harris, Bama does not throw to the backs as much as Clemson does but he looks like a natural pass catcher.

 

[Namor]

Harris is great at catching the ball,he is more powerfull than Travis...and picks up the blitz a lot better.
Derrick Henry,Mark Ingram, did ok coming from Bama...
Zeke has been pretty good coming from OSU.
The only time i'd use a first rounder on RB,would be at the bottom of the first round..more years of control.
I'd never give a second contract to a RB....that's where the problems happen.

 

[Pachyderm_Wave]

Najee is slow so I don't really like the Forte or Eddie George comparison. He's closer to James Conner or Alfred Morris in terms of footspeed than Forte or Eddie George.

He's improved his speed enough working with new S&C coaches David Ballou and Dr. Matt Rhea. However, the Crimson Bull is probably the best pass catching and pass protecting back in the country - especially when covered. It's easier for Clemson to get their backs open.

Defenses are focused more on game planning for Najee this year than they were last year. They had to game plan for Tua and all those receivers the previous 2 years.