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when was the last draft where a rb did not go first round?
What if?
- Thread starter allsilverdreams
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Morey161
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Great and that hasn't lead them to do anything in playoffs. I want to win Super Bowls not watch some guy win me fantasy football games.
Phinatic8u
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I really hope people realize that Blackmon's stock is dropping quickly.
Ig he runs a slow time at his proday. He will be a mid 1st rounder and may not be the 1st WR taken.
Ig he runs a slow time at his proday. He will be a mid 1st rounder and may not be the 1st WR taken.
Tigers2003
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Take Blackmon if it was between him and Richardson, but tough choice. Richardson's potential is the closest thing to AP's since AP came out of CFB. He is that good. Most RBS are not worth it. An argument can be made that TR is one of those few exceptions. However, Blackmon is extra special and at a position that has not been the strong suite in quit some time.
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Gets what? That good and elite running backs can be found in the later rounds and even go undrafted? Nobody is disputing that.
Just because the NFL has become a pass orientated league the run game is still important. If there is an real top running back prospect there, a team picking top 5, top 10 or whatever that needs a running back should not hesitate to hand in their draft card. I'm aware it is more difficult to find a solid pass rusher for example in later rounds but that doesn't mean it can't be done. Adrian Peterson was a steal at 7.
Valandui
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Then whatever team jumps on him will be laughing all the way to the podium.
He gets what so many NFL general managers get in today's NFL. There's just not much value in the RB position today despite the talent that Trent Richardson has.
Several things here. The NFL is a business. You and I see it as a game but this is a business first and foremost and you have to adapt to change. This is a passing league now. The rules have been altered to benefit the QBs and the passing attacks. The NFL wants high scoring offenses, rules that protect the star QBs in the league so that they can better market their product and boost ratings.
I'm not saying that the running game is not important. It is. It's just not important in the same way that it used to be. Years ago, teams relied on one workhorse running back to move the football. Today, we rely on the passing game. The running game now is primarily for short-yardage situations and clock management. It doesn't make a lot of sense to draft a guy like Trent Richardson in the top five when you're going to force him to split carries because of the current life expectancy in the NFL for a RB. Three years is the life expectancy for a RB. RBs take a BEATING in the league. So now, teams have moved to a platoon.
Speed isn't even the most important skill for a RB anymore. It's pass protection. I recall last season many here were jumping all over the thought of getting Mark Ingram at 15. Some thought he would go higher. I said he'd go lower. He fell all the way out of the top 25. This was a Heisman winner from a national title winning team. Despite what talent you have as a RB, your value depreciates because of the position that you play. It's no fault of Trent Richardson, it's just how the game is now. Adrian Peterson doesn't get picked in the top 10 if he's in this upcoming draft.
There's a big difference between value and talent. The draft is all about value. And there's much more value to be had in the first ten picks than Trent Richardson. So you try and sell that value to someone who is willing to move up and take a pass rusher, or a Ryan Tannehill or Justin Blackmon. If you need a RB, trade down, pick up some draft picks later in the first if you can, and take Trent Richardson where it makes sense. It has become impossible to make a RB the focal point of your offense and win in the NFL now. Completely different game from the 1980's. Trent Richardson might be greatness, but it's not going to do you much good if you can't make a RB the focal point of the offense.
Minnesota is roughly a .500 team since Peterson got there. I'm not saying that's his fault but 20 years ago the Vikings are Super Bowl contenders with a guy like Peterson. Today, they're better off without him if they have a QB in his place.
It was a bad pick by the 6 teams in front of Minn.
RB has not been devalued, although the role of a RB has changed. Sure you can get a good RB in later rounds, but when you have the chance to get an elite player, you do it regardless of position. Richardson isn't another Ronnie Brown, or CJ Spiller, or Mark Ingram.
How can the role of something change to where it loses primary focal point of something and NOT lose value on any market?
The RB position changed because there are not many "every-down" backs anymore. Touches are now split between 2 or 3 running backs. It changes an individual RB's role, but the poistion of RB in itself is still as important as it ever was. Trent Richardson imo is one of those guys that can run, block, and catch - he's one of the rare every down backs. See stats below. The amount of rushing attempts by team, rushing yards by team, and rushing TD's by team have been virtually the same for the past 20 years. The RB role has not been diminished.
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/NFL/rushing.htm
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You just said that running backs are splitting carries between two and three other backs. I said that the position is still important when it comes to short yardage and clock management situations. So if running backs are now splitting carries, what do you think Trent Richardson is going to do in the NFL? He'll split carries as well. This is why running backs are no longer top 10 picks. More and more teams are going to let running backs slide down the draft board because that position just doesn't hold value like it once did. Trent Richardson is a great player...but he's not worth sinking the #6 overall pick. You can find a huge fullback in the 6th round to punch it in from two yards out. You don't need Richardson to do that. Running backs score in the red zone...but they're not putting them in position to score like the QB/WR combo does.