Chris Johnson new youtube

[theogt]

He has alot more bounce than any of the other one-cut backs.

I agree. I wasn't trying to say otherwise. But he doesn't use it as much as other backs.

Johnson showed some power in those clips. But he is probably too small (and not thick enough in the bottom half) to display that in the NFL.

Yeah, I was actually surprised by the amount of power he displayed on some runs. That should help him out a good bit, but it's not enough, for me, to make up for his lack of agility.

If we addressed WR and CB in the first and drafted him in the second to get 8-10 carries and a few receptions and returns per game, I think I'd be thrilled.

For me, it depends on who was there.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

As a running back, Johnson reminds me of Tatum Bell. He can he a hole quickly and is a threat to take it to the house every time. He's not an eveydown back or even a twenty carry back in this league and therefore should not be taken in the first round.

Bingo. Exactly.

 

[YosemiteSam]

The guy is stronger that I thought.... and he is superfast http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhUhLtAC_Ok

He reminds me of Adrian Peterson though less agile, but faster. I want this kid, and he does want so many RBs coming out of college can't. The power and balance to break tackles!

He is worth a first round pick without question.

 

[CPonder14]

There's no cut and change of direction there either. He simply "cuts" up field.

He planted his feet while moving forward, and changed direction.

that to me is a cut.

 

[CPonder14]

The first one demonstrates he is at least a one cut back.

The second doesn't show enough. You can't tell if he just caught the ball, had only taken a few steps after being handed the ball or even if he was trying to turn the corner and wasn't up to full speed yet.

From what I have seen, he doesn't have sudden cuts at full speed. He almost runs like a taller back but he is just 5"11". Jamaal Charles who is tall and skinny seems to have better cuts and even his are poor. For a shorter back I would expect CJ to cut better, but like I said maybe his speed will cover it up. Heck, if he has good vision it might be enough to make up for the lack of suddeness.

His cuts seem fine to me

 

[theogt]

He reminds me of Adrian Peterson though less agile, but faster. I want this kid, and he does want so many RBs coming out of college can't. The power and balance to break tackles!

He is worth a first round pick without question.

Less agile, not as strong, much shorter, and much smaller body. Yup, just like Peterson.

 

[marchetta]

In all honesty, I just can't see how any person could reasonably come away from that video thinking he's a "shifty" back at all. I mean, sometimes people exaggerate for the purpose of emphasizing my point, but that just isn't the case here.

Stick by your guns theogt. You're absolutely right. The kid can't redirect laterally. It's unnatural for him. I don't know what people are looking at if they are missing this crucial point. The ability of an impact NFL RB to have lateral agility is crucial. It's FAR more important than speed. The only thing I can thing of is that most of his proponents are either so enamored by his speed that they refuse to see this major flaw, or they have no ideal of the importance of lateral agility. A NFL RB needs these things to be good/great: Vision, Instincts, Lateral Agility, and Quickness to the LOS. That's it folks. He has to have ALL these attributes and not just some if he wants to impact. He DOESN'T need speed. If you can find a RB with all these attributes, and speed as well, then he'll impact bigtime, but a NFL RB can have the same kind of impact w/o speed. And while CJ looks to have good vision, instincts, and quickness he lacks Lateral Agility. This flaw will be exposed in the NFL, and make him less effective. I'm not saying he'll be a bust, but he won't impact the way people here seem to think he will. However, because of his great speed, he'll still be a great return man, but as a RB he'll be hampered and take a lot of hits while he stutters to redirect himself. Watch ANY great RB and you'll see that the ability to move laterally is probably his most important skill. I can't stress enough the importance of this one attribute in determining the effectiveness of a NFL RB. CJ doesn't move well laterally folks, theogt and I can't explain it any simpler than that.

 

[CPonder14]

Stick by your guns theogt. You're absolutely right. The kid can't redirect laterally. It's unnatural for him. I don't know what people are looking at if they are missing this crucial point. The ability of an impact NFL RB to have lateral agility is crucial. It's FAR more important than speed. The only thing I can thing of is that most of his proponents are either so enamored by his speed that they refuse to see this major flaw, or they have no ideal of the importance of lateral agility. A NFL RB needs these things to be good/great: Vision, Instincts, Lateral Agility, and Quickness to the LOS. That's it folks. He has to have ALL these attributes and not just some if he wants to impact. He DOESN'T need speed. If you can find a RB with all these attributes, and speed as well, then he'll impact bigtime, but a NFL RB can have the same kind of impact w/o speed. And while CJ looks to have good vision, instincts, and quickness he lacks Lateral Agility. This flaw will be exposed in the NFL, and make him less effective. I'm not saying he'll be a bust, but he won't impact the way people here seem to think he will. However, because of his great speed, he'll still be a great return man, but as a RB he'll be hampered and take a lot of hits while he stutters to redirect himself. Watch ANY great RB and you'll see that the ability to move laterally is probably his most important skill. I can't stress enough the importance of this one attribute in determining the effectiveness of a NFL RB. CJ doesn't move well laterally folks, theogt and I can't explain it any simpler than that.

we must not be watching the same rb then.

 

[theogt]

Stick by your guns theogt. You're absolutely right. The kid can't redirect laterally. It's unnatural for him. I don't know what people are looking at if they are missing this crucial point. The ability of an impact NFL RB to have lateral agility is crucial. It's FAR more important than speed. The only thing I can thing of is that most of his proponents are either so enamored by his speed that they refuse to see this major flaw, or they have no ideal of the importance of lateral agility. A NFL RB needs these things to be good/great: Vision, Instincts, Lateral Agility, and Quickness to the LOS. That's it folks. He has to have ALL these attributes and not just some if he wants to impact. He DOESN'T need speed. If you can find a RB with all these attributes, and speed as well, then he'll impact bigtime, but a NFL RB can have the same kind of impact w/o speed. And while CJ looks to have good vision, instincts, and quickness he lacks Lateral Agility. This flaw will be exposed in the NFL, and make him less effective. I'm not saying he'll be a bust, but he won't impact the way people here seem to think he will. However, because of his great speed, he'll still be a great return man, but as a RB he'll be hampered and take a lot of hits while he stutters to redirect himself. Watch ANY great RB and you'll see that the ability to move laterally is probably his most important skill. I can't stress enough the importance of this one attribute in determining the effectiveness of a NFL RB. CJ doesn't move well laterally folks, theogt and I can't explain it any simpler than that.

Preach it, brother!

I'm glad there's some people who can identify what I'm seeing. I didn't want to think I'm just imagining it.

 

[Little Jr]

I've watched the video 3 times now and I see nothing wrong with spending a 2nd round pick on him. I don't see him being there though. I wouldnt be upest if we spent the 28th pick on him depending on who is still there.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Yeah, I was actually surprised by the amount of power he displayed on some runs. That should help him out a good bit, but it's not enough, for me, to make up for his lack of agility.

Eh? What the hell are you talking about? Lack of agility? Compared to who? Barry Sanders? That is a ridiculous statement!

Johnson showed some power in those clips. But he is probably too small (and not thick enough in the bottom half) to display that in the NFL.

He is only 22 years old. At 5'11 and his frame, he can build up his lower body not to mention will raise his playing weight. I'm sure it has more to do with his strength and conditioning coach than it has to do with him. Meaning, it's nothing that player dedication and Joe Juraszek couldn't remedy.

He's simply not able to plant his foot and change direction that well. Any time he tries he looks awkward and almost loses his balance. His 40 time will get him into the 2nd round, but he's not worth a pick in the top 4 rounds in my opinion.

Mr. Kiper. You my friend, are on drugs.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Stick by your guns theogt. You're absolutely right. The kid can't redirect laterally. It's unnatural for him. I don't know what people are looking at if they are missing this crucial point. The ability of an impact NFL RB to have lateral agility is crucial. It's FAR more important than speed. The only thing I can thing of is that most of his proponents are either so enamored by his speed that they refuse to see this major flaw, or they have no ideal of the importance of lateral agility. A NFL RB needs these things to be good/great: Vision, Instincts, Lateral Agility, and Quickness to the LOS. That's it folks. He has to have ALL these attributes and not just some if he wants to impact. He DOESN'T need speed. If you can find a RB with all these attributes, and speed as well, then he'll impact bigtime, but a NFL RB can have the same kind of impact w/o speed. And while CJ looks to have good vision, instincts, and quickness he lacks Lateral Agility. This flaw will be exposed in the NFL, and make him less effective. I'm not saying he'll be a bust, but he won't impact the way people here seem to think he will. However, because of his great speed, he'll still be a great return man, but as a RB he'll be hampered and take a lot of hits while he stutters to redirect himself. Watch ANY great RB and you'll see that the ability to move laterally is probably his most important skill. I can't stress enough the importance of this one attribute in determining the effectiveness of a NFL RB. CJ doesn't move well laterally folks, theogt and I can't explain it any simpler than that.

Do me a favor, show me how McFadden has better lateral agility than Johnson. Why do I ask this? Because theogt would draft McFadden in the first round, but wouldn't draft Johnson in the first FOUR rounds!!! The difference between the two? Johnson breaks tackles and has a lower center of gravity. McFadden is three inches taller and 10 pounds heavier, but doesn't break tackles.

theogt or as I call him, Mr. Mel Kiper. Has erratic judment. His guidelines move based on who he is judging.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Less agile, not as strong, much shorter, and much smaller body. Yup, just like Peterson.

Got one thing to say to you. We shall see next season how he performs. I shall bookmark this thread and your posts specifically.

It WILL become my signature.

 

[theogt]

Do me a favor, show me how McFadden has better lateral agility than Johnson. Why do I ask this? Because theogt would draft McFadden in the first round, but wouldn't draft Johnson in the first FOUR rounds!!! The difference between the two? Johnson breaks tackles and has a lower center of gravity. McFadden is three inches taller and 10 pounds heavier, but doesn't break tackles.

theogt or as I call him, Mr. Mel Kiper. Has erratic judment. His guidelines move based on who he is judging.

Actually, the difference between the two is that McFadden is bigger and more powerful and can therefore afford to run straightforward (in addition, he's proven that he can do so against much better competition). But you're correct that a similar argument can be made against McFadden. I've actually made that argument before myself.

 

[theogt]

Got one thing to say to you. We shall see next season how he performs. I shall bookmark this thread and your posts specifically.

It WILL become my signature.

OH NOES!!!! I'm scared now!!!11

 

[marchetta]

Eh? What the hell are you talking about? Lack of agility? Compared to who? Barry Sanders? That is a ridiculous statement!

How about compared to Ray Rice. Why don't you pull up some of RR's vids and see what true lateral agility is.

He is only 22 years old. At 5'11 and his frame, he can build up his lower body not to mention will raise his playing weight. I'm sure it has more to do with his strength and conditioning coach than it has to do with him. Meaning, it's nothing that player dedication and Joe Juraszek couldn't remedy.

True. The kid is going to need a redshirt year until he can get into the weight program. He'll be ready to contribute on special teams, and as a 3rd down back his rookie year, but he'll need an entire offseason before he'll be ready to carry the ball more than 5-7 times a game.

I've watched the video 3 times now and I see nothing wrong with spending a 2nd round pick on him. I don't see him being there though. I wouldnt be upest if we spent the 28th pick on him depending on who is still there.

Thanks Little Jr, I think we can come to some consensus here. I've watched only 2 whole games so my exposure to him is limited as well. So, I went back and watched the video also. This is my take FWIW: I don't think he'll be a bust. I just don't think he redirects himself laterally naturally. He has too much speed not to contribute to the team that gets him, and he'll make some highlight reel runs. However, as an everydown type RB he'll struggle. As long as his role is one of a 3rd down RB, which is no more than 5-7 carries a game, he'll be fine. Just don't think he'll ever be more than that, even after an offseason of weight gain. Again, he does have some lateral agility, it's just that it's the unnatural kind. His speed allows him to get away with it in college, but he'll be less effective doing it in the NFL. I'm not saying he won't be effective, I'm saying he'll be less effective. However, if he's there at the bottom of rd 2 I wouldn't be angry if we got him. I hope we can all agree on this.

 

[marchetta]

Do me a favor, show me how McFadden has better lateral agility than Johnson. Why do I ask this? Because theogt would draft McFadden in the first round, but wouldn't draft Johnson in the first FOUR rounds!!! The difference between the two? Johnson breaks tackles and has a lower center of gravity. McFadden is three inches taller and 10 pounds heavier, but doesn't break tackles.

theogt or as I call him, Mr. Mel Kiper. Has erratic judment. His guidelines move based on who he is judging.

You're absolutely right concerning DMac. They move laterally in the same type of way, except DMac does it w/o having to redirect his momentum. DMac is much smoother doing it, but DMac doesn't do it perfectly either. However, because of their speed, and other attributes, DMac and CJ will still be effective in the NFL just not as effective if they had the ability to "slide" laterally. While I never compared CJ to DMac, I did ask that people should go check out Ray Rice. RR moves laterally better than any RB in this draft and does it naturally, instinctively, and w/o wasted motion. RR can actually "slide" from tackle to tackle at the LOS while simultaneously keeping his shoulders parallel to the LOS. CJ, and DMac, would have to turn their torso, redirect their momentum, and burst. However, RR will just slide laterally while still maintaining his forward momentum (if that makes any sense). It sounds weird, I know, but it's a god given skill that RBs like RR, Emmitt, and Barry have. Now, CJ can do it also, he just can't do it naturally, smoothly, and w/o wasted motion. Maybe I've watched too much of RR and I'm not being fair to CJ by using RR as a barometer, but if you just watch RR run focus on his lateral movement and compare it to CJ you'll understand what I'm talking about.

 

[Goldenrichards83]

However, as an everydown type RB he'll struggle. As long as his role is one of a 3rd down RB, which is no more than 5-7 carries a game, he'll be fine. Just don't think he'll ever be more than that, even after an offseason of weight gain. Again, he does have some lateral agility, it's just that it's the unnatural kind. His speed allows him to get away with it in college, but he'll be less effective doing it in the NFL. I'm not saying he won't be effective, I'm saying he'll be less effective. However, if he's there at the bottom of rd 2 I wouldn't be angry if we got him. I hope we can all agree on this.

Give me 7-10 carries a game, 4 to 5 catches with screens and coming out the backfield. Take over all PR and KR duties, what else do we need? In other words instead of drafting a RB and a KR/PR. Why not make him the same guy?
And I have watch the video over and over and I kind of see what theogt talking about but I think its nitpicking. No disrespect. Rather he a 1 cut or 2 cut the kid is a baller. He has most of the main ingredients the make RBs successful on the next level, vision, balance and hands and when you add a his kind of speed to those facets you maybe on to something special.

 

[theogt]

Give me 7-10 carries a game, 4 to 5 catches with screens and coming out the backfield. Take over all PR and KR duties, what else do we need? In other words instead of drafting a RB and a KR/PR. Why not make him the same guy?
And I have watch the video over and over and I kind of see what theogt talking about but I think its nitpicking. No disrespect. Rather he a 1 cut or 2 cut the kid is a baller. He has most of the main ingredients the make RBs successful on the next level, vision, balance and hands and when you add a his kind of speed to those facets you maybe on to something special.

It may or may not be nitpicking, but I do see a pretty big difference between him and Ray Rice in this regard. And as far as drafting a limited role player, I'm absolutely against it. Why would you draft someone that high knowing that their ceiling is limited to a situational player? Why not go for a guy that could step in and play 25 carries a game if/when Barber gets hurt. And even if he does only get 7 or 8 carries per game for the length of his contract, I think his limitations could mean that we're not getting the most out of those carries that we could with another player. I just don't see the reasoning in saying "He has some limitations, but that's okay because we won't need him to be that good." No, I say just draft a better player.

Also, I disagree with the balance. I don't see him having very good balance. He looks awkward when he cuts and spins. In the "highlights" he doesn't actually fall, but those are just highlights. Given that he looks so awkward, I'd imagine that "lowlights" would be pretty telling.

 

[DaBoys4Life]

I think people are going off of past RB's to judge CJ but since the 40 yard dash has been electronically timed we haven't see a RB run a faster 40 you say he a one cut back. In open space thats amazingly good. You say he has no lateral movement wouldn't he be a north south runner? What kind of RB does this guy have to be i still don't understand reggie bush wasn't a one cut runner was he????? I've always been a believer of making one move and then going strong afterwards all it takes is one cut to make some one look stupid.