Could RB Chris Johnson be our WOW player?

[dasander]

I read on NFL Draft Countdown that Chris Johnson played some wide receiver in his college career. Also, read another article where he could become a dangerous slot receiver in the NFL(I read it on this forum sometime). 5-11 197lbs is a good build for a receiver. Johnson could potentially fill 2 birds with 1 stone in being a complementary back to MB III and a slot receiver with deep speed. I'm not sure how well he runs his deep routes though....

 

[TEUFELI]

I read on NFL Draft Countdown that Chris Johnson played some wide receiver in his college career. Also, read another article where he could become a dangerous slot receiver in the NFL(I read it on this forum sometime). 5-11 197lbs is a good build for a receiver. Johnson could potentially fill 2 birds with 1 stone in being a complementary back to MB III and a slot receiver with deep speed. I'm not sure how well he runs his deep routes though....

You are rt, and this is why I think this guy is so intriging. A faster westbrook...

 

[Bleu Star]

You mean the part of your sig that indicates that a small, fast, quick RB leaving the Giants actually helped them get a super bowl win finally?

No. The other part.

 

[I LOVE ME SOME ME!]

uy

HUH? Not real sure I understand that. "Clearly" the fastest guy in the NFL? What? I am not saying he isnt fast, but there are alot of really fast guys in the NFL and on any given 40, I think there are plenty of guys who are right there in the range that Johnson ran. If you dont understand that...well, I guess we dont know what to tell each other.

Name me the guys. I hear people saying hes a poor mans Reggie Bush. Well i think he is faster than Reggie Bush easily from what i've seen. I saw his highlight video and he caught a screen pass and my mouth dropped. Go watch it for yourself. We can agree to disagree but i trust my own eyes.

 

[TEUFELI]

Name me the guys. I hear people saying hes a poor mans Reggie Bush. Well i think he is faster than Reggie Bush easily from what i've seen. I saw his highlight video and he caught a screen pass and my mouth dropped. Go watch it for yourself. We can agree to disagree but i trust my own eyes.

Yes, I have the internet. I know what youtube is. I also use a cell phone and have one of those ipod things. I have seen the highlights. Look at my other posts, I really like this guy. I would still prefer Jamal (b/c of his ability to shed defenders and his vision), but i DO like Chris. But my issue with your post was that you state that "clearly"...."clearly" he is rt now, the fastest player in the NFL. That, is simply not accurate.

 

[TheCount]

Name me the guys. I hear people saying hes a poor mans Reggie Bush. Well i think he is faster than Reggie Bush easily from what i've seen. I saw his highlight video and he caught a screen pass and my mouth dropped. Go watch it for yourself. We can agree to disagree but i trust my own eyes.

You think they show bad plays on the highlight vids?

 

[I LOVE ME SOME ME!]

You think they show bad plays on the highlight vids?

Well i doubt you can find a highlight video of Chris Johnson running slow. I just said he was the fastest player in the NFL from the jump and i will stick to that statement.

 

[Goldenrichards83]

Now think "outside the box" re RB Chris Johnson and bear with me. New Huddle mock draft by Broyhart (sp?) projects us drafting CB Mike Jenkins at #22 & RB Chris Johnson at #28. Love Jenkins pick but some may prefer Cromartie who still on the board. Most of us believe first round is too early to draft Chris Johnson & also believe Jerry uses one of these first rounders to trade for either RWilliams (Detroit), Boulden (Cards) or Johnson (Bengals); frankly I doubt Jerry can get that deal done with any of these GMs.

So another option is to assure ourselves of Chris Johnson's talents by drafting him at #28. He'd be teamed with MBIII for maybe 7-10 runs a game. We max his 4.29 speed by adding some reverse plays, he's also very good at catching passes out of the backfield but we also add some WR plays designed just for him. His speed will have DCs pulling their hair. Also see MBIII & Johnson frequently in together with defenses left to wonder if it's a passing or running play, which of them is getting the ball or is it going to TO, Witten, Crayton, etc. Johnson's contribution to both our running/passing game makes him much more valuable & worthy of #28 pick. Now I'm not saying we necessarily will put Johnson at the LOS cause that would require Johnson learn another position & I'm not saying that's what we should do but Garrett can move Johnson around a bit just like he does TO. BTW: I wouldn't use Johnson as a return man cause that best left to the more experienced Pacman.

So if we get our CB at #22 & our RB/WR at #28 we free up 2nd round & maybe 3rd for other needs we'd like to address like DT, ILB (don't believe Wade happy with our play at that position) or a SS to backup up RWilliams since Keith Davis gone. It also doesn't rule out our drafting a WR later (Dexter Jackson in 4th round for speed) or a big WR later who could become TO's successor some day. But the point is we don't have to reach for anybody. Still intrigued by Marcus Monk who got hurt & seems to have disappeared, etc. Using Johnson in variety of ways also doesn't prevent Hurd, Austin or Stanbach from contributing as their talents allow although frankly Hurd lacks speed just like Crayton, Austin isn't consistent & we'll wait on Stanback.

I though about more extensive use of Chris Johnson in our passing game as a quasi WR while reading Huddle's assessment of him as a more potential WR initially. Obviously we'd also have to add a #3 RB & hope it be a vet who can handle all those duties, including picking up the blitz, while Johnson possibly struggles to learn that new part of his RB requirements.

BTW: Broyhart has OG Brandon Albert going very early & believes that will cause a run at OT so some CBs could fall. He projects Cason as best CB in the draft to go first at around #10 or later followed by McKelvin a few picks later. Like I said above, Cromartie is still on the board per Broyhart when he projects us to take Jenkins.

Great post. I don't think he was the wow player Jerry was speakin of but I think he is that player now. You could use this guy in so many ways when defenses already will be busy worrying about TO, Witten and Barber. This is the kid to make this offense even better than it already is.

 

[jobberone]

Great post. I don't think he was the wow player Jerry was speakin of but I think he is that player now. You could use this guy in so many ways when defenses already will be busy worrying about TO, Witten and Barber. This is the kid to make this offense even better than it already is.

CJ is going to be an impact player. He has speed, quickness, agility, lateral moves, good open field running, great KR and prob PR as well, and has enough size. My only problem is his size is just enough. If he can bulk up a little without losing the rest of it then he'll be a great runner. He may be anyway. I worry about him being able to take a pounding game in and out. That could limit his playing time/numbers of plays.

But I don't see the need to run him 20-30 times a game. Not with MBIII. I'd love to land this guy. Very exciting player who would make a dangerous offense much more scary.

And he can catch the ball out of the backfield and down the field. Putting him in the slot and having him go in motion and fly down the field will put a lot of pressure on offenses already stretched to cover what we already have. He's just a scary player and I think he'll be another Reggie Bush type player.

 

[DaBoys4Life]

everyone knew he was fast before the Combine, NFLDraftScout predicted his 40 to be 4.27, which was only .04 off the mark

before the Junior backs declared, he was Scott Wright's of NFLDraftCountdown, #1, Senior back

he's highly thought of for more than just his 40, he's the most versatile and one of the most explosive players in this draft

yea people overlook that but w.e. that just goes to show how lil some of these guys know.

 

[Rampage]

Well i doubt you can find a highlight video of Chris Johnson running slow. I just said he was the fastest player in the NFL from the jump and i will stick to that statement.

faster than this guy?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ-bTAHYCxo

 

[jterrell]

everyone knew he was fast before the Combine, NFLDraftScout predicted his 40 to be 4.27, which was only .04 off the mark

before the Junior backs declared, he was Scott Wright's of NFLDraftCountdown, #1, Senior back

he's highly thought of for more than just his 40, he's the most versatile and one of the most explosive players in this draft

It is hard to discuss this type of stuff without insulting people but let's just say he isn't in any real scouts top 5 right now.

Yes, people knew he was fast. Now fans know he is fast so they are saying stupid things about the guy. Justin Vargas is really fast too. Really fast just doesn't mean much at running back.

He is also versatile if by that you mean he is a slot back type. He just isn't a real running back. He is a track star.

Can he stay healthy? Can he block in the NFL? Can he show patience and vision? Can he break tackles in the NFL? Speed doesn't help in any of those areas and thats why measurables almost never make a good running back.

 

[heavyg]

It is hard to discuss this type of stuff without insulting people but let's just say he isn't in any real scouts top 5 right now.

Yes, people knew he was fast. Now fans know he is fast so they are saying stupid things about the guy. Justin Vargas is really fast too. Really fast just doesn't mean much at running back.

He is also versatile if by that you mean he is a slot back type. He just isn't a real running back. He is a track star.

Can he stay healthy? Can he block in the NFL? Can he show patience and vision? Can he break tackles in the NFL? Speed doesn't help in any of those areas and thats why measurables almost never make a good running back.

I feel the same way about D-Mac. Both guys are fast. What I seen in CJ that I don't see in D-Mac is the ability to break tackles. Where D-Mac seems to go down easy CJ lowers his shoulders and powers through.

 

[Deep_Freeze]

It is hard to discuss this type of stuff without insulting people but let's just say he isn't in any real scouts top 5 right now.

Yes, people knew he was fast. Now fans know he is fast so they are saying stupid things about the guy. Justin Vargas is really fast too. Really fast just doesn't mean much at running back.

He is also versatile if by that you mean he is a slot back type. He just isn't a real running back. He is a track star.

Can he stay healthy? Can he block in the NFL? Can he show patience and vision? Can he break tackles in the NFL? Speed doesn't help in any of those areas and thats why measurables almost never make a good running back.

Tell that to Bo Jackson...or Hershael Walker..

Alot of times this is an assumption cause alot of greats (such as Emmitt for us) didn't have great measureables. But you can't ignore that having good measureables isn't a bad thing either. Sure a RB can be successful without the pretty numbers, but they can be successful with them also, I mean, Fargas actually played quite well last year.

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

faster than this guy?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ-bTAHYCxo

Yes, he is awesome. Thank goodness Dallas doesn't have to play the Jets this year, I'm sure McFadden will put up good numbers there!

 

[DaBoys4Life]

It is hard to discuss this type of stuff without insulting people but let's just say he isn't in any real scouts top 5 right now.

Yes, people knew he was fast. Now fans know he is fast so they are saying stupid things about the guy. Justin Vargas is really fast too. Really fast just doesn't mean much at running back.

He is also versatile if by that you mean he is a slot back type. He just isn't a real running back. He is a track star.

Can he stay healthy? Can he block in the NFL? Can he show patience and vision? Can he break tackles in the NFL? Speed doesn't help in any of those areas and thats why measurables almost never make a good running back.

I think he could stay healthy he had one injury his JR and came back his senior season with more than impressive numbers. Justin Vargas just had a 1,000 yard season something or RB has failed to do for how many years granted he started of slow however he is coming into his own and look at the team he played you might of well have knocked Randy Moss who didn't produce in that offensive system while your at it. He is hardly a track i think of CJ like MJD you see him another way. He's answered the question if he can stay healthy his senior season can he block in the NFL who knows but you know what how many rookie RB's doesn't have a problem with blocking this kid isn't weak if thats what you are trying to get at. Blocking can be taught his speed and ability can't

 

[jterrell]

I feel the same way about D-Mac. Both guys are fast. What I seen in CJ that I don't see in D-Mac is the ability to break tackles. Where D-Mac seems to go down easy CJ lowers his shoulders and powers through.

Fair enough and I would not take a RB top 5 ever because betting on any of these guys is a huge gamble.

BUT I would say the scouts rank them where they do base don the 15 or so pounds McFadden has on CJ and of course the injury history.

All that said I dont suspect CJ has all these kids running around.

I think McFadden is worth about the 10th pick but no higher and CJ is worth no more than pick 50. I could be wrong and have been before but I have been a draftnik a long, long time and I hit on rbs as much as any position based mostly on doing a "is he like emmitt" check. ROFL.

I still think low center of gravity, immensely strong legs and vision are the top 3 traits a RB needs.

 

[jterrell]

Tell that to Bo Jackson...or Hershael Walker..

Alot of times this is an assumption cause alot of greats (such as Emmitt for us) didn't have great measureables. But you can't ignore that having good measureables isn't a bad thing either. Sure a RB can be successful without the pretty numbers, but they can be successful with them also, I mean, Fargas actually played quite well last year.

Neither Jackson nor Walker lived up to pre-draft hype.
IMHO you are making my point for me.

But beyond that you are talking guys who weighed 30 pounds more than these guys we are discussing.

Fargas did get 1000 yards last year but he has 2000 in 5 years and plays on one of the worst teams in the league. He is not considered an NFL starter.

 

[jterrell]

I think he could stay healthy he had one injury his JR and came back his senior season with more than impressive numbers. Justin Vargas just had a 1,000 yard season something or RB has failed to do for how many years granted he started of slow however he is coming into his own and look at the team he played you might of well have knocked Randy Moss who didn't produce in that offensive system while your at it. He is hardly a track i think of CJ like MJD you see him another way. He's answered the question if he can stay healthy his senior season can he block in the NFL who knows but you know what how many rookie RB's doesn't have a problem with blocking this kid isn't weak if thats what you are trying to get at. Blocking can be taught his speed and ability can't

It makes no sense for me to argue with an out an out fanboy.

I'll simply post his mock up from nfldraftblitz.com
I am going to bold all the stuff you likely can not seem to understand.
We all agree the guy is fast as blazes and electric in the open field.

Inside Runner: - Possesses only average leg strength
- Does a nice job of sliding to avoid contact
- Relatively quick through the hole
- His weight makes him an average at best inside runner
Outside Runner: - Johnson has exceptional speed to the corner
- A little to quick to give up inside and bounce plays outside
- He's a major threat when running outside the tackles
Elusive Runner: - He's shown very good change or direction ability
- A creative runner who'll improvise with ease
- Change of direction ability is outstanding
- One of the more elusive runners in college football
Power Runner: - Possesses good balance as a runner
- Isn't a guy who's going to break a lot of tackles
- Doesn't go looking to punish defenders for tackling him
- Does a good enough job of falling forward
Blocker: - Stands a little to up-right when blocking
- He's nothing more then adequate in pass protection
- Doesn't go looking for someone to block, but won't shy from contact
Hands / Route Running: - Has 30+ receptions in all but one season
- A natural pass catcher who extends for the ball
- Not reckless with the ball, but he isn't immune to fumbles either
- Above average in terms of route running ability
Durability: - More of a 12-15 carry a game guy then a 20+ workhorse
- Tough enough player who won't miss much time
- Shows the ability to take a hit and get right up
Running Style: - Has a slashing type running style
- Not an overly powerful runner
- Forget a 2nd gear, he's got 3rd, 4th and 5th gears to call on
- Plays with adequate pad level
Overall: A big senior season has proved to everyone that Chris Johnson is a play-maker, plain and simple. He elevated his draft status exponentially throughout the course of the year all the while putting his world-class speed and athleticism on display. Johnson is one of the most exciting players in college football with the ball in his hands. An elusive runner, he's also dangerous out of the back-field as a pass catcher and equally so as a return man. The only real knock to be found is there will be questions about his durability given his smaller frame. His return skills boost his stock and he could be selected as early as round two.

 

[Deep_Freeze]

Neither Jackson nor Walker lived up to pre-draft hype.
IMHO you are making my point for me.

But beyond that you are talking guys who weighed 30 pounds more than these guys we are discussing.

Fargas did get 1000 yards last year but he has 2000 in 5 years and plays on one of the worst teams in the league. He is not considered an NFL starter.

Well, while I do agree that your argument for low center of gravity, strong legs, and vision is a sound strategy, I just think some athletes can be built differently and still be successful. Sure if you are looking at a RB in the 5th round, then that strategy is a good one to follow, but when you are talking about someone that could be special, sometimes standard rules don't apply.

Fargas just simply never got a chance to perform cause of injuries and big money backs ahead of him. With someone with speed like DMac or CJ, one thing will probably be the biggest thing for them, vision. They hit the hole alot faster than most backs, matter of fact, OL know the difference between these speed backs and how long they have to hold their blocks. For a guy like Barber, they have to hold their blocks alot longer, but for a guy like those 2, they can hit the second level quicker.

But their vision is very important, cause they hit the hole so quick that they need the ability to see a hole immediately. I'm not sure about CJ, never really watched him, but I do know DMac has this type of vision that will make him successful.