I love our draft, but I'm worried about RB. We can feel both things, they aren't mutually exclusive.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Oh, so you mean my opinion of "low risk" is..........just my opinion?

Or is this the part where we mindlessly argue over nothing until one of us is too bored to carry on in the discussion?

I'm pretty sure we've arrived.

 

[mattjames2010]

I won't argue that Randle had a much easier chore not having to play the first few series. He ran into 9 man boxes against Indy 13 times but most times got a half dozen or so carries.

He looked very quick getting to the hole where the year before he was sluggish. He improved dramatically in that regard from 2013 to 2014. He can juke in traffic and shake people at the point of attack. He can also cover a lot of open ground laterally with those jump cuts when he gets in the open field or to move across the formation on cutbacks. He's not big but he has very good leg drive and balance to push through contact. He can get low and push piles, run through arm tackles keeping his feet. He still might not have even peaked in terms of physical talent: he doesn't turn 24 until December.

Keeping that type of effort for 200 carries is a whole nother level of challenge than 50 but I am fine with the above for 10+ carries a game and seeing what happens. If he sucks then take him out but he is a pretty good prospect in my view for all his Dillard's robberies.

He is pretty efficient in pass protection but his passing game is pretty much leaking out to the flats or the middle of the field and screens. He has very good hands. Has a lot of room to get better here.

Ideally you would rotate series or situational and have no one get more than 200 carries.

Looked at another way would, where would you rank Randle in this year's draft? I have Gurley, Gordon, and Yeldon as clearly better. That's it.

Where do you put 25 year old Ryan Williams assuming his knee checks out? Is with Ajayi in the 5th? Better than that? Where's Dunbar?

There were two instances where RB were coming at them in Johnson in the third and Davis in the fourth. They did not feel compelled to trade up to get either. They didn't bring in either to visit either. I think you can infer that the Cowboys think that at last some of their current prospects are better than them.

I agree, Randle certainly improved from 2013 to 2014. He improved far more than I expected him to, he overachieved. I think he is a fine backup/change of pace back, but that's where it ends; that's all I ever saw from him in his college film before he completely disappointed in 2013. Where would I rank him in this years draft? Randle would be a 7th round pick or an undrafted FA, because I don't ever view him as a starter.

I've never liked Williams. He's had one year of production from college to the NFL. Jay Ajayi has had a relatively healthy college career, two years of big production, and was certainly worth a 4th round pick; in my opinion. He not only showed he can run, but he also had 50 receptions for over 500 yards in college, showing he has some receiving skills. Was he my favorite RB in this draft? No, but with our needs, he's a steal in the 4th and 5th round. You then had Buck Allen who I believe was the perfect back behind Gordon and Coleman in our scheme, we sat back and allowed Ravens to grab him. And with how Ravens are when it comes to RBs, I'm going to say now Buck Allen is a talented back and the Ravens will utilize him well.

And I have no doubt the Cowboys think our current RBs are on the same level as those later on in the draft, they've actually come out and said that. That's my biggest problem with all of this, I disagree with them in every way. I don't see a single RB on this roster that is reliable enough to help get the job done and I don't see them all collectively doing well either.

 

[NextGenBoys]

Randle ran for 6.7 yards per carry. Tough to call that a 'drop-off.'

The issue is more about what pace can Murray sustain and at what price?

If he's running more like a $3 million a year tailback and we were paying him $8 million, that's not as good as if we get McFadden or Randle or Williams to run like a $3 million tailback at a much lower price (McFadden's contract is obviously almost all incentive based).

I think expecting Murray to even run for 1,500 yards, even if he was with the Cowboys this upcoming season, is very optimistic. So I don't think you can assume that Murray was going to get those 'tough yards.'

I'm guessing Randle's job is probably safe because I don't think McFadden or Williams can play ST. It's just a case if he can win the #1 spot or not. Or they may do a little more of a RB by committee thing. It may not be a 50/50 carry thing, but a 60/30/10 between say, Williams/Randle/Dunbar.

The big thing here is I think we have potentially 3 very capable #1 tailbacks in Williams, Randle and McFadden and I think each will get a legitimate chance to win the #1 spot and usually in the NFL, legitimate competition tends to work out positively in the end rather than forcing a starter to continue to start simply because of their contract dictates them having to start.

YR

I'm not talking about his YPC, I'm talking about DeMarco's tough yards. Yards after contact, falling forward, pushing the pile, etc.

That's what I meant by the drop off. Randle was not half the back Murray was in terms of tough running, something that we need in this offense in order to be successful on the ground.

 

[NextGenBoys]

Randle averaged over 5 yards a carry and had some fantastic long TD. What drop off?

Tough yardage drop off. Not YPC with big runs, but tough runs, falling forward, pushing the pile, etc. There was a very step drop off in that aspect.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Tough yardage drop off. Not YPC with big runs, but tough runs, falling forward, pushing the pile, etc. There was a very step drop off in that aspect.

Not that I recall.