Chocolate Lab;1955564 said:
My analysis?
(Just wondering if you quoted the right person.)
But if it was my post, yes, it was mine. I try to go by my own eyes and not copy what the so-called draft gurus say.
Yes. I was talking about this:
Strengths:
An outstanding natural athlete...Has very good size...Excellent timed speed with a burst...Has great vision and instincts...Big play threat who can take it the distance at any time..Elusive with nice feet..Quick and agile...Real strong...Tough and loves contact...Runs hard and does not go down easy...Has decent hands and can be a weapon in the passing game..Plays with a nasty demeanor..Extremely productive.
Weaknesses:
Has some off-the-field and character questions...Legs and lower body are a little thin....Might run too high and open himself up to big hits...Could still improve as a blocker...Does not have a ton of experience as a receiver...Did not really play in a conventional offense in college and shared the workload...Ball security is an issue.
Notes:
Burst onto the scene as a true freshman...The Heisman Trophy runner-up as both a sophomore and a junior...In the summer of '06 he dislocated his toe (which later required surgery) while trying to kick someone during a fight outside a night club at 4am...In January of 2008 was handcuffed during a disturbance outside of a bar shortly after midnight because according to the police report he was agitated and provoking aggressive behavior inciting the incident....Often worked as a shotgun quarterback in the Razorbacks "Wildcat" package and showed the ability to throw the ball...Pure football player with all the physical tools who is as good or perhaps an even better prospect than Adrian Peterson was coming out...A rare talent who should rank amongst the top running backs in the NFL very early in his pro career.
It's very good. I didn't know if you cut and pasted it off a draft site or it was yours.
My issues:
1) It's the WildHOG not the Wildcat
. Houston and the UofA worked hard to rebrand that formation after Gus Malzahn left.
2) I don't think receiving should be listed in his strengths. He did catch the occasional swing pass and did his thing with it but he really struggled with that bubble screen they tried to install for him. He can always work on that but I don't think receiving is a strength at all for him.
3) Under weaknesses, you mention blocking. I think he is an EXCEPTIONAL blocker. I enjoyed watching him destroy linebackers on blitz pickup and he was deadly on Felix's kickoff return. I wish they kept a pancake block stat for returns. He's a willing and physical blocker who's shown very good technique.
4) And finally, I don't think it's fair to say he has character questions. The toe injury occurred when he was fighting with men he was trying to stop from stealing his cousin's car. He had on flip flops and kicked a curb. After that injury it was said he felt terrible about letting his team down. He quit going out and stayed in almost every night. He'd hang out playing video games with friends and improved his studies. He learned from that mistake.
The second incident was at a piano bar and it was his brother involved in a skirmish. The police cuffed him and kept him way off to the side and gave him the VIP treatment to help him out. He was ticked that his brother took a punch but was never involved with the fight at all.
There are plenty of players with legitimate character issues and that's just not Darren McFadden. He's a very good kid. Very respectful and friendly and by no means goes out looking for trouble.
