locked&loaded
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 3,609
- Reaction score
- 960
Snippets from the rb discussion in todays article...
...As much as the scouts agreed that Robinson (79 points) was the best back and Gibbs was second best (65), they were all over the gridiron when it came to the rest of their 1-2-3-4-5 ballots. Twelve other runners gained at least one mention, testimony of the woodwork theory that teams just aren’t sure who might advance from nowhere to notoriety – and how long they might stay there.
Zach Charbonnet finished third with 24 points, followed by Kendre Miller (20), Devon Achane (17), Tyjae Spears (13 ½), Roschon Johnson (nine), Eric Gray (three), DeWayne McBride (three), Israel Abanikanda (two), Tank Bigsby (two), Kenny McIntosh (one), Deuce Vaughn (one) and Sean Tucker (one-half).
A scouting executive offered this glum assessment: “I feel like after the first two there’s a pretty big drop-off.”
...“Every time I watched a back I wasn’t disappointed,” an executive in personnel said. “This is a deep class of runners. I would say it’s 15 deep. You can get one in the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds. You don’t have to take one early unless you’re in love with one.”
Playing well early is the blueprint for running backs. “You don’t want to overcoach them,” an AFC personnel man said. “Just get them the ball and roll.”
...Football people know full well what has entered the league from under the cracks. Recent history adds urgency to their evaluations. Last season, nine of the 26 running backs (35%) that gained at least 1,000 yards from scrimmage entered the league either drafted after the first three rounds or as a free agent. Three of the nine were free agents. The Chargers’ Austin Ekeler was signed in 2017 after 29 backs were drafted. The Dolphins’ Raheem Mostert was signed in 2015 after 23 backs were drafted. The Dolphins’ Jeff Wilson was signed in 2018 after 22 backs were drafted.
Six of the nine were drafted beyond the third round, including the Patriots’ Rhamondre Stevenson, the Cowboys’ Tony Pollard, the Lions’ Jamaal Williams (now with the Saints) and the Texans’ Dameon Pierce in the fourth, and the Packers’ Aaron Jones and the Falcons’ Tyler Allgeier in the fifth.
Ten of the 25 leading rushers in 2022 weren’t drafted in the first three rounds. That list included the Chiefs’ Isiah Pacheco, a seventh-round choice.
...Using my records from combine and pro days, the average height-weight-speed of the aforementioned nine unheralded players that gained 1,000 or more yards from scrimmage last season was 5-10 ½, 212, 4.54.
1. BIJAN ROBINSON, Texas (5-11, 215, 4.45, 1): Third-year junior. “That would be blasphemy to put him in the same class as Barry Sanders and all that,” one scout said. “He is definitely in the top percentile of running backs that I’ve seen because he’s big and he has sprinter speed and he can catch. I feel confident saying he’s as good as Todd Gurley. (Same) for Edgerrin James. Saquon Barkley would be more recent. I’m not saying he’s Bo Jackson but think that size, that explosiveness but yet that speed. He’s not as fast as Bo but he’s in that class of a speed back that’s not finesse. He can run it up in there and be a power back when it’s needed, and also juke you out of your shoes.”
Rushed 539 times for 3,410 yards (6.3-yard average) and 33 touchdowns to go with 60 receptions and eight TDs. “He has a little bit of Christian McCaffrey in his ability to run a route and catch the ball,” a second scout said. “This guy could almost play receiver. He’s tremendous in the pass game, and in today’s NFL that’s a huge thing. Watch him against Alabama this year. He looked like he was a real, legitimate receiver down the field making plays. Oh, man, really impressive.” Scored 14 on the Wonderlic test. “There’s nothing he can’t do, and I’m talking about blitz pickup, too,” said a third scout. “He’s the most complete back in this draft, and maybe one of the top three players in this draft. Great kid. All good.” From Tucson, Ariz. “People are making him out to be the greatest running back of all time,” a fourth scout said. “He’s not. He’s good — really, really good. But he is not some generational talent. Is he better than Josh Jacobs? Probably so. But he’s not overly explosive and he’s not an overly tough, grinding pounder. He gets some extra yardage because guys bounce off him but he’s isn’t a real forceful runner. He reminded me of Le’Veon Bell, which is good. He’ll be a good player. I don’t see him as a difference-maker in the league. No running backs are, anyway.”
2. JAHMYR GIBBS, Alabama (5-9, 199, 4.40. 1): Third-year junior. “I could see him being paired up with a back like Derrick Henry,” one scout said. “Have the big back and then you bring him in as kind of the speed back and catch the ball out of the backfield. He’s your 1b. Alvin Kamara is bigger and stronger but he’s kind of in that mold, how Kamara is used in the screen game. D’Andre Swift is a good comp.” Started for two seasons at Georgia Tech, gaining 763 yards from scrimmage in 2020 and 1,216 as a sophomore. He entered the transfer portal and chose Alabama, where he gained 1,370 yards from scrimmage. “He’s my favorite,” said the scout who voted for him over Robinson. “Very, very similar to Kamara. That slick sort of movement and balance. Multi-talented, catches, runs. He’s got all that, man. His skill-set will play well in the league. You could make that comparison (with Aaron Jones), but Aaron is a little straightlinish. This guy has a little bit more movement.” Lightly used in three seasons. Carried 383 times for 2,132 (5.6) and 15 TDs to go with 104 receptions and eight TDs. Wonderlic of 10. “Gets to top speed quickly,” said a third scout. “Runs hard. Got vision. Can get the corner. He’s been through a lot in his life. Kind of had a rough upbringing … really overcome a lot. Really, really a good kid.” From Dalton, Ga.
...then a scout said Kendre miller reminded him of a faster emmitt smith...
...then my favorite and a local favorite around here...
7. ISRAEL ABANIKANDA, Pittsburgh (5-10, 217, 4.45, 3-4): Third-year junior. “He reminded me of Tevin Coleman, the kid that came out of Indiana a few years ago,” one scout said. “Straight-line speed guy. Almost a little bit like (Isiah) Pacheco of Kansas City.” Tremendous combine workout. Led the position in the vertical jump (41 inches) and broad jump (10-8). “Like an old-school Denver scheme (runner),” said a second scout. “Zone runner, one cut and go. He can f--king go. He didn’t run quite as fast on the clock as I thought he would based on how fast he is on film. You give this guy a lane and he can hit it. He will run into a brick wall, good or bad. The problem is, he’s stiff and he’s upright. Has little or no value in the passing game. They actually had to pull him off the field at the end of the year because they didn’t trust him in pass pro. Nice kid, not very smart. Below average worker. He wasn’t even starting at the beginning of the year, then a couple guys got hurt and he started carrying the load. He had 300 and some yards (320) and six TDs against Virginia Tech, which is like a bad I-AA team. You’ve got to give the guy credit, but then people started getting into his ear. ‘Hey, you’ve got to come out.’ He’s not well-rounded enough right now.” Led FBS in touchdowns (21) last season. Finished with 390 caries for 2,177 (5.6) and 28 TDs plus just 38 receptions and three TDs. “I like him but at a certain price,” said a third scout. “He’s not one to create on his own but if he gets a hole he’s gone. He probably put too much weight on at 217 (at pro day). I’d want him in the 207-208 range and then he maybe even could break 4.4.” From Brooklyn, N.Y. His hands were a tiny 8 ¼.
9. TYJAE SPEARS, Tulane (5-9 ½, 200, 4.57, 4-6): According to several team sources, he doesn’t have an ACL in one of his knees after a pair of surgeries and cartilage damage as well. He missed most of 2020 after suffering the injury but started all 14 games in ’22. “The medical will drop him,” said one scout. “But he is the third-best back.” Stood out throughout Senior Bowl week with his acceleration and the ability to make tacklers miss. “When you watch the guy’s cutting ability you wouldn’t think you were watching a guy who has a bad knee,” said a second scout. Fourth-year junior, three-year starter. “He put on a show in the (Senior) bowl game,” a third scout said. “He will try to run over you. He never got knocked back on a tackle. Not that he’s playing great competition. He does have good hands, he will block and all that. I thought he was a nice college running back. I didn’t see anything special in terms of quickness or speed.” Finished with 427 carries for 2,910 (6.8) and 31 TDs plus 48 receptions and three TDs. “He’ll be really good as a No. 2,” said a fourth scout. “He’s got three-down ability. He’d be a better complement than a lead horse.” From Ponchatoula, La.
SCOUTS’ NIGHTMARE
Sean Tucker, RB, Syracuse: Rushed for a school-record 1,496 yards in 2021, joining Jim Brown, Ernie Davis and Floyd Little as the Orange’s only All-America RBs. Wasn’t as effective in 2022, irritating one scout who said he ran out of bounds all the time. Has the size (5-9, 207) and the speed to be a third-round pick. Because of an ongoing heart issue that was revealed at the combine, his football future is in jeopardy. “This sounds like it’s not going away,” said one team executive. “Essentially, he could be done.”
...As much as the scouts agreed that Robinson (79 points) was the best back and Gibbs was second best (65), they were all over the gridiron when it came to the rest of their 1-2-3-4-5 ballots. Twelve other runners gained at least one mention, testimony of the woodwork theory that teams just aren’t sure who might advance from nowhere to notoriety – and how long they might stay there.
Zach Charbonnet finished third with 24 points, followed by Kendre Miller (20), Devon Achane (17), Tyjae Spears (13 ½), Roschon Johnson (nine), Eric Gray (three), DeWayne McBride (three), Israel Abanikanda (two), Tank Bigsby (two), Kenny McIntosh (one), Deuce Vaughn (one) and Sean Tucker (one-half).
A scouting executive offered this glum assessment: “I feel like after the first two there’s a pretty big drop-off.”
...“Every time I watched a back I wasn’t disappointed,” an executive in personnel said. “This is a deep class of runners. I would say it’s 15 deep. You can get one in the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds. You don’t have to take one early unless you’re in love with one.”
Playing well early is the blueprint for running backs. “You don’t want to overcoach them,” an AFC personnel man said. “Just get them the ball and roll.”
...Football people know full well what has entered the league from under the cracks. Recent history adds urgency to their evaluations. Last season, nine of the 26 running backs (35%) that gained at least 1,000 yards from scrimmage entered the league either drafted after the first three rounds or as a free agent. Three of the nine were free agents. The Chargers’ Austin Ekeler was signed in 2017 after 29 backs were drafted. The Dolphins’ Raheem Mostert was signed in 2015 after 23 backs were drafted. The Dolphins’ Jeff Wilson was signed in 2018 after 22 backs were drafted.
Six of the nine were drafted beyond the third round, including the Patriots’ Rhamondre Stevenson, the Cowboys’ Tony Pollard, the Lions’ Jamaal Williams (now with the Saints) and the Texans’ Dameon Pierce in the fourth, and the Packers’ Aaron Jones and the Falcons’ Tyler Allgeier in the fifth.
Ten of the 25 leading rushers in 2022 weren’t drafted in the first three rounds. That list included the Chiefs’ Isiah Pacheco, a seventh-round choice.
...Using my records from combine and pro days, the average height-weight-speed of the aforementioned nine unheralded players that gained 1,000 or more yards from scrimmage last season was 5-10 ½, 212, 4.54.
1. BIJAN ROBINSON, Texas (5-11, 215, 4.45, 1): Third-year junior. “That would be blasphemy to put him in the same class as Barry Sanders and all that,” one scout said. “He is definitely in the top percentile of running backs that I’ve seen because he’s big and he has sprinter speed and he can catch. I feel confident saying he’s as good as Todd Gurley. (Same) for Edgerrin James. Saquon Barkley would be more recent. I’m not saying he’s Bo Jackson but think that size, that explosiveness but yet that speed. He’s not as fast as Bo but he’s in that class of a speed back that’s not finesse. He can run it up in there and be a power back when it’s needed, and also juke you out of your shoes.”
Rushed 539 times for 3,410 yards (6.3-yard average) and 33 touchdowns to go with 60 receptions and eight TDs. “He has a little bit of Christian McCaffrey in his ability to run a route and catch the ball,” a second scout said. “This guy could almost play receiver. He’s tremendous in the pass game, and in today’s NFL that’s a huge thing. Watch him against Alabama this year. He looked like he was a real, legitimate receiver down the field making plays. Oh, man, really impressive.” Scored 14 on the Wonderlic test. “There’s nothing he can’t do, and I’m talking about blitz pickup, too,” said a third scout. “He’s the most complete back in this draft, and maybe one of the top three players in this draft. Great kid. All good.” From Tucson, Ariz. “People are making him out to be the greatest running back of all time,” a fourth scout said. “He’s not. He’s good — really, really good. But he is not some generational talent. Is he better than Josh Jacobs? Probably so. But he’s not overly explosive and he’s not an overly tough, grinding pounder. He gets some extra yardage because guys bounce off him but he’s isn’t a real forceful runner. He reminded me of Le’Veon Bell, which is good. He’ll be a good player. I don’t see him as a difference-maker in the league. No running backs are, anyway.”
2. JAHMYR GIBBS, Alabama (5-9, 199, 4.40. 1): Third-year junior. “I could see him being paired up with a back like Derrick Henry,” one scout said. “Have the big back and then you bring him in as kind of the speed back and catch the ball out of the backfield. He’s your 1b. Alvin Kamara is bigger and stronger but he’s kind of in that mold, how Kamara is used in the screen game. D’Andre Swift is a good comp.” Started for two seasons at Georgia Tech, gaining 763 yards from scrimmage in 2020 and 1,216 as a sophomore. He entered the transfer portal and chose Alabama, where he gained 1,370 yards from scrimmage. “He’s my favorite,” said the scout who voted for him over Robinson. “Very, very similar to Kamara. That slick sort of movement and balance. Multi-talented, catches, runs. He’s got all that, man. His skill-set will play well in the league. You could make that comparison (with Aaron Jones), but Aaron is a little straightlinish. This guy has a little bit more movement.” Lightly used in three seasons. Carried 383 times for 2,132 (5.6) and 15 TDs to go with 104 receptions and eight TDs. Wonderlic of 10. “Gets to top speed quickly,” said a third scout. “Runs hard. Got vision. Can get the corner. He’s been through a lot in his life. Kind of had a rough upbringing … really overcome a lot. Really, really a good kid.” From Dalton, Ga.
...then a scout said Kendre miller reminded him of a faster emmitt smith...
...then my favorite and a local favorite around here...
7. ISRAEL ABANIKANDA, Pittsburgh (5-10, 217, 4.45, 3-4): Third-year junior. “He reminded me of Tevin Coleman, the kid that came out of Indiana a few years ago,” one scout said. “Straight-line speed guy. Almost a little bit like (Isiah) Pacheco of Kansas City.” Tremendous combine workout. Led the position in the vertical jump (41 inches) and broad jump (10-8). “Like an old-school Denver scheme (runner),” said a second scout. “Zone runner, one cut and go. He can f--king go. He didn’t run quite as fast on the clock as I thought he would based on how fast he is on film. You give this guy a lane and he can hit it. He will run into a brick wall, good or bad. The problem is, he’s stiff and he’s upright. Has little or no value in the passing game. They actually had to pull him off the field at the end of the year because they didn’t trust him in pass pro. Nice kid, not very smart. Below average worker. He wasn’t even starting at the beginning of the year, then a couple guys got hurt and he started carrying the load. He had 300 and some yards (320) and six TDs against Virginia Tech, which is like a bad I-AA team. You’ve got to give the guy credit, but then people started getting into his ear. ‘Hey, you’ve got to come out.’ He’s not well-rounded enough right now.” Led FBS in touchdowns (21) last season. Finished with 390 caries for 2,177 (5.6) and 28 TDs plus just 38 receptions and three TDs. “I like him but at a certain price,” said a third scout. “He’s not one to create on his own but if he gets a hole he’s gone. He probably put too much weight on at 217 (at pro day). I’d want him in the 207-208 range and then he maybe even could break 4.4.” From Brooklyn, N.Y. His hands were a tiny 8 ¼.
9. TYJAE SPEARS, Tulane (5-9 ½, 200, 4.57, 4-6): According to several team sources, he doesn’t have an ACL in one of his knees after a pair of surgeries and cartilage damage as well. He missed most of 2020 after suffering the injury but started all 14 games in ’22. “The medical will drop him,” said one scout. “But he is the third-best back.” Stood out throughout Senior Bowl week with his acceleration and the ability to make tacklers miss. “When you watch the guy’s cutting ability you wouldn’t think you were watching a guy who has a bad knee,” said a second scout. Fourth-year junior, three-year starter. “He put on a show in the (Senior) bowl game,” a third scout said. “He will try to run over you. He never got knocked back on a tackle. Not that he’s playing great competition. He does have good hands, he will block and all that. I thought he was a nice college running back. I didn’t see anything special in terms of quickness or speed.” Finished with 427 carries for 2,910 (6.8) and 31 TDs plus 48 receptions and three TDs. “He’ll be really good as a No. 2,” said a fourth scout. “He’s got three-down ability. He’d be a better complement than a lead horse.” From Ponchatoula, La.
SCOUTS’ NIGHTMARE
Sean Tucker, RB, Syracuse: Rushed for a school-record 1,496 yards in 2021, joining Jim Brown, Ernie Davis and Floyd Little as the Orange’s only All-America RBs. Wasn’t as effective in 2022, irritating one scout who said he ran out of bounds all the time. Has the size (5-9, 207) and the speed to be a third-round pick. Because of an ongoing heart issue that was revealed at the combine, his football future is in jeopardy. “This sounds like it’s not going away,” said one team executive. “Essentially, he could be done.”
