My opinion on the RB's in this draft class after watching a lot of tape

[manster4ever]

I like Gurley and Coleman, Yeldon too. But Duke Johnson is my favorite RB in this draft.

Why? Not trolling...just curious. I didn't see him play too much at all. I do know he's explosive from the highlights I've watched. How is he at the point of attack? Physicality is a concern I'd have. TIA

 

[manster4ever]

Being a Boise St. alum.....I understand your concern about Ajayi's fumbling issue....

let me say this....True it was an issue....But as this season progressed...he got remarkably better.....

he began to understand teams were trying to strip him...because..quite frankly...they couldn't stop him.

Once he figured out what teams were doing.... he quite trying to get the extra yard or 2 ....for the sake of ball security.

It's nice to know he ..." can get that extra yard if I need it"......Just like Emmitt. I don't know if you can say that about Gordon.

One other note I'd like to add.....Don't be fooled by early tape of Tevin Coleman. That kid has matured a ton this year....A lot of the tape floating around is of his early

days..That guy is a beast. And I wouldn't be shocked if he wound up being the best back of this group

Good post. I like Coleman alot too. He's the real deal. I have a question for you guys: how high do you see the top RB's going? I think they go higher than people think.

Gordon: mid to late 1st round

Gurley: late 1st to early 2nd

Coleman: late 1st to early 2nd

Ajayi: late 2nd to late 3rd

Duke Johnson: mid to late 3rd

David Johnson: early to late 4th

Abdullah: early to mid 4th

Yeldon: mid to late 4th

Davis: late 4th to early 5th

Langford: late 4th to late 5th

IF it falls like that our best bets will be either Duke or David Johnson or Yeldon due to the fact we really need to go Defense with our first couple picks.

The more I ponder it, a trade down from our slot at 27 might make sense. We could go down similar to the way we did a couple years ago when we snagged Frederick.Thoughts?

 

[VACowboy]

Why? Not trolling...just curious. I didn't see him play too much at all. I do know he's explosive from the highlights I've watched. How is he at the point of attack? Physicality is a concern I'd have. TIA

He ran the ball between the tackles at Miami where he was the feature in the Hurricane offense. He carried the ball outside too, in a system very similar to the offense in Dallas. Nothing fancy, just line up eight yards behind the QB and play ball. There seems to be a perception that he's a scat back or a "change of pace" back or a "third-down" back or something, and I'm not sure why. At 5-9 and 207, he's an inch shorter than LeSean McCoy was coming out of Pitt but weighs nine pounds more. That's three pounds less than Emmitt was entering the draft (Emmitt is also 5-9). Tevin Coleman is 5-11, 206. Johnson doesn't run to contact like Lynch or Murray, but he does run through contact and has a great stiff arm. His calling cards, though, are his quickness and his speed. He has spectacular vision and instincts, and when he sees a hole he's through it and gone. He's an exceptional receiver too. He's more than just a check down though. He can catch the ball down the field.

Is he DeMarco Murray? No. Is he going to carry the ball 375 times? I doubt it. But he doesn't have to. I'm in no way saying he's the next coming of LeSean McCoy, but I think he'll have the same effect on defenses. He's a threat to get yards in big chunks or take it to the house every time he touches the ball. I think would have several times where Murray didn't see an alley or got run down. Let him share 450 touches with McFadden, flashing through holes created by the OL or catching balls in space, and I think the Dallas running game can be highly explosive.

 

[VACowboy]

PS: I really like Coleman in the same way. I haven't seen him play, but his vids, stats and the fact that he played behind a crappy OL... Yes please!

 

[Zekeats]

It's always interesting & appreciated to see how people's opinions vary regarding prospects.

All of the backs...even the top one's, of course come with some sort of con's/questions. Some examples:

- Gurley: his backup picked up almost right where he left off...returning from ACL injury
- Gordon: running behind a very good OL...history of Wisconsin backs in NFL
- Ajayi: fumbles, past maturity issues
- Coleman: somewhat upright style
- Abdullah: size, ball security

All of them also have talent & several pro's as well.

Aside from the consensus top 2, I like Tevin Coleman quite a bit. His style is a bit upright...but that was also mentioned about Murray when he came out. Interestingly, former Bears college scouting director Greg Gabriel (one of the guys that pushed hard for the Bears to draft Matt Forte), has Tevin Coleman ranked as the #1 back in the draft. His take via NFL.com.....
"My thinking is that if Coleman played behind the Wisconsin line he may have run for over 2500 yards. As it was, he ran for 2036 yards, a 7.5 average per carry, 15 touchdowns and 25 receptions," Gabriel wrote. "Coleman has a complete game. He can run with power between the tackles, is creative, and consistently gets yards after contact. He has the speed to turn the corner and is elusive in the open field. As a receiver, he is very reliable, runs good routes and has very good hands. Add to that the fact that he can already pass protect and is a dangerous kickoff returner."

My Dad is an IU alum, so I watched Coleman play a bit. Indiana's O-Line wasn't very good. And when Nate Sudfeld went down (who's pretty decent), their 3rd string Freshman QB started the remaining 6 games...in which he threw 1 TD vs. 4 Int's & completed 48.5% of his passes for just 515 yards. Yet, Coleman still kept producing. That's one of the aspects I like most about him.

I am leaning this way too......Coleman as the number one back that is. The more film I watch his speed, regardless of his forty time, is amazing. You constantly see guys take bad angles on him but that is because his football speed is so fast.

 

[visionary]

I think we will not pick up RB in rd 1-2 where we will take DL/LB/CB depending on value
I think we will consider RB in rd 3-4 if we don't get AP and I would take Coleman or David Johnson if available

 

[Christiann]

I'm more of a fan of grabbing a back later on in this draft. Might be bias, but I have watched Buck Allen be a workhorse for the Trojans the last couple years. Looks like he could translate to a solid back in the NFL, plus he can receive out of the backfield. If he is there in the 3rd/4th, I'd be very happy to see Dallas draft him.

 

[2much2soon]

Being a Boise St. alum.....I understand your concern about Ajayi's fumbling issue....

let me say this....True it was an issue....But as this season progressed...he got remarkably better.....

he began to understand teams were trying to strip him...because..quite frankly...they couldn't stop him.

Once he figured out what teams were doing.... he quite trying to get the extra yard or 2 ....for the sake of ball security.

It's nice to know he ..." can get that extra yard if I need it"......Just like Emmitt. I don't know if you can say that about Gordon.

One other note I'd like to add.....Don't be fooled by early tape of Tevin Coleman. That kid has matured a ton this year....A lot of the tape floating around is of his early

days..That guy is a beast. And I wouldn't be shocked if he wound up being the best back of this group

Right after an Ajayi fumble during last season the game announcers threw out a stat about Ajayi's fumble rate being just a little better than Doug Martin's rate.
I think most of Ajayi's fumbles came at critical times and were usually at the end of a play where he was making some crazy contortion to get extra yards. They stood out.

 

[Gaede]

I have a question for you guys: how high do you see the top RB's going?

Gordon: mid to late 1st round

Gurley: late 1st to early 2nd

Coleman: Early 3rd

Ajayi: Mid/Late 2nd

Duke Johnson: late 3rd

David Johnson: 4th

Abdullah: Mid to late second

Yeldon: Late 3rd/Early 4th

Davis: 4th

Langford: Early/Mid 3rd (think he goes higher than expected )

 

[StarBoyz83]

I like gurley but I wouldnt draft a guy that tore his acl.

 

[XxTDxX]

Ajayi is my least favorite guy that I have heard is someone that could go top 3 rounds.. He looks like and is talked about like a power back but tries to take every run to the outside.. No vision either.. Ill pass on him.