Rank these running backs

[BrAinPaiNt]

Just me but I don't think it is too wise to rate a RB that will not be in this draft but the next one.

Anything can happen from now to then.

They could be all world looking, once in a generation looking right now...come next season in college they get hurt and do not play well, they get hurt and it is a career changing injury, they could wind up doing things in life that change their careers (drugs, illegal activity) any number of things.

We have seen time and time again where a QB is viewed as going to be the top player coming out next year only to fizzle out when that next draft rolls around.

I understand some teams might weigh this years draft with players for next year but I think it is usually done with more of a group of players (like a QB group might look stronger the next year) and I could understand that as it is not reliant on one player.

But too many things to take into consideration IMO.

Those players staying in school don't help us this year and even if they do continue to be all world and once in a generation type players all next year and leading up to the draft....who is to say we are in the position to draft them next year. Maybe our draft position is in the lower 20's and the player will probably be taken in the top 10 or top 5.

So many variables to hedge your draft picks this year on one or two players next year IMO

 

[hornitosmonster]

Alabama is probably better than the Dallas Defense. And Im not joking

Come on man. No Alabama does not have a better defense than the Cowboys. The Jags/Cowboys/Bills/Falcons/Any NFL team would drop 50 on them. The schemes and speed of the NFL is next level.

 

[bounce]

I feel like the people who are putting McCaffrey at the bottom of the list haven't really watched him play, and are placing him there for really only one obvious reason. The guy is like college Reggie Bush, and Reggie Bush was a top 2 draft pick.

As a pro, I could easily see him as a Brian Westbrook type player.

 

[revospeed]

I feel like the people who are putting McCaffrey at the bottom of the list haven't really watched him play, and are placing him there for really only one obvious reason. The guy is like college Reggie Bush, and Reggie Bush was a top 2 draft pick.

As a pro, I could easily see him as a Brian Westbrook type player.

It is funny to see the love that Cook gets and the hate McCaffrey gets. They're the same type of player, it's just that McCaffrey has shown a lot more on the field.

 

[okstateCowboy]

How do you people rank anyone other than Gurley (we've seen him in the NFL) over Fournette? Every 2017 mock draft has him as a consensus top 5 pick... Top 2-3 in many. The guy is the closest to AD that we've seen. Might be better.

 

[revospeed]

Dalvin Cook is the best reminds me of Toney Dorsett. He does not get caught from behind. Don't want to go through the whole group but 5 rbs could be drafted in the first next year. The question about Ezekiel is that option offense he was in. Reminds me of Alfred Morris with RG3.

McCaffrey is the same type of player only better.

 

[reddyuta]

It is funny to see the love that Cook gets and the hate McCaffrey gets. They're the same type of player, it's just that McCaffrey has shown a lot more on the field.

No they are not.Cook is special and he is going to be talked up like Zeke.Mccaffery is a good overall player but he is not in the same class as Cook and Fournette as a runner.

 

[Sydla]

I feel like the people who are putting McCaffrey at the bottom of the list haven't really watched him play, and are placing him there for really only one obvious reason. The guy is like college Reggie Bush, and Reggie Bush was a top 2 draft pick.

As a pro, I could easily see him as a Brian Westbrook type player.

I've seen him play.

He's a very good player. But he's not a Nick Chubb talent. Or a Fournette type talent. It has nothing to do with his skin color, either.

Your Westbrook comparison is interesting because he's on the radio up here all the time and he readily admits that he succeeded in the NFL because he was lucky to find a system that used him properly in Philly - not a ton of carries, a lot of action in the passing game, etc. Guys like Fournette, Elliott, Chubb, Gurley............ they can go anywhere and likely succeed. McCaffery is very much like Westbrook in that he would need a certain system to get the most out of him.

 

[revospeed]

I've seen him play.

He's a very good player. But he's not a Nick Chubb talent. Or a Fournette type talent. It has nothing to do with his skin color, either.

Your Westbrook comparison is interesting because he's on the radio up here all the time and he readily admits that he succeeded in the NFL because he was lucky to find a system that used him properly in Philly - not a ton of carries, a lot of action in the passing game, etc. Guys like Fournette, Elliott, Chubb, Gurley............ they can go anywhere and likely succeed. McCaffery is very much like Westbrook in that he would need a certain system to get the most out of him.

I don't pretend to be a scout, but just watching the game of football, I can see that McCaffrey is special. Great speed, good size, excellent catching ability, elusiveness, quickness, I think it's tough to find a flaw in his game. He has the wow factor and he can get the dirty yards too. He's a different back than Fournette, but I don't think anyone can honestly say that based on what we have seen from him that Elliott, Chubb, Gurley and Cook are head and shoulders above him. He's played against high level competition and he dominated last year. He dominated like only Fournette did for half the year.

 

[Sydla]

I don't pretend to be a scout, but just watching the game of football, I can see that McCaffrey is special. Great speed, good size, excellent catching ability, elusiveness, quickness, I think it's tough to find a flaw in his game. He has the wow factor and he can get the dirty yards too. He's a different back than Fournette, but I don't think anyone can honestly say that based on what we have seen from him that Elliott, Chubb, Gurley and Cook are head and shoulders above him. He's played against high level competition and he dominated last year. He dominated like only Fournette did for half the year.

He's not that special. For one, he beat up on a lot of crappy Pac 10 defenses. He also didn't beat up everyone. He was pretty pedestrian in the Notre Dame game at the end of the year averaging only 3.5 yards per carry.

Guys like Chubb (if healthy) and Fournette will be first round guys next year. McCaffery won't be.

 

[revospeed]

He's not that special. For one, he beat up on a lot of crappy Pac 10 defenses. He also didn't beat up everyone. He was pretty pedestrian in the Notre Dame game at the end of the year averaging only 3.5 yards per carry.

Guys like Chubb (if healthy) and Fournette will be first round guys next year. McCaffery won't be.

Chubb had good games against the likes of Southern, Vanderbilt, and UL Monroe. He had a good game against Alabama, but let's not pretend like he just beats up on world beaters. But yes, let's focus on one Notre Dame game where McCaffrey still had a good day and ignore the fact that he accumulated the most yards in a season in the history of college football.

 

[Q_the_man]

Todd Gurley
Ezekiel Elliott
Christian McCaffrey
Leonard Fournette
Dalvin Cook
Nick Chubb
Melvin Gordon
Derrick Henry

 

[Q_the_man]

Christian McCaffrey is a beast, not being racist because I'm not, I would love to have him but if McCaffrey were black he would be rated #1 RB next season hands down. I think he's the best player in college football next year.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

It's hard to compare these guys. At this stage of a young Man's life, a year is a big deal, in terms of maturity physically and mentally. However, at similar stages of development, I would probably rank them like this.

Fournette - Fournette has slightly better numbers, plays against better competition in the SEC and is doing it with teams knowing that he is the Offense.

Elliot - Complete back, can do it all and is probably more complete then Fournette at this stage but also plays for the most talented program in the country. Ohio State is stacked and the Big 10 is just not as good as the SEC on either side of the ball.

Gurley - Gurley might be more talented then either of the first two but he dealt with Injuries and suspension, while at Georgia. However, when he was drafted, the book on him was that he was the top rated RB, coming out of College in years and not just the most complete back. He projects very, very high into the NFL IMO.

Nick Chubb - Chubb could also be higher on this list. He had a heck of a Freshman season and was on his way to doing even better in his Soph. year had he not sustained injury. His AYPC in his Fr. year was 7.1. In his Soph year, prior to injury, it was 8.1 and that's in the SEC.

Melvin Gordon - Very solid production from this kid. In the right system, with talent around him, he can be very good. Definitely needs to get better catching the Football but it's hard to say right now how much is him and how much is on the Chargers OL. I suspect that once the OL improves, so will Gordon's stats.

Derrick Henry - If he goes to the right team, he could be much higher on this list but if he goes to the wrong one, he could be Ron Dayne.

Delvin Cook - Cook can do a lot of things but there are some definite character concerns and that's not going to go away in the NFL IMO. He has talent but he's not a game changer in the NFL IMO. Best case is that he becomes a Jamaal Charles type player in the NFL but those are pretty rare. The ability to do all the things Charles does at a relatively smaller size for the position is hard to find. Guys at 205 pounds usually don't take the pounding long enough to last and odds are that Cook will not be an exception.

Christian McCaffery - really smart, very intelligent player but I don't believe he is as physically gifted as Cook is and he faces the same basic issues Cook does. Small RBs don't last in the NFL typically and if you do, it usually means that you have very rare physical traits. I don't know that McCaffery does.

 

[Sydla]

Christian McCaffrey is a beast, not being racist because I'm not, I would love to have him but if McCaffrey were black he would be rated #1 RB next season hands down. I think he's the best player in college football next year.

He absolutely would not be ranked #1 hands down.

 

[HanD]

Gurley / Leonard Fournette

nick chubb
elliott/ Cook/McCaffrey

derrick henry/melvin gordon

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

He absolutely would not be ranked #1 hands down.

I agree. the PAC16 is not a very good Defensive Conference, compared to others IMO and he is pretty small. He would have to time really, really well in order for him to be considered as such. He's only 200 lbs so size is definitely a factor. However, he is 6' so he could put on more weight, presumably. He would almost have to in order to carry the load in the NFL but then the question becomes, what does that do to his agility and speed?

 

[JoeKing]

Are we really debating how Leonard Fournette compares to Zeke or any other RB in the draft this year? There is no comparison, no debate. Zeke is good, he has a loyal following but if they think he compares to Fournette, they are just showing their own ignorance.

 

[HellCrowe]

College players need to make it out of college first. Still one year to prove and one year to be injury free.

Gurley first Zeke Second.

I'd like to add

+ 20 carries- 230 yards - 2Touchdowns

 

[DeaconMoss]

Come on man. No Alabama does not have a better defense than the Cowboys. The Jags/Cowboys/Bills/Falcons/Any NFL team would drop 50 on them. The schemes and speed of the NFL is next level.

2nd place team in the NFC South. Bama.