All I can say is "I told you so." I said in the beginning of the year to look out for Jennings because of his rare blend of size and speed and his great hands out of the backfield. He tore it up at Pitt his freshman year in a limited role and then tore it up at Liberty year in and year out. Now he is finally getting praised by people other than me. He is 6'1, 235 lbs and runs a 4.4 40 yard dash to boot. The weaknesses listed are poorly judged. Jennings can both truck and shake, even though I wouldn't call him elusive. He would be a great compliment to Leon Washington and an immediate goal-line back for us. He can even be a great 3rd down back for us since he has great hands out of the backfield - we could either run up the middle, use him in protection since he is a very good blocker for a RB, or use him as a passing weapon. Watch him tonight at 7 pm on ESPN in the Senior Bowl.
From what video I can find on him, he does have great size and speed, but he's got stiff hips, runs too upright and doesn't keep his legs moving on the occasions where he does lower his shoulders. He can truck guys who hop on his shoulders but can't avoid low tackles and doesn't show a willingness to lower his shoulders to beat those tackles with power. I have to say, though, that I haven't seen the senior bowl footage. I'm stuck without a tv.
He plays soft, especially for a guy his size. Pretty talented though... Jennings is a top ten back in this year's draft, but he's near the bottom of those ten. 4th or 5th round
Either was Matt Forte or Derrick Ward coming out of college but those are the two players I'd compare him to, just bigger, and they are very good NFL RBs. Marion Barber wasn't "anything special" coming out of college, he was a 4th round pick. Curtis Martin wasn't "anything special" coming out of college, he was a 3rd round pick. Brandon Jacobs wasn't "anything special" coming out of college, he was a 4th round pick (one pick after Barber in 2005). I could go on but I don't need to push it further. You don't need to be a star coming out of college to be a good to great RB in the NFL. Jennings has a very high ceiling and had he never left Pitt for family reasons he would be in 1st round discussion. That, and you would not know the name LeSean McCoy right now. Jennings is big, strong, fast, is a very good blocker in pass pro, and has great hands out of the backfield. What more could you want from a RB as far as talent is concerned. He was also a star RB in college at Liberty and carried his team on his back. He is still slightly raw and with coaching on proper pad level and cuts etc he could become very, very good.
Ehn. Stats are very unreliable. I'd take Arian Foster, fumbles and all, over Jennings. If you're 6'1" and under and over 230lb (like both of those two - I'm not going to mention Beanie Wells or Shonn Greene, who I think are vastly superior to Jennings, making the comparison unfair), you should be looking for contact, lowering your shoulders, and breaking tackles. You should be pumping your legs all the way through tackles. Jennings doesn't seem to use his strength and he isn't fast enough to get away with that. Arian Foster, fumbles and all, is a little slower but a lot more agile and while he doesn't seek contact, lowers his shoulders and runs people over when he can't get around them, and that's with him being the only weapon on offense for the Vols in 08'. If you're gonna champion a back that most people wouldn't think of, I would recommend Foster over Jennings, though there is the bit about him not staying in shape - Didn't he show up to the senior bowl pretty overweight? He DOES have very good hands. I have to give you that - He looks completely natural catching the ball. If you get a running backs coach who can teach him to hit people, lower his shoulder and drive through tackles, you could be looking at a good power back. Once he exploits his power, he will be able to shake defenders better but without the threat of running over you, his limited agility will stop him from making most defenders miss. LeSean McCoy is a disappointing player, because he doesn't have the strength to run over people or the moves to be a great speed back at the next level. He's got the perfect mentality and pretty damned good speed and agility, but if he had some more muscle on him, he could be one hell of a pro RB.
2nd or 3rd, but if he hits the 4th whatever team gets him will be getting a major steal. He is going to be this year's Matt Forte in terms of where he will be drafted and what he will do in the NFL. He will tear it up at the combine and be taken somewhere in the 2nd round or early 3rd and be an immediate contributor. I could see a team like the Chargers resign Sproles and draft Jennings to have a nice speed/power combo. 1 - Wells - 1st round 2 - Moreno - 1st round 3 - McCoy - 1st/2nd round 4 - Greene - 2nd round 5 - Donald Brown - 2nd round 6 - Jennings - 2nd/3rd round 7 - Ringer - 2nd/3rd round 8 - Johnson - 3rd round 9 - Davis - 3rd round 10 - Moore - 3rd round 11 - Andre Brown - 3rd/4th round That's how I see things going down
Read the first post on the notes on him by scouts from the senior bowl. Jennings is a little raw by he is extremely talented. He is faster than Wells and Moreno and bigger than both of them as well (close win over Wells). Since going from Pitt to Liberty he has enjoyed a speed advantage over some of the defenders so he is used to running by/around people as well as running through them. Coaches can get him back to pounding the ball if they think he has strayed from that. Also don't say he doesn't pump his legs - he doesn't give up on a run and breaks every arm tackle he has ever come across.
You don't know what you're talking about... Matt Forte played in the FBS at Tulane and ran for over 2,000 yards and had 23 TDs as a senior. Stop comparing him to Forte. Derrick Ward has a freshman All-American at Fresno State...and he played hurt for most of that season. His grades were horrible at Fresno, and he was ruled academically ineligible. Ward transferred to Ottawa University in Kansas, where he was dominant...rushing for over 2,000 yards and 28 TDs. The only comparison that actually works is Ward and Jennings both became academically ineligible -- and both transferred. Ward was much more successful at the I-A level though. What you're basically saying is this: Jennings is the best back available, and he definitely isn't. He's not faster than Moreno...guaranteed.
Once again it is you who doesn't know what he is talking about. I am talking about in terms of running style and play on the field. Both Ward and Forte, like Jennings, can run the ball in between the tackles and outside, have good speed to break the long run, and have good hands out of the backfield to be used in the passing game. But you can keep jumping to your own conclusions. That's cool too, I guess.
Jennings is not the best back available, I never said that. Jennings is going to be the best bang for your buck RB in this draft, unless someone from the 7th round comes in like Bradshaw did for the Giants two years ago. Jennings is a 1st round talent that is going to be drafted in the 2nd/3rd because he played at Liberty for the majority of his college career.
You're comparing a I-AA prospect to a guy that rushed for 2,000 plus yards against a higher level of competition. If Matt Ryan wasn't so successful in Atlanta, Forte would have been named OROY. It's hilarious that you think I'm clueless. Derrick Ward is a guy I've closely followed for a long, long time. Rashad Jennings looks like he has breakaway ability because he plays against inferior talent at Liberty. No he isn't. Get. This. Through. Your. Head.
You're an idiot. You can't argue with everyone and expect people to take what you say as correct, especially when you are arguing with someone who knows more than you. Jennings will run in the 4.4s and as far as I'm concerned that speed is good enough to break a long run. He won't be drafted in the 1st round but he is a top talent and his ceiling is higher than Derrick Ward's and Matt Forte's. I've been watching Jennings for years. For whoever drafts him he will make an immediate successful short yardage and goal line back and he will become a very good RB for that team as long as he is given the chance like Ward was for the Giants. Ward was a PS squad player for the Jets at first don't forget that. Get. That. Through. Your. Head.
Jennings isn't a powerful back. He's big, but he doesn't have the leg drive, he doesn't break many tackles, and he plays soft. How can you "watch" a FCS player, those games don't come on TV very often? Stop BSing. There's a difference between watching an entire game, in person, and watching a highlight reel on youtube.
I'm watching the highlight reels on youtube. In them, he doesn't break tackles, doesn't lower his shoulders and his legs stop moving upon contact. I really wish I could get more video, (sometimes people put these great videos together of every touch, though that doesn't show their blocking), but this is what's available. Junior Season - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohP5XBCu_ws A little of his senior season (Liberty highlights, not Jennings highlights) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqAg4L4JwPY
he is just to north and south with his running and when he is going east and west he is east and west no good change of direction for him if we want him to be a defensive wearing out type of back then yes but nothing special..
Thank you Quack...that's exactly what I noticed when watching Jennings. For a back his size, Jennings does run with the power you'd expect to see from him. He's far from being a short-yardage and/or goalline back. Derrick Ward has always done well in a RBBC system -- in college at Fresno and in the NFL with the Giants. Matt Forte ran for 300 plus yards in two games during his senior season...carrying the ball almost 40 times in both of those games. He was a proven workhorse, do-it-all, FEATURE back. He did this at the I-A level. Do not compare style of play with either of these players. It's not similar at all. I'm not saying that Rashad Jennings is a "bad" player, but he's not even close to being as good as The GM is making him out to be. Why aren't you really high Herb Donaldson out of Western Illinois, GM? He dominated a the I-AA level: 1,800 plus yards and 21 TDs. Plus, He has similar size to Jennings: 5'11 225. Donaldson MUST be a first round talent, but he won't get drafted in the first because he "plays at a small school". Donaldson is actually the better powerback out of the two...funny, huh? Maybe this I-AA running back should go in the first round too? Honestly tank, I don't think he'll wear down anyone in the NFL. He doesn't drive his legs and goes down on first contact on almost every run I've seen. I see no fight in this dude. It's clear to me that he was a mediocre I-A running back talent playing and having success against weaker competition.
