http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/article/2010-02-17/prospect-profile-joe-mcknight-rb-usc Strengths: Is an elite athlete with top-level explosiveness and playing speed. Can stop and start in a flash, which helps him make quick, sharp cuts and make tacklers miss. Has the explosive cutting ability to get to and through holes fast. Combines good balance, agility and coordination to make tacklers miss; is a legit TD threat any time he gets the ball in the open field. Has foot quickness to accelerate to full speed in a flash; outruns some players with angles on him and gets the corner when he bounces runs outside. Has natural, soft hands. Catches the ball well out of the backfield and is a dangerous runner after the catch. Has shown the ability to be a dangerous returner. Weaknesses: Has a slight frame and struggled in college to avoid injuries, including many minor dings; must prove he is tough enough for the NFL. Is not an aggressive runner and has a tendency to dance to avoid contact while searching for a hole. Tries to bounce almost all rushing attempts outside if he does not see a hole initially; will not lower shoulder and attack line of scrimmage to gain tough yardage. Is not good in short-yardage situations. Runs upright, leading to hard hits and limiting his ability to run after contact. Does not gain nearly as many yards after contact as you would expect for someone with his elusiveness. Uses bad technique as a pass blocker; often lunges at rusher's feet rather than stepping up and blocking aggressively. Does not seem like an instinctive runner; often fails to follow blockers like the play calls for. Had ball-security issues in college; needs to do a better job of wrapping up ball with both hands. Bottom line: McKnight left school early for the draft and definitely could have helped his stock by staying in school for another season. He lacks the thickness to be a durable NFL starter and will have to prove he is tough enough to be a major contributor at the next level. There is little doubt that he has the elite athleticism, top-end playing speed and explosiveness to make big plays when he gets the ball in the open field, but he is not a tough or aggressive runner, and he struggles to gain yards after contact. While many want to compare McKnight to Reggie Bush, who has been a disappointment in the NFL, McKnight was not close to being the player Bush was at USC. We have a feeling McKnight will be over-drafted because of the athleticism he will show at the Combine and in his personal workout. We would not use a first or second-round pick on him because we have not seen enough to be confident he will become a productive NFL player. He is best suited to be a mid-round pick who can be tried as a third-down back. To succeed in that role, he must greatly improve his pass blocking and protect the ball much better. JOE McKNIGHT ON: Being compared to Reggie Bush: "When I first came in to USC, I felt like I had to live up to the hype. But after a while, I came to my senses...It's not the fans' fault, they just want success for their team. It took me a while to get that out of my head...I mean, it's a lot of pressure. I tried to live up to the expectations." His up-and-down 2007 freshman season: "I had some problems with the playbook and I had some trouble with fumbles. But it started to get more comfortable as the season went along. Now, it's at the stage where I just react. I know the plays." WHAT OTHERS SAY: USC head coach Pete Carroll: "He's so fast, he's so quick, he's so elusive...Joe is the real deal. He's a fantastic football player. He's tough and fast and all the rest. He's really a difference-maker." USC tailback Allen Bradford: "When Joe gets the ball, you know that something's going to happen. You're just waiting to see what it is." Bruce Feldman, ESPN The Magazine: "Let Jan. 1, 2008 (USC's Rose Bowl win over lllinois), go down as the day Joe McKnight officially stopped coping with being The Next Reggie Bush and arrived as the Trojans' latest star. McKnight proved to the whole college football world that he does in fact have it...For years, recruiters have whispered about McKnight's skills, his effortless change of direction, his burst of speed, his preternatural vision." Billy Turner, New Orleans Times-Picayune: "Call it speed. Call it a burst. A wiggle. On punts, he has the ability to make the first guy miss. Then he accelerates in a step. Call it a balance most people do not possess. Or call it an indescribable something." [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5_eMx7gw-w[/youtube] [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lJ19ecQ56o[/youtube] Here's 2008 with Sanchez: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFssPKOT8nc&feature=related[/youtube]
I like the fact that he already has great chemistry with Mark Sanchez. I don't feel so bad about losing Leon after watching Joe's highlights.
You have to be intrigued by what this guy could do... This could be the start of one of the best 1-2 punches in the NFL someday, who knows?
I think the Joe McKnight situation was kind of similar to Greene. The Jets probably had him higher on their board and he was too good to pass up on at that point. They also knew they were getting rid of Leon.
I'm sorry to see Leon go but have a little faith the front office knows way more than we fans do. Like JetfaninPa said, I'm also intrigued to see what this kid can bring to the game.
When I'm stoked for McKnight but I'm still pissed off that shows how much I loved leon. Being the Seahawks in Madden this year is gonna be fun.
People Seem to Forget Sanchez and McKnight were teammates already lets see the synergy this brings... McKnight was an absolute terror throughout college McKnight is the only substitute for leon washington in this years draft, and we got him. The FO obviously was on the outs with leon but we needed a similar rb as it works well with our offense- we got him.
Run Leon Run sounds better 2 me...:sad: Kid is nice but no one is mentioning that he gets injured, that's funny considering they use that to justify getting rid of Leon.
Well, Leon is coming off a major leg injury. We have no clue whether he'll be as explosive as he was before, but from the FO's actions, I'm guessing they didn't feel too confident about it. I'm starting to warm up to this McKnight kid after watching those vids. Especially love his pass catching ability.
well duh me too but sometimes i like to be other teams and they're gonna have white, washington, carlson, housh, and tate. just sayin should be fun
A lot of scouts seem to think that he's the most developed receiver in this running back class. CJ Spiller is the most versatile back in this class, but McKnight isn't too far behind.
