I'm glad I'm not the only one that knows about systems...thanks Force. Mike Hart might be short, but the guy is a load to bring down. He has incredible lower body strength. He's about 5'9 205 pounds RIGHT NOW - by the time of the combine, he should be around 210-215. The guy might be short, but he's got size. Tomlinson is only 5'10, that inch isn't what makes him the best running back in the league... Now with Forsett, he's 5'8 and about 190 pounds soaking wet. The guy has a lot of talent, but I don't see him as being an every down back in the pros because of his weight. Height doesn't matter, it's the overall body size of a player. The NFL is different than college - the size and speed of the game are much different. I don't think Forsett's body can take 20-25 hits a game in the NFL. His body would wear down over a short period of time. Same with Ian Johnson - He is a little bit taller (5'11) but he only weighs a little big over 190. That isn't big enough to be a feature back in the NFL. He also plays against poor competition and he isn't producing much this year. Zabransky really made a difference last year in the Boise State offense, without him the Broncos have struggled.
I have a hunch that Ian Johnson is going to be a good back in the NFL for a long time. Yeah he put up numbers against weak competition but if I remember correctly, so to did Larry Johnson and he turned out pretty well. I don't think Johnson is too small. He is almost the same size as Reggie Bush and his game isn't predicated entirely on speed and acceleration so he should stand to gain 10-15 pounds in the long run and stay productive. I have a theory about yards per carry. If you can get consistent yards each carry I believe the runner will tend to do well because he will continue to get those tough yards per carry and while he may not be spectacular to watch, he will grind it out in the long run (think Curtis Martin). I'll give you Slaton and Forsett, even though I still have hopes for them, but I think Johnson is going to be a good starting Running Back in the NFL.
Bush hasn't proved that he can carry the load...yet. I want Reggie Bush to be a star in the NFL, but he has to show that he can carry the load. Larry Johnson went to Penn State. He played against some pretty good competition if you ask me. I just haven't seen much from Ian Johnson this season. He's averaging around 5 yards a carry now, but that's because he had 7 yards a carry against I-AA Weber State. He's picked up most of his yards on big runs against WAC schools that have small players. I'm a Fresno State fan - we have the biggest d-lineman in the conference with Jason Shirley at 330 pounds, then it drops off into the 280s with Wilson Ramos at DT, then our ends are in the 230s and 240s. Other teams in the WAC have incredibly small lines, so it's easy for Boise's top caliber o-linemen to open holes for Johnson. Zabransky was the main reason Ian Johnson put up the numbers that he did last season. JZ was a threat to run the ball every down, so teams had to be wary of this. I could see Ian Johnson being a return man or a spell back, but just not a starter - maybe he can prove me wrong and bring some respect to the WAC.
You got me on the Bush comparison. I can't argue with your point. The point I was trying to make with LJ, and I can't seem to confirm it with stats yet, but I seem to remember him sucking against the Ohio States and the Michigans and gaining most of his yards on the Northwesterns and the Indianas. Anyone else remember this?
Exactly. Johnson came close and I just think they can be similar players not as far as playing style but as far as success. Johnson probably to a lesser degree, but similar nonetheless. Of course I could also be way off. We won't know for many years. That's the beauty.
I understand where you are coming from, but Reggie Bush minus the explosive speed and athleticism isn't a very intruiging prospect for a NFL GM. I'm not trying to be a downer, but every year there seems to be a couple of backs that have exceeded expectations at the college level but just don't have the raw, natural talent that is required to succeed at the NFL level. Who knows though? I can sit here and tell you why I don't think Johnson will find success in the NFL all I want, but there is always the possibility that we could be sitting here sometime in the future wondering how so many teams could have passed on Ian Johnson. The fact that he has incredible vision always gives him the oppurtunity to possibly find success with a team that runs a zone blocking scheme (Denver, Houston, etc.) That's why the NFL draft is one of the biggest crap shoots out there. Everyone thinks they know what they are doing, but in the end there will always be a couple of teams that manage to stumble upon some players that turn out to be incredible NFL talents, and every year there will be a couple of teams that spend a 1st round pick on a player that ends up playing in NFL Europe for the remainder of his career. It's the nature of the Draft, and in reality is what makes it so intruiging to so many people.
james davis or teshard choice and id go nuts. i think both are talented enough to go in the first. but the depth is so crazy this yr at the position we might be able to get a steal. i was a huge alley broussard fan till the injury, its a shame.
Got it. Thanks. :up: I doubt Mike Hart lasts until the 2nd round. Probably the most intriguing aspect of this year's RB group as it pertains to the Jets has to do with positioning. If we end up with a higher draft pick and commit to a NT in the first round, the talent at RB could conceivably allow us to drop back, take Frank Okam, and still pick up a solid player in the 2nd round with an extra pick. If that's the case, I'm loving Tashard Choice. He'd complement Leon Washington well in an all-ACC backfield.
The guys I like: 1. McFadden 2. Stewart 3. Davis 4. Andre Brown (if he declares) 5. Ray Rice Ian Johnson is not a good NFL prospect at all. He doesn't have the size or the speed.
I gotta say, I wouldn't mind taking Jacob Hester in the 3rd round or later. I think he could be better than Brian Leonard without all the draft hype.
Hester seems like he would be a useful player in the NFL. I'm not sure he'll be better than Leonard, though. The Chargers would do good to draft Owen Schmitt as Lorenzo Neal's eventual replacement- maybe as soon as 2008.
