Here you go, the first of my rankings, with player analysis included :beer: This year looks to be unusually deep at RB and there will be first round talent available well into the 2nd round and possibly beyond. Of course not every one is guaranteed to come out, and many of the juniors might not declare, deciding they might go higher in 2008, and earn more money in the process. If ever there was a year to address franchise back, now is that time (check the new sig, courtesy of GreenMachine). My personal favorites are Peterson, Lynch, Irons, and Pittman. I’d like to continue these rankings if enough people show interest. Next up: wide receivers :up: 2007’s TOP 10 RBs 1) Adrian Peterson, JR, Oklahoma, 6’2’’, 220 lbs The consensus #1 back heading into 2007 and should contend with Brady Quinn for the #1 overall pick. A rare talent who may be an even better pro prospect than Reggie Bush was at this point in his career. Combines sub 4.4 speed and instant acceleration with great size and incredible power. Receiving skills are questionable as he has not been used as a receiver in college. 2) Marshawn Lynch, JR, California, 5’11’’, 225 A versatile and explosive player with good size, great speed, and superb agility. Has also thrown for 2 touchdowns in his career. Rarely hit in the backfield and incredibly elusive in the open field. Has tremendous speed and is a threat to take it the distance every time he touches the ball. Is also a decent receiver- may be the most well rounded back in the draft. Has room to improve as a physical runner, despite his 220 pound build. 3) Michael Bush, SR, Louisville, 6’3’’, 250 The best power running prospect of 2007. Has a great combination of size and quickness with the ability to make defenders miss or run them over. Has a nose for the endzone, having scored 23 rushing touchdowns in ’05. May have too huge a frame and the type of running style that exposes himself to injury. 4) Kenny Irons, SR, Auburn, 5’11’’, 200 A pleasant surprise as a junior that filled the gap left when Ronnie Brown and “Cadillac” Williams departed for the NFL. An elusive runner with solid speed and vision who explodes through the hole. Has the speed to attack the perimeter. Shows upside as a receiver. Might be a tad undersized for the pro level. 5) Antonio Pittman, JR, Ohio State, 5’11’’, 195 A solid prospect with very few holes in his game. Has great quickness and speed. Also surprisingly adept at breaking tackles for being a such a relatively small player. Very agile with a wide variety of moves and can make defenders miss. A decent receiver out of the backfield. Biggest concern might be his size. 6) Mike Hart, JR, Michigan, 5’9’’, 195 Exploded onto the scene as freshman with a 1400+ yard season. Despite a small frame is actually more a power runner than anything else. Quick feet and is surprisingly elusive. Is a good receiver out of the backfield. Is undersized for the position and was limited by injuries last year- his 2005 production was less than half of 2004’s. Has only average speed. 7) Brian Leonard, SR, Rutgers, 6’2’’, 235 Very well rounded- has excellent hands and is probably the best pass catcher in this year’s crop. Has good speed for his size and is deceptively fast. Shows a good combination of power and elusiveness. Also a tremendous blocker. Not very explosive. Can he play running back at the next level or will he have to make the move to fullback? 8) Darius Walker, JR, Notre Dame, 5’10’’, 210 Noticeably improved his game in ’05. Has good quickness and is a good runner in between the tackles. A good receiver who caught 43 balls last year. Size and speed might only be average. Not a very elusive player. 9) Tyrone Moss, SR, Miami, 5’9’’, 220 Runs with power and can be a load to bring down. Fights for extra yardage and always falls forward. Has performed well against top competition. One of the better pass blockers of the 2007 class. Has average speed and quickness, and acceleration is not great. Not a homerun threat. 10) Alley Broussard, JR, LSU, 6’0’’, 235 An intriguing prospect with a great size/speed ratio. Limited in production due to history of injuries- missed all of the 2005 season. Runs with power and has enough speed to break the long run. Has not been used much as a receiver. Plagued by injuries throughout his career but has great potential. * Garrett Wolfe, JR, Northern Illinois, 5’7’’, 175 * Gained 3200+ yards and scored 38 TDs in only 2 years, averaging an amazing 6.2 yards per rush. Could’ve rush for 2000+ yards last year if not for injury- had three 200 yard games and almost broke 300 once. Has tremendous speed and is a threat to take it the distance every time. Very elusive and a terror in the open field. A decent receiver. Extremely undersized- major questions of how his game projects to the pros. HONORABLE MENTION - Gary Russell, JR, Minnesota, 5’11’’, 215 - Kenneth Darby, SR, Alabama, 5’11’’, 205 - Tony Hunt, SR, Penn State, 6’2’’, 220 - Courtney Lewis, SR, Texas A&M, 6’0’’, 205 - Robert Merrill, RB, TCU, 5’10’’, 205
Great list, i said before that if we didnt get Peterson next we shouldnt adress rb at all but reading that list i now have changed my mind, there's alot depth at rb even more than this year.Guranteed that the Jets get 2 "playmakers" next year. Personally i would to get Peterson, but if we dont hopefully we could get Moss in the later in the draft.
I think that only the top 4 will be legit NFL'ers..... The rest are good college players. Oh yeah, Tyrone Moss, if he can bounce back from the knee injury, he'll have a shot too. If Eric Haw is still on the Ohio State roster and can stay off of 'da chronic, he'd beat Antonio Pittman out! You heard it here first.
Great List, but where'd you see Marshawn was up to 225? I can't imagine that he was playing last year much above 200 lbs, even the 215 that the Cal site lists him at seems a bit ridiculous.
Yeah I was a bit surprised to see that as well, I thought I remember Lynch weighing in near 200 last season. I took 225 from ESPN's player card...they had him at 223, and I rounded up. For example, if a player weighs in at 217, I always round it...I like to keep the weights on a scale of 5's. Weight fluctuates so much as an athlete at this level that its far from a big deal, giving or taking 3 pounds. Which is why I viewed LenDale White's supposed "weight problems" as complete bullshit. But I digress.
I just looked it up (googled "Marshawn Lynch weight", yeah, ingenius), and I suppose he weighed in there at Cal's pro day, or maybe some other spring event. That sure will be a sight to see, can't imagine a player putting on so much weight between seasons when he was already so effective.
Well he weighed 195 when committed to Cal. That was two years ago. 215 sounds about right as far as his current playing weight should go. I suppose he just packed on 5 extra pounds for his weigh-in at 220
Im guessing you're an Ohio State fan? I've heard some things about Haw...one of my Ohio State buds said that he thinks Pittman and Haw can be one of the most devastating tandems at RB next year. So Im not gonna totally dispel what you said...but I think itd be tough competition for anyone An in reply to your first statement, I actually really do think Pittman can be a feature back at the next level. Hes one of my favorite prospects of '07
Great List. I agree,its early so anything can happen. Alley Broussard is my early choice. Your ranking is about right, at this time. But I have seen his High school scouting report.(Sounds too good to be true) And he did start over Addai freshman when he was healthy. Addai was 3rd string. LSU has been a decent RB machine the last few years. I just like Broussard's size/speed ratio but if he runs a 4.6 at the combine? Plus like you said he has to come out. Gary Russell is an another underated player you have... Go ahead and do the rest of the position rankings if you like, you are doing good research, and its still early, so If some CLOWN goes so and so should be 5 instead of 6, just laugh at them. Hopefully most will agree. Shit Adrain Peterson could be 3rd rnd depending on what happens. There is 357 days to screw up the crap.
) Tyrone Moss, SR, Miami, 5’9’’, 220 Runs with power and can be a load to bring down. Fights for extra yardage and always falls forward. Has performed well against top competition. One of the better pass blockers of the 2007 class. Has average speed and quickness, and acceleration is not great. Not a homerun threat. Is he related to Santana Moss at all ?
That's a solid list. The only differences that I would've made are to move Michael Bush and Kenny Irons above Marshawn Lynch (I've never been a Lynch fan) and also to move Broussard over Moss.
Nope, no relation. A few more names that slipped my mind previously: -Lorenzo Booker from FSU. He's certainly got the talent, but the question is will be put it together, or more importantly, will he get it done before one of the young backs (Antone Smith) takes his job? Lynell Hamilton, San Diego St.- Not much exposure at all, but he's big and explosive. I'm really looking forward to watching the one, maybe two SDSU games they allow us here on the east coast. Also, Pittman may have a lot more to worry about than Haw when it comes to his starting job. True Freshman Chris Wells has been coming on like a fiend for the Buckeyes, he might get enough Clarrett comparisons (on the field*) to get a shot at the starting job.
I agree with Broussard and you will be hard pressed to find a bigger LSU fan on this site than me. He definitely has the ability to sneak into the 1st round and be a top 5 RB prospect, but we really cant see what hes capable unless he keeps himself on the field. Once he get it together, hell certainly be a force to be reckoned with. Right now I think we're looking at a late 2nd round grade for him. Russell is one of my favorite players and Im looking forward to seeing how he does with Maroney out of the picture. If he has another big year I wouldnt be surprise to see him declare early. His performance last season was nothing short of stunning and with another 18 TD season he could very well sneak his way into the first round
Don't know if you heard, but there's a very, very good chance that Russell will not be playing for Minnesota in the fall. He left school this past semester because of academic troubles, and tried enrolling in a Junior College to get his grades where they have to be. If I had to guess, I'd say that he's done at Minnesota, but I wouldn't put it past him to declare for next year's draft anyway, and try to make it through that route.
Actually I did indeed hear that some time ago, I just forgot about it, but I never put much stock in it. I dont know how it works in Minnesota, but at my school, if you make up the credits in an outside school (not your own), they dont count towards your GPA. So I dont see what that might do for him, unless his system's different than ours
Just thought this was pretty cool and worthy of a post here...take a look... http://forums.theganggreen.com/showpost.php?p=149611&postcount=37
