I draw my conclusions by watching with my own eyes. I agree he's more talented than Woodhead and Washington but talent and production are not the same thing. Personally, I hate the way McKnight runs, and I wouldn't trust him with the football until he changes it. As it is, Rex agrees. There's no such thing as overlooking talent in the NFL. Players don't make it to the NFL without talent. Even the scrapper types who make it as UDFAs have some talent. No one dons an NFL jersey without talent. Some have it more than others, but it doesn't mean they will be successful. My McKnight forecast: out of the league in 4 years unless he seriously changes his running style and approach to the game.
The one hope for McKnight is... he'll be working with a Hall of famer in LT, a leader in T-Rich and a good tough RB coach in Lynn... This trio hopefully will get something out of him. Next TC is when I'll start judjing him... same as Ducasse (but for different reasons)...
This is not to pounce on you or anything but you do realize the avg players career is 3 and change...... So he is going to be above average on length in the league? RB's almost never last long and are highly replaceable.... Edit: :Like Harpua I really think to my eye and watching his running, if they can get the kids head on straight, he can be a pretty good back.....Granted that is a ton of if's there....
Yeah, I don't get the rush to cut the guy. We drafted him in the 4th round, so we should at least give him another TC. If guys can be patient with Gholston we can be patient with McKnight.
I think everybody was expecting a Leon clone right out of the gate with McKnight....me being included (admittingly). But sometimes I forget rookies need time to develop....and I'm willing to give McKnight the benefit of the doubt....and see how he progresses.
His draft status and talent will keep him around much longer than he deserves if he never improves. It wouldn't surprise me if he's around for 8-9 years with even moderate improvement. He definitely has the weapons to be very good but his problems go beyond just putting the ball on the turf or rookie mental block... his physical instincts look as poor as his mental ones. With room he can do great things but in tight quarters he looks like a giant bullseye.
Re: the Greene comparison, I remember watching Greene and saying "man this kid is going to be a difference maker". I was real worried about him staying healthy but I don't think there was ever a concern about what he would bring to the field if healthy. I can't say the same about McKnight right now. Hopefully he gets his shit together if he's so talented.
I think a lot of it just boils down to his actual strength or lack their of. He basically has no muscle tone, just like when LW was drafted. Now LW is built like a brick shit house. Once he gets bigger, faster, stronger, he'll be able to accomplish much more.
I disagree. Go back and watch the preseason games again and watch McKnight's legs when he gets the ball. Watch his eyes and how he moves when he's trying to go somewhere. Leon never moved like that. Leon always had instincts and quick wit. McKnight is showing none of that. That is where McKnight needs the most improvement, along with protecting the football.
Can anyone remember an NFL RB that took a year or two to develop before being really productive? I'm not trying to cimini, I'm just trying to think of one.
The Derrick Wards of the world maybe... but even that didn't last too long. Maybe the best example would be Thomas Jones. He was a mega underachiever as a young player in Tampa. They exist but your general point is accurate I think... they are rare.
No muscle tone?.... he looked ok on Hard Knocks, the scene where he was bent over....kidding about the bent over part but he looked normal to me anyhow. I don't know why a 3rd or 4th RB warrants this much arguing. He is what he is a developmental project. Whether he does or not....meh Btw Emmitt Smith was a dough boy and it worked out fine for him.
Brown and benson both averaged over 4 YPC as rookies. They showed flashes, so far McKnight has shown us absolutely nothing.
