The Scores Report:An early look at the running back class for the ’09 NFL Draft

[Wolf]

http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/01/...909-nfl-draft/

LeSean “Shady” McCoy has decided to forego his final two years of eligibility at the University of Pittsburgh and enter April’s NFL draft.

So how does McCoy stack up against the likes of Knowshon Moreno (Georgia), Chris “Beanie” Wells (Ohio State), Donald Brown (Connecticut), P.J. Hill (Wisconsin) and Shonn Greene (Iowa)? Let’s take a look.

Even though he had a major setback earlier in the year when he injured his foot/toe in the Buckeyes’ first game of season, Beanie Wells has all of the intangibles NFL teams look for in a back. He’s big (6’1” 237 pounds), fast (he should run in the 4.5-range for the forty at the combine) and might even grade out better than Darren McFadden, who was selected No. 4 overall a year ago. He has had some durability issues, but after watching him over the course of the second half of the season, it didn’t look like he was suffering any lingering effects from the injury. Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel believes that Beanie is a top-5 pick and when you look at the entire package, it’s hard to disagree.

Knowshon Moreno will probably go somewhere in the first round, but it’s hard to speculate at this point whether or not he’ll go in the top 15 or fall in the 20-25 range. He doesn’t have a ton of experience (he only played two seasons at UGA), but that also means he has fresh legs and he was incredible the two years he played at Georgia. He is being compared to Thomas Jones and Cadillac Williams in that he’s a grinder who doesn’t necessarily have great top-end speed, but makes up for it with outstanding instincts and vision. If he falls past the top 15 picks, he’s going to be a steal for whichever team grabs him.

At 5’11, 210 pounds, Shady McCoy isn’

[Goldensilence]

Didn't know PJ Hill decided to declare, he'd be a good late round back to compliment Slaton.

[mussop]

Dont know where they get the 4.5 forty time. At the 2004 State College NIKE Training Camp, LeSean McCoy recorded a 4.25 40 yard dash, the fastest of the event. I know RB is not a huge need and RB's can be found later in the draft that fit the ZB system we use bla bla bla. But if McCoy is available at 15 I would be happy as hell if we took him. His running style is taylor made for us. Him and Slaton would a beautiful thing to watch. There would be no drop off when hes in the game. He might even turn out to be better than Slaton.

[gtexan02]

P.J. Hill will be a late round pick given his durability issues at Wisconsin and the fact that he’s not much of a pass-catcher. He’s a bowling ball of a runner, but won’t draw much consideration in the top three rounds.

Sounds perfect for the texans

[TexansSeminole]

P.J. Hill is one of those guys that you would think he could truck or run some guys over, but he doesn't really get enough speed to be the bowling ball type of running back. There's really no explosion in his game.

Same can be said for J. Lane.

[PapaL]

Originally Posted by TexansSeminole

P.J. Hill is one of those guys that you would think he could truck or run some guys over, but he doesn't really get enough speed to be the bowling ball type of running back. There's really no explosion in his game.

Same can be said for J. Lane.

Sounds like a Dayne type running back to me.
Small guy mentality, big guy body.
Perfect to NOT be a short yardage type.

[bah007]

Originally Posted by PapaL

Sounds like a Dayne type running back to me.
Small guy mentality, big guy body.
Perfect to NOT be a short yardage type.

That's P.J. Hill in a nutshell.

[Texan JBZ]

Originally Posted by Goldensilence

Didn't know PJ Hill decided to declare, he'd be a good late round back to compliment Slaton.

Originally Posted by gtexan02

Sounds perfect for the texans

Actually, it doesn't. PJ Hill is nothing more than a Ron Dayne clone. No more big, slow backs. I'd rather draft a guy like Marlon Lucky in the 4th who has decent size, is good in-between the tackles, and has good hands. He's the perfect compliment imo.

[HoustonFrog]

Ware was talking about him this morning because the Texans like Colorado St guys and this guy can do some damage....Gartrell Johnson...6 ft, 225 and he did well this weekend...10 rushed for 63 yards. His system is also one cut and go.

[D-ReK]

Originally Posted by D-ReK

Here is a Johnson highlight video for anyone interested. This guy is perfect for us. Johnson is thick (haha), doesn't dance around in the backfield, can get the tough yards, fumbled the ball exactly 0 times in his college career, and then there is the whole Colorado State connection. The only questions about this guy are his top end speed and his hands. The more I think about it, the more I think he will be our pick in the 4th or 5th.

This is a post I made about Gartrell Johnson a few days ago. This guy has to be the odds on favorite to be the backup RB next season.

[HoustonFrog]

Originally Posted by D-ReK

This is a post I made about Gartrell Johnson a few days ago. This guy has to be the odds on favorite to be the backup RB next season.

Sorry, didn't even see this before I wrote above. I like the sound of him...especially with the system we run and they run.

[badboy]

Originally Posted by HoustonFrog

Ware was talking about him this morning because the Texans like Colorado St guys and this guy can do some damage....Gartrell Johnson...6 ft, 225 and he did well this weekend...10 rushed for 63 yards. His system is also one cut and go.

I posted my eval on Johnson on another thread and he is a HOSS.

[badboy]

Originally Posted by D-ReK

This is a post I made about Gartrell Johnson a few days ago. This guy has to be the odds on favorite to be the backup RB next season.

Good quote. Please support why you think he will go so low. I am hoping you are correct. After Saturday's game he moved up in my view. If we could get him in 4th for example, I'd rather that than my Shonn Green selection in 2nd round.

[badboy]

Originally Posted by mussop

Dont know where they get the 4.5 forty time. At the 2004 State College NIKE Training Camp, LeSean McCoy recorded a 4.25 40 yard dash, the fastest of the event. I know RB is not a huge need and RB's can be found later in the draft that fit the ZB system we use bla bla bla. But if McCoy is available at 15 I would be happy as hell if we took him. His running style is taylor made for us. Him and Slaton would a beautiful thing to watch. There would be no drop off when hes in the game. He might even turn out to be better than Slaton.

In 5th or later I agree, but we need first four rounds for other positions including a power back such as Green or Gartrell Johnson.

[D-ReK]

Originally Posted by badboy

Good quote. Please support why you think he will go so low. I am hoping you are correct. After Saturday's game he moved up in my view. If we could get him in 4th for example, I'd rather that than my Shonn Green selection in 2nd round.

The only downsides I see with Johnson that will hold him back are the he has had 459 carries over the past two seasons and he doesn't have good, or even average top end speed. That being said, we need a guy who can get the tough yards moreso than someone who is a big play threat. He's expected to run a 4.65 at the combine, and that alone should cement him as a 4th rounder at best. He's compares very favorably to BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who the Patriots picked up as an UDFA last season, but ended up starting a few games and having a productive season.