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Draft Dish: McFadden, Slaton ready for NFL run
By War Room scouts
For Sporting News
While training camp is on tap for coaches and players throughout the NFL, scouts are busy doing their homework before their travel schedules get very busy in getting a closer look at prospects around the nation.
When those scouts look at the senior class of running backs for '08, however, they will find it a bit thin. But that should lead to several talented junior backs leaning toward coming out early, which suddenly will make the pool feel a whole lot deeper. It all starts with a sophomore Heisman finalist from last season:
1. Darren McFadden, Arkansas, 6-2, 205, Jr. Many scouts feel McFadden is a better prospect than former Oklahoma star Adrian Peterson, who went No. 7 overall to the Vikings in the 2007 draft. McFadden is a strong and aggressive runner with the rare combination of strength, power, aggressiveness, elusiveness and top-end speed. He has the agility to make sharp cuts and burst through holes quickly. He also consistently attacks defenders, delivering frequent violent blows. McFadden's wow factor is how he makes people miss, whether it's running around or through their would-be tackles. Barring injury, he is expected to forgo his senior season and probably will go in the top five overall.
2. Steve Slaton, West Virginia, 5-10, 190, Jr. Slaton is another exciting Heisman-caliber junior to watch. After being a lightly recruited player out of high school, he quickly burst on the scene in Morgantown and has been the Mountaineers' go-to ball carrier throughout his college career. With amazingly quick feet, Slaton accelerates to full speed in a flash and has an explosive burst through holes to get behind defenses. He is a highly competitive runner whose effort, toughness and surprising strength help him keep his feet against hard hits -- despite lacking great size, he consistently gains yards after contact. Slaton, however, is most dangerous in the open field, where he not only makes would-be tacklers miss but also shows explosive cutback ability where he can shoot through backside holes and then go the distance.
3. Ray Rice, Rutgers, 5-9, 200, Jr. Rice is a big reason for the revival of the Scarlet Knights' football program. Rice was good enough as a freshman to take the starting tailback job away from Brian Leonard (the Rams' second-draft pick in '07), turning Leonard into the nation's most versatile fullback. Despite lacking great size for a tailback, Rice's aggressive, physical ballcarrying style is reminiscent of the Chiefs' Larry Johnson. Rice consistently keeps his feet against hard hits, runs through arm/grab tackles and breaks tackles surprisingly well. He is a very instinctive runner who sees the whole field and has the quick feet to make sharp cut and easily get through backside holes.
4. Mike Hart, Michigan, 5-9, 196, Sr. Hart is the nation's top senior running back prospect and is a special back when it comes to instincts, vision and aggressiveness, although he lacks ideal size/strength. He is a very competitive runner who consistently keeps his legs churning and fights for every last yard. He easily runs through arm/grab tackles; he just lacks the strength to break tackles consistently. Hart also offers great hands as a productive and dangerous receiver. The big concern is that despite being a very tough runner, Hart has struggled to stay healthy throughout his Wolverines career, putting a cloud over his future NFL durability.
5. Allen Patrick, Oklahoma, 6-0, 191, Sr. Patrick is the only back of the top five whose senior season will be his first as a full-time starter, so teams will no doubt question his durability. However, he showed enough during the five-game stretch when Peterson (broken collarbone) was injured last season to get NFL teams excited. Patrick lacks great height but is thickly built with the strength and balance to consistently gain yards after contact. At the same time, he has the quick feet and agility to make would-be tacklers miss and both the burst and speed to make big plays. No doubt Allen needs a big senior season to prove he has what it takes to be a starter, but he has flashed the ability and production to be a good NFL back.
6. Anthony Alridge, Houston, 5-9, 175, Sr. Alridge has intriguing upside because he has never been the full-time starter for an entire season. He was the Cougars' primary ballcarrier for only the second half last season. He is not a big running back but is a true slasher who explodes through holes and has the speed to outrun angles to make big plays. Alridge averaged 10.1 yards over his 95 total attempts in '06 but needs to prove he can be a productive back when consistently getting 18-to-20 touches per game. In addition to being a dangerous big-play back, he also has been a very productive kickoff returner.
7. Yvenson Bernard, Oregon State, 5-9, 204, Jr. Bernard, despite his high level of production and presence in the Pac-10, being a feature back for the unheralded Beavers in Corvallis hasn't helped him gain much national recognition. Although on the shorter side, he has very thick and solid legs, capable of consistently gaining yards after contact. He has very quick feet to make sharp cuts and burst through holes. Bernard may be more quick than fast, however; he lacks the elite home run speed to outrun defenses. As a receiver, he is polished productive; he catches the ball cleanly and is very effective after the catch in open field. In reality, Bernard looks much more like a fine NFL third-down back than a future starter.
8. Tashard Choice, Georgia Tech, 6-1, 205, Sr. Although Choice has the size and strength of a physical runner, he also has the quick feet and agility to make cuts like a speed back. However, he tends to be an upright runner, which limits his strength and power. When he bends his knees and gets his shoulders down, he can be a punishing runner who drives through tackle and gains tough yards after contact. His upright style also hinders his ability to make quick cuts; he cannot consistently get through the backside. Choice, however, shows good hands as a receiver and does a good job of following blockers when running after the catch.
But wait, there's more. . . .
Beyond those eight big-time, big-program backs, here are four intriguing sleepers on whom War Room scouts will have a close eye:
Jamario Thomas, North Texas, 5-11, 210, Sr. Thomas started his college career with a bang in '04, becoming the second back in Division I-A history to rush for 1,800-plus yards as a freshman (1,801). But he has been dinged up the past two seasons rushing, for only 361 yards in '05 and then 668 yards in '06. Thomas is a well-built back with the quickness and elusiveness that gets NFL teams excited, but he will need to stay healthy and prove that he still has the tools he showed as a freshman to get himself into position to be drafted anywhere near Day 1 in '08.
Thomas Brown, Georgia, 5-8, 188, Sr. and Kregg Lumpkin, Georgia, 6-1, 222, Sr. Brown and Lumpkin were part of a three-man Bulldogs rushing committee (along with former Dawg Danny Ware) in '06, and both are hoping to finish their careers strong. Lumpkin is the bigger and more physical of the two, so of course the NFL has taken notice, but so far, Brown has been the much bigger playmaker. Brown was the primary ballcarrier in Athens in '05 but then he struggled thru an injury-marred '06 season, which gave Lumpkin a chance to show his talent. Entering the season both backs are expected to get a good number of carries, but the one who can wrestle the role of top ballcarrier away from the other likely will end up as the more highly drafted prospect next April.
Xavier Omon , Northwest Missouri State, 5-11, 220, Sr. Omon, big and physical, carried a small-school offense on his back the past two years, all the way to two NCAA Division II championship games (both losses to Grand Valley State). Omon isn't the quickest-footed back -- he neither will explode through holes nor take runs long distance -- but he has enough agility to slide and move well in traffic and has both the size and strength to run through would-be tacklers at any level. If he has another strong '07, he will get the chance to show what he can do at the NFL Combine and possibly get into position as an early Day 2 pick.
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Draft Dish: McFadden, Slaton ready for NFL run
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