I have not gotten a good look at this HB class, but it seems like it will be a pretty strong class. Personally, I like Lamar Miller. I think he has some things to work on, but I think with proper coaching, proper blocking, and proper usage, he can become a good player. That being said, watching Marshawn Lynch in the playoffs is a thing of beauty. It makes me long for a back that can run hard through tackles with violence like that. Now I realize no one is going to do it quite like Lynch, it's been a long time since I can remember anyone that runs as hard as he does. My question to the gurus out there who have seen many of these guys play at length, which backs in this class run the hardest? I would imagine Hyde and Mason would be near the top of the list (am I correct on that?), but who else?
I'll give ya a small school guy who runs like a powerful SEC back and has a higher upside than half the draftable backs. Lorenzo Taliaferro, Coastal Carolina. How well he runs his 40 will be key. He's about 6'0 230 and reminds me of Liberty's Reshad Jennings who has blossomed into a nice NFL back. 2nd Team FCS All American with 1729 rushing yards, 27 TD, and 6.3 avg..... plus 27 receptions and 2 receiving TDs. He gets better as this game goes on, and I'd put him as a candidate for top 5 hardest runners this draft. [video=youtube;57uuKBBW_oI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57uuKBBW_oI[/video]
But pound for pound the hardest runner this draft is 5'8 208 Branden Oliver from Buffalo, and for some crazy reason the powerful Ray Rice Jr seems to get no respect, which surprises me considering how much attention Khalil Mack got. He's the top sleeper back this draft IMO and shouldn't even be that b/c he looks like a 3rd rounder at worst. Tre Mason gets all the credit but this guy is just as powerful and creates as much if not more on his own. I couldn't imagine him running behind Auburn's line. Without using a first or second rounder on a back, Oliver and Freeman are my two favorites, possibly Oliver at the top. He also boasts 28 receptions this year, 38 in 2011, and the kid can stick his hat into a pass rusher and stop him in his tracks. Now before proceeding, if you need to tuck your wiener to prevent an untimely boner, now would be a good time. [video=youtube;pZiAf_dhiNo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZiAf_dhiNo[/video] [video=youtube;Zv7iR77QraM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv7iR77QraM[/video] Here's his 2012 game vs Georgia. Bulldogs D was pretty stingy for the most part but Oliver consistently finished off runs with nice forward lean. He still managed 111 yards, a TD and a couple nice runs but it was his pass protection against a great UGA defense that impressed the most. Here he is stoning Jarvis Jones at 0:55... then rides Jones wide at 3:01... and then cuts him on the very next play. He might not've missed a block all game. [video=youtube;wwS9tuIYVyA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwS9tuIYVyA[/video]
Oliver's 2011 sophomore highlights for fun, and they are [strike]fun[/strike] epic. You can tell he's gained some nice thickness since then. Kid's got a great running back body. This stuff's drool-worthy. Might have to upgrade him to a top 5 back this draft, perhaps top 3, perhaps #1 overall. I kid I kid... but not really. [video=youtube;fvjz5Le7Sy0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvjz5Le7Sy0[/video] [video=youtube;eT2pKP1hEtE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eT2pKP1hEtE[/video]
I really like the way Mason runs. The thing about him that I love is his balance, its incredible out there. A times he looks like a basketball bouncing off other guys while continuing to head forward. He has really good vision too, but with the lines that Auburn opened up me and you could have seen those holes too. If we are looking for a compliment to Lamar Miller, I think Mason would be a logical choice. He reminds me a bit of muscle hamster.
I know they're the chalk for this sort of thing but I have to say Carlos Hyde or Jeremy Hill. And I really believe it. Those guys maximize yards after contact with physicality.
The problem is, the "best back in football" is a moving target. It's different pretty much a different guy every year. That's what makes Adrian Peterson so special. Any given year you can probably refer to him as the best back in football and nobody can argue hard with you about it.
Apparently none of you numbnuts checked out Branden Oliver's clips. If this is an ADHD day for ya'll then skip to 2:30, 4:24, 6:24, 6:45, 8:18, 9:22, 9:31, 9:47 [video=youtube;pZiAf_dhiNo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pZiAf_dhiNo[/video] I think he might just be closer to Ray Rice than Seastrunk is to McCoy. Here's Rice at Rutgers. Compare it to Oliver's clip above and the highlights below. Looks like a clone of Rice. If you were to put a #27 Rutgers jersey on Oliver you'd think it's Rice in just about every way possible. [video=youtube;qgYSTLIdLg0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgYSTLIdLg0[/video] [video=youtube;BQ2op_a8IPY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ2op_a8IPY[/video]
The gut instinct always says for guys like them that they should go 2nd round. But every year it's something people have to come to grips with, running backs always fall. Some of them do, anyway. Last year I had Giovani Bernard as a rare back worth that 1st round pick. He fell to the 2nd. And Johnathan Franklin, hell he fell to the 4th round. Still I'd go with 2nd round estimates even though I truly feel Mason is worth a 1st.
Does Chris Kaufman legally qualify for entrance to a woman's restroom on account of......... Is there really much difference if Oliver is a half inch shorter than the 5'8 even Rice?
I can't speak for him. But Chris Kouffman is legally barred from woman's restrooms on account of a restraining order.
I like Lamar Miller, but he's just that kinda guy that needs space. You play him in a spread or any one-back O and he could be a 1200-1600 yard guy. But if the Dolphins keep lining up in an "I" formation on 3rd-and-14, you might as well trade him or just let him go. He'd give Philly an awesome one-two punch.
He entered the season as one of my very top backs to watch. Unfortunately he got hurt and hardly played this year and so now he's really gone down. But man do I love his tape.
In all honesty Todd I do like your boy Branden Oliver. I make fun of his being legally a midget but he really gains some hard yards digging those gopher tunnels through the briar patch. I would love to see if 208 lbs is his real weight. If so then that's impressive. I look at him as a lot like a Dennis Johnson. Who by the way started games this year as a freshman despite his going UDFA. My one gripe is I wish he'd be more decisive in his cuts. Sometimes you get the sense that he really can't even plant and cut, that he's got to short step everything. But then you see the run you mentioned in the Ohio video at 6:45 and you say...no, that's not the problem. It's just the decisiveness. I think you're destined to have your heart broken by this kid as he sinks down the draft and ends up in the 7th round or undrafted, much like Dennis Johnson last year or a guy like DuJuan Harris in a previous year. I don't support the statement that he's closer to Ray Rice than Lache Seastrunk is to LeSean McCoy. But I think he's a nice find for you.
I'd give somebody's right nut for a back like Bernard. Also, I'm a total homer but I wonder if Hyde can be a back like that; run, catch, block. Not sure we can afford to spend a high pick on a back either but have to be patient and maybe see what's out there if FA.
It's funny how something you notice on tape will bear out statistically. The Ohio video showed me that he really gets a lot more decisive and a lot better feel for the game as he gets more action. Sure enough, his quarter-by-quarter splits: Q1: 4.1 YPC Q2: 4.7 YPC Q3: 5.8 YPC Q4: 5.8 YPC And a pet statistic of mine is to look at how often the guy converts touchdowns off a Goal-to-Go carry. Over 2012-2013 it was 40.0%. That's pretty good.
Getting back to the spirit of this thread though, I don't believe you can truly consider a mighty mite like Branden Oliver to be a hard runner in the mold we're talking about...a strong runner that can carry out your work on the goal line and in short yardage, etc. The guy Ricky Bobby brought up Zurlon Tipton is a big disappointment to me as I had him as potentially the very best senior running back in the land heading into the 2013 season. But it's probably not his fault that he's a disappointment. He's been hurt a lot. Here's some of what caught my attention in 2012 though. [video=youtube;VHYIaAjGm7s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHYIaAjGm7s[/video] When you watch his 2013 tape (what little of it there is), you have to keep in mind that he wasn't nearly in the same performance shape he was in 2012...because of injuries. Tipton only played 5 games this year. He didn't have the same athleticism he did in 2012...but it was still pretty impressive as evidenced here: [video=youtube;XvXe9tmgnms]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvXe9tmgnms&feature=player_embedded[/video] I think one day in the NFL, Zurlon Tipton will get his shot and have a few "Hey, remember me?" moments. I have a feeling that Isaiah Crowell will, too.
I've heard a few mentions to him being a solid 208 and by looking at him I can see him being close to it. He looks thicker and as broad as 6'3 Khalil Mack. Some massive hands and calves too. Oliver, Seastrunk, Mason