Barry Jackson: Miami Dolphins showing love to several running backs in draft, determined to land 1

Trying to figure out which one would be my preference, but I don't know enough about all them to say with any real confidence. Swift is widely considered the best RB in the class, and Dobbins just seems like a tough SOB. Taylor concerns me because of the number of carries he's already logged, but he was spectacular at the combine. Perhaps you approach it by just taking a guy knowing his shelf life is short and ride him through his rookie deal then let him walk?

One thing I will say is based on what I know about Edwards-Helaire, I think he might be the best compliment to Howard because of his limitations in the passing game. CEH can also be an asset to Special Teams. Just my two cents.

 

Dobbins is definately my favorite back in this year's draft, and I would be very happy for the Fins to take him in the second round. Not just as a compliment to Howard, but as the main guy going forward. That being said, I don't think that he's particularly special, even compared to guys who have gone in the second round recently like Chubb, Michel, or Cook. He doesn't have that top gear to burn away from defenders that I like.

 

For my money I'm going for Taylor. He just looks like a RB to me. Like if you had to explain what a RB was to an alien, you put on his film. He might be there at 70, but they may need to use 56 on him

 

I just don't think that Taylor is special, and I don't think that he does much on his own without good blocking. He's also got a ton of wear and tear on his tires, being run into the ground in college, and he isn't much of a receiver.

At his best, I see him as being very similar to Jay Ajayi. But even if it works out that well, I don't think he's going to have a very long career as a starting RB in the NFL.

 

I like Swift, Dobbins and CE-H the most for Miami. But I don't see Swift or Dobbins as special. I do think that CE-H has the potential to be special.

 

Taylor
Swift
Dobbins

There really isn't an order that I like them in and any one of the three will make my draft day!

 

I just have a lot of trouble committing to a slow back, and that's what CE-H is to me.

 

Back to back 2,000+ yard seasons is not "special" to you? 225lbs running a 4.39 40 is not special?

What more do you want? Are you going to penalize him for having a decent offensive line? Taylor is a home run hitter, he is not a juker, he is a down hill runner who will take it to the house if you give him so much as an inch.

I have taylor #1 among the RBs.

 

I want the back we land to be Dillon.... I am a broken record at this point... Do not care.

250 pound back runs like he is 225... Great cut ability... Great first two steps after the cut

Please please please let him become a Dolphin.

 

And he blocks and receives well. Doesn't fumble. Reminds of Curtis Martin, Fred Jackson, Ronnie Brown w/ a little mean in him. I see a lot of Marcus Allen in his game too. Head high, eyes open and quick decisions. Quick then fast. Fast is great, but you have to be quick first and Taylor is that. I actually wondered if he was Fred Taylor's baby boy for a while, cuz he could be, but he's not.

 

Agreed, he also was #2 in the nation running against 8 man fronts at 29%...Dillon at #1 at 46%

The fumbles are at an inordinate number relative to the pack..go to figure if it’s something in his DNA or something that can be coached out of.

Like you said, complete downhill (no tics in his brain and feet, like Ballage)with breakaway speed type back, pretty good hands as well, give this kid a crease an an outlet and it’s 6 points, we need that dynamic on this offense, with Tua he would be perfect.

 

Think you are thinking about a different player, as Taylor has way more fumbles than any of the other backs in the draft

 

Agreed on this one. I like Dillon as well. As far as value for potential goes I think he is the #1 back in the draft.

That said, I can see putting others above him, but considering none if them are really "special" I'd go with Dillon who may have the highest potential ceiling. Also if he doesnt work out it's less resources wasted.

 

One carry sold me on Taylor. I think It may have been the Big Ten championship but I could be mistaken. They were backed up inside the 5 and they handed the ball to Taylor. Everyone knew it was coming. He proceeded to chug out 20 yards straight up the middle breaking through gang tackles all the way. This is a powerful guy. It was a full on man crush when he ran sub 4.40.

 

I do think Taylor is an excellent runner and the only home run hitter in the group, but he's the worst of the group as a pass blocker, struggles as a receiver and he fumbles the most.

 

Swift and Dobbins are both good all-around backs. They are good at everything, but not really elite in any category. CE-H has elite start/stop ability. And he's deadly on those angle routes and as a receiver in general. His only weakness is that he lacks home run speed, yet he still has many long runs.

 

I think those are all things good coaching can fix, But I agree a guy like Swift, for instance, is more polished. I think if one of these guys are going to end up "special" out of the bunch it's Taylor.

 

I created a chart using stats that I thought might be helpful with comparing PFF's top 10 RB's and AJ Dillon (one of my personal favorites). I omitted some of Antonio Gibson's stats because he is a WR/RB and his stats skewed the conditional formating.



No doubt Jonathan Taylor is intriguing. His 10 yard split is well above average! I haven't watched his film, so the question I have can some of his fumbles be contributed to what I would call effort fumbles caused by fighting for those extra yards? If he carries the ball like a loaf of bread then maybe that can be corrected. However, if he has the ball tucked away properly and the defenders are able to just pop it out then that could be a problem.

It looks like to me that a lot of the RBs are grouped close together, so if one isn't available we could still get a good RB by taking another. I like the idea of taking AJ Dillon in the late rounds and pairing him up with Howard for a big boy thunder & thunder combination that pounds the rock and forces their will on the defense. However, drafting a speed guy to pair with Howard may offer more versatility and also make the defense prepare for a speed guy and a power guy.

 

Taylor is a fine blocker, I dont know where you get this. As for recieving he is not the best route runner, I'll give you that, but overall I think his running ability vastly outweighs his negatives as a reciever.

Taylor is the best RB in the draft as far as actually running the ball, gaining yards, and scoring TDs.

 

That's a good question about Taylor. I only saw 3 games of his this year and don't recall the circumstances of any fumbles (don't recall any at all) so that would be good information to have.

 

You can improve the pass blocking and fumbling though with coaching. The being a good receiver part is probably the biggest issue to fix, but as long as he can catch a screen or outlet route that's good enough for me personally in a back.

 

I have no idea what your looking at with regards to pass blocking. It is arguably his biggest struggle. He is far worse than the other RB prospects being mentioned at the top of this draft. He gives decent effort, but he doesn't hit flush or with much power and he over-extends. If he's going to be a three down back then he has to improve in all aspects of the pass game.

 

It would be sweet if Swift and Dobbins were both sitting there in the second round and we could take our pick.

 

Dillon's speed is just fine.... Where he shines is the first 2-3 steps...He can out accelerate defenders and run away from linebackers... No he is not fast enough to outrun corners... But if he is getting to the next level and a corner is running him down it is already a game changing play.

Watch the tape on Dillon see the guy stop and start or make the cut and then use the plant foot to accelerate... instant full speed. For someone that is 250 pounds that is pretty special.

 

I would far rather have the guy that lacks the elite track star top speed to have the agility and the acceleration where we need it in the trenches.

 

He gets the job done as a pass blocker. He could improve his technique, but I never saw him get blown up by a rusher or completely fail at his assignment.

Like I said, his greatness as a runner significantly outweighs his solid but average performance as a blocker or reciever.

 

I included the broad jump above because I thought it might be a good indicator of a player's leg strength, their ability to break tackles, and their ability to jack-up a blitzing LB. Dillon's 10'11" at 245lbs is pretty damn good. I know we have Howard, so that is why I went with Jonathan Taylor as the RB I want us to draft, but I certainly wouldn't be upset if we took Dillon instead. I have read that there is a correlation between a broad jump over 118" and a RB productivity and longevity in the NFL. Most of the RB people have wanted fit the bill there.

 

My only concern about Dillon is his ability to make himself small and fit through holes that arent large, because once he is beyond the D-Line he can out run most LB and muscle through most DB.

I have concerns about every back in this draft though and hes my #1 for ceiling potential.

 

That's exactly what happens...while his speed is impressive, the way he carries the ball in a straight line and runs people over is what really gets me. He reminds me of a Bo Jackson type runner; tackle him quick or he's going to run you over and then smoke everyone else in a foot race. Very exciting player to watch and my personal favorite.

 

Edwards helaire my favorite Rb in this draft

 

Bo Jackson is a very good comp for Taylor, they have similar traits and running style.

 

Man, I don't know. Admittedly I'm a little slow to the party on Antonio Gibson, but man...I like what I see! Then, there's this little nugget:

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein reports only one team sees Memphis WR/RB Antonio Gibson as a receiver.
One coach likened Gibson to a lesser version of Joe Mixon. Gibson was extraordinarily explosive in 2019, racking up 14 touchdowns on just 77 touches. This included seven plays of 50-plus yards along the way. The 6-foot-0 and 228-pound play-maker blazed a pristine 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the combine, cementing his status as one of the draft's dark-horse contenders to be selected sooner rather than later during the middle rounds.

SOURCE: Lance Zierlein on Twitter
Apr 16, 2020, 10:10 AM ET

 

Then you want Dobbins

 

I love Gibson. I think he is my #2 after Taylor. Taylor has better vision and burst as a runner and he is better setting up his blocks, but gibson is a better receiver. I would be happy with either, or even better draft both.

 

So Dobbins is 250 pounds and can power through for tough yards? One of the reasons I like Dillon is that for a man of his size his acceleration and top speed are special.... His power sets him aside from most backs... Just not many backs that have that size that can run that way....

I do not dislike Dobbins....

I want Dillon and I want this team to build the line... With our wideouts.... and a back like Dillon we can chew clock... control the field position... rest the defense. We have the makings of a top 10 defense

This would be an incredible formula for success... No matter who the QB is going to be after 2020

 

Yeah, that's who I keep coming back to as well. My thing though is I don't us to use a high round draft pick on a RB. I just think there's so much value and it's really a devalued position in terms of where guys get drafted anymore (although, that may be starting to change some).

I just hope we fill other needs before taking one of the top RB's. Hoping guys like CEH and Cam Akers might be around in the 3rd or 4th round. If not, Dillon definitely should be. We signed Howard so that should make it (somewhat) less of a priority position.

JMHO...

 

My experience back ion the day was that Pass Blocking by a back was more about effort and attitude than technique.....lots of divas in those guys. Best pass blocker in the group is likely Moss or Dobbins and by far the best hands is Akers.