The one thing about Ingram that impresses me is that he has good vision. I do not think that can be questioned.

His size is a concern. His top speed is average. He does have a little juke in his step, but nothing outrageous.

I like him, but I do agree with you, he needs to be in that "Emmitt Smith" type situation.

 

Mark Ingram has as good of balance and vision as you will see in a running back. For a guy who supposedly isn't explosive, I haven't seen him get caught from behind very many times. Some should watch him catch a swing pass against Mississippi State, a very good defense, and take it 78 yards to the house.


[video=youtube;ju8DJBX3vDo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju8DJBX3vDo[/video]

 

No offense Gish, but I don't agree here. Ingram is a special back. There is a reason why so many people compare him to Emmitt Smith.

 

No doubt, a very nice run. But it looked to me that he evaded a block by Julio Jones and ran by 3 LBs/D-linemen. In other words, he should.

One thing I will add (that I did not earlier) was that he seems to be pretty tough to take down. I agree with you on the vision and balance, but I still feel like he's (albeit, good in college), a pretty average-to-good back in the NFL. Nothing special. Who really knows?

 

Ingram is a tremendous natural runner with elite vision and a serious smell for the endzone. In my eyes, Mark has an uncanny ability to know when to be patient and set up his blocks, and when to just blow through a hole. I don't care how fast he is (or not) if he's always putting himself in the right spots on the field to pick up solid yardage.

He's gained 20 lbs since his freshman year (195-215), and he only just turned 21. He picks up a ton of yards after contact, and IMO that's not likely to change as he continues to get stronger since he's not even really a man yet (LeGarrette Blount was 23 when drafted). He's the kind of guy you want on your team b/c, even though he's not as flashy as McFadden, he's gonna get you a solid 4 yards for most of his carries and set you up in fewer 2nd & 3rd and longs, which tremendously helps our offense (that is one of the best in the league at converting 3rd a 3-7 yards).

What's really hurt this team is the ridiculous amount of 3rd and longs this year b/c our lumbering personnel isn't equipped to convert these situations when defenses know it's coming. Seriously, if it's 3rd down and a defense knows you need at least 10 yards for a first, are 4.5 forty and slower Hart, Bess, Marshall, and Fasano the best guys for the job? Not in my friggin mind they're not. lol.

 

I think top end speed means very little relative to explosiveness. When I think of explosivness, I think of how fast someone gets to their full speed. Mark Ingram gets to his max speed very quickly.

Top end speed means very little to me, because how often does a running back make plays in a straight line? Not very often. The ability to gear down and gear up are much more important, and nothing tops the ability to see what's happening on the field and make cuts.

I feel when you start looking for top end speed in a runner, you run the risk of getting a runner that isn't ideal and will not give you any consistency on the ground like a CJ Spiller from last year. Everyone fawned over his speed, and he became what, a 3.5 ypc runner in his rookie season and had around 200 yards on the year.

Oh, and let me add that Mark Ingram outran three NFL prospects on that Mississippi State defense, two of which are in this years draft (Chris White and KJ Wright) and one will be in next year's draft (Charles Mitchell).

 

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank god someone gets it. the 2 most overrated aspects of the RB position is top end speed. and power to run people over.

Ingrams balance is ridiculous, and that allows him to break arm tackles and get the extra yards. he also hits his top gear quickly which allows him to run by people that are faster then him.

Ingram not being explosive is the biggest myth so far in this draft process.

 

and what makes those guys explosive is exactly what KB said. those guys get to their top gear in their first couple steps. There a plenty of RBs that have very good speed, one that we drafted recently, but isnt explosive because it takes them a few steps to get to their top gear.

 

Honestly I think Ingram is the right fit for any team needing a HB. The Dolphins need team speed, but they also need to improve their running game. Ingram will improve the running game greatly. You can add speed through other means.

 

Darren Sproles (one of the 3 you mentioned) only ran a 4.47 at the combine. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Ingram came in at the same speed.

Yea, 4.47 isn't elite either.

 

If Ingram runs a 4.7 then id agree. There is so many examples of players at skill positions with 4.5+ 40 time, and they have great careers. now why would they be able to do it and not Ingram?

More recently
Arian Foster

Rashard Mendenhall

Steven Jackson

DeAngelo Williams

Beanie Wells

Frank Gore

Michael Turner

LeGarrette Blount

Fred Taylor

Shonn Greene

Ray Rice

Should I keep going?

Rice ran over a 4.5. Emmitt ran a 4.6. Michael Irvin ran a 4.5. Brandon Marshall ran a 4.6. Anquan Boldin as well.

Like I said, if Ingram goes out there and runs a 4.7 I would think twice about selecting him at 15. what ive watched with my own eyes in the most athletic conference in the NCAA. Hes plenty of explosive.

 

Our offensive line

 

The OL doesnt need a tremendous amount of work. We need to get Berger out of there and kick Richie to C. Berger is a reserve/fringe starter as a C; hes more of a guard in my asseessment who doesnt play well in close areas, he needs space to be a good lineman which is one thing playing at C will never provide. Incognitio is just the opposite. We had trouble with more powerful NT's this year that Grove handled well last year. We need a LG more then anything and a return to form by Carey. Improvement from Jerry who may kick out to his natural RT spot would help as well. Wouldnt be at all shocked if Jerry and Carey flip spots.

As for Ingram I like him but Im not sure I go with an RB at 15. They are so readily available that its not really what Id call a premium position If there's a trade there or if a guy like Von Miller or a good safety prospect Id have to consider him. There is no disputing Ingrams vision and balance, he is an elite prospect in those areas.

 

actually our offensive line would be another reason to select an Ingram. His vision to find the holes are top notch. we can have a RB that runs a 4.2 into a pile of players all day. then break a 40 yard run every 20 runs. were not going to be successful.

 

I care more about 3 cone & the shuttle than I do the forty for RBs. 40 means squat at RB IMO unless we're talking about a complimentary COP back.

I could care less if Ingram is caught from behind 50 yards downfield after he breaks one off. I'll take a RB who breaks more 20+ runs and is caught from behind than a speedster who can't consistently pick up 4 yards on 1st down. I'm not sure if most fans realize how crucial positive yardage on 1st down is to an offense's overall success.

I'd pair Ingram him with Jacquizz Rodgers in the 3rd round if Jernigan & Titus Young are off the board. Quizz wouldn't be my first choice, but IMO our 3rd round pick needs to be a playmaker regardless of position, so if it came in the form of a COP back, then that's what I'd take and be happy I'm getting any sort of playmaker period. Then I'd snag Little in the 4th..... and grab my speed WR and/or playmaking TE in FA.

 

You had me until the pairing him with Quizz Rodgers part. Not that I have anything against Quizz, I just don't think the Dolphins can afford to use their top 2 picks and only 2 in the first 3 rounds on backs. If they pickup a 2nd rounder maybe, but even then there are a lot of other needs for them. I'd rather take a shot on a guy like Jerious Norwood or someone similar or take a change of pace guy later on.

 

I'd rather us not go Quizz, too...... but I'm not a fan of the TEs this year; there are no other midround WRs that I feel suit our needs outside of Jernigan, Young, and Little; and I'd prefer Quizz to a LG, especially when we have Mankins on our radar. I'm not a fan of having 3 very young QBs on our roster, so I'd prefer a vet in FA......... so that basically leaves going defense or a talented COP back, which I feel is almost a separate position in and of itself (and of great need here). Not to mention we need playmakers badly, so if by default the playmaker comes in the form of a COP back, then he'd be hard for me to pass up. How many of us would've thought long and hard about using a 1st on Jahvid Best last year is all I'm saying.... and our dump off passes would definitely have new meaning. lol.

We could grab Little in the 4th, Tyrod Taylor as a WR/PR/WC QB in the 5th, Hback Charles Clay in the 6th, and Mankins & a stud TE in FA who can both immediately impact at positions of dire need...... we'll probably re-sign Ronnie..... and all that's left is a speed WR, which we can also find in FA.

All I know is we need:
1. #1 RB who gains quality 1st down yards & break a few plays here and there. If the draft is before FA, then we'll have to take the first stud we can get IMO. (DeAngelo Williams, Ahmad Bradshaw, Mark Ingram, Mike LeShoure, Ryan Williams, Mike Tolbert, and maybe Delone Carter)
2. LG (Mankins, Davin Joseph, Pouncey, Wisniewski, Danny Watkins, Ben Ijalana.... not sure who else off top of my head)
3. Playmaking and/or Speed WR (Jernigan, Titus Young, Greg Little, James Jones, Jacoby Jones, Mike Sims Walker, Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes, Vincent Jackson, Sidney Rice)
4. Playmaking TE who can threaten the middle (Mercedes, Owen Daniels, Zach Miller, Kyle Rudolph)
5. playmaking COP back (Quizz, Todman, Norwood, Leon Washington, anyone else?)
6. PR/KR
7. Some sort of Xfactor for added unpredictability (Tyrod or Brad Smith.... I'd prefer Tyrod and at less cost)
8. Pass rush specialist (Chris Carter, who else?)
9. backup QB (veteran FA)

I honestly don't care how we do it as long as it maximizes the talent across the board.

 

Ingram on the Saints would be scary.

 

If Ingram is still on the board at 15, he will be the most intriguing reason for another team to trade up and Ireland won't pass up the opportunity to get back the 2nd rounder.