Caste Free RB Draft Projections

[ToughJ.Riggins]

Unfortunately this year most of the top white RBs that are draft eligible have stayed in school. It is next year's class that is going to be a powerful white class of offensive skill players.

If Toby Gerhart and Jake Sharp were in the draft this year I'd rank the top 12 RBs like this:

1. Knowshon Moreno 2. Donald Brown 3. Chris Wells 4. Toby Gerhart 5. LeSean McCoy 6. Cedric Peerman 7. Jake Sharp (loads of potential; above average but not great production; could be my #1 RB next year if he produces big) 8. Shonn Greene 9. Javon Ringer 10. Tyler Roehl 11. Andre Brown 12. Rashad Jennings

So we can take out Gerhart and Sharp since they are staying in school and you have my top 10; which only has Tyler Roehl in it. This is a decent RB class this year.

There has been an average of 18 RBs drafted in the last 5 years. Since there is a high turnout of new RBs due to injury and since a player can make an NFL team or a practice squad as an undrafted FA; I'd say 30 RBs give or take will make an opening day roster or practice squad at some point as rookies in any given draft year.

So here are my white college RBs that I believe have the talent to make an NFL roster or taxi squad this draft year and I will list them by their appropriate round or as FA if they are worthy of at least a temporary practice squad contract this season.

Tailbacks:
Tyler Roehl; DIAA: Rank 8th: Late 3rd Round

Stan Zwinggi; DIAA: Rank 13th: Early 5th: Freak athlete who has under-produced a bit statistically (although his team is partly to blame b/c his YPC was good when he did get carries) after a dominant h.s career.

Julian Edelman: Rank 19th: 7th round (This guy could be a high reward pick in the 6th/7th round as a "project" RB. He has showed amazing running skills at QB for Kent State and ran an eye popping 3.92 short shuttle recently and 6.62 3-Cone showing he is a very agile prospect. Edelman also has a 40 time of 4.52, a 10-3 Broad Jump and a 36.5 inch vertical. I think he can make the switch to RB fine. Edelman is indeed an athletic freak and Draft Daddy has compared his abilities to Eric Crouch! He probably should be drafted higher than my tailback ranking indicates due to his versatility as a backup/wildcat QB.

Nate Kmic: Div. III: Rank 23rd: 7th round/PFA

Kyle Bell: Rank 24th: 7th round/PFA (Just had a good Pro Day showing, which shows he may have his swagger back)

Brock Bolen: Rank Range 25-30: Priority FA


Running FBs:
James Casey: Rank 1st: 2nd Round: This guy is "a poor man's" Peyton Hillis as far as his athleticism. Casey is very versatile and could be used as a hybrid fullback/tailback, a TE and an H-back. He didn't get a great deal of carries at Rice, but when he did he produced pretty well. I would use Casey in a variety of roles due to his multi-dimensional talents. Casey had over 1,000 yards receiving as an H-Back/TE at Rice last year. This guy would be a great 2nd round pick!

Brannan Southerland: Rank 2nd: 5th round: Possible Power back prospect

------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------
If Luke Lippincott is recovered from his knee injury; he should at least get a training camp invite in my book.





Edited by: ToughJ.Riggins

 

[Gi-15]

Lippincott is getting an extra year form the NCAA

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

Oh that's great to hear! And next year's RB class isn't quite as deep. Jake Sharp and Toby Gerhart would both be in my top 5 already after only one full season with the majority of reps at tailback for their teams.

Lippincott might have a chance to get a little interest from the NFL if he has recovered nicely. If Sharp has a great year he might be my number one, but personally I like C.J Spiller, Toby Gerhart, Joe McKnight and power back Charles Scott ahead of him at this point.

My top 5 for next year:

1. C.J Spiller
2. Toby Gerhart
3. Joe McKnight
4. Charles Scott (similar to Gerhart, but in a better offense to work with)
5. Jake Sharp

 

[DixieDestroyer]

UGA's Brannan Southerland is a stud who ran a 4.6/40 and squatted 750+. If he posts solid #s at the combine, I could see him going 3-4th rounds (potentially).

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

I do know about Brannan Southerland, but I see him more as a true FB. He didn't run much at all at UGA because they had Knowshon Moreno who I think is clearly the top RB in this draft. Southerland lead blocked real well for Moreno.

If Southerland actually runs in the 4.6 range or faster at the combine I might include him as a change of pace/Power Back. However, as of now he has shown that he is a great blocker and that FB may be his best fit in the NFL; he just didn't run much in college and his 40 time I have seen from NFLdraftscout.com is in the 4.7 range. The guy is freakishly strong though and should at least be used in goal-line and short yardage situations in the NFL.

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

Anybody want to comment on my evaluations? Do I have some of these player's stocks too low? Too high? There hasn't been much traffic lately in this forum. Come on guys; the draft is coming up!

Nate Kmic reminds me of Mike Hart a bit with a slightly better burst and top-end speed. He fights for yards like a junk yard dog for a smaller guy and has good vision. As an athlete he doesn't blow you away with his speed or open-field moves; but he is very productive. If Kmic gets a good block; he can hide behind the lineman, make that first cut and burst through the hole and beat the first level of the defense real well. He also has good vision to take angles to get the most out of his runs.

If Kmic played in a division higher than Div. III; I'd certainly have him ranked higher. Kmic showed up big in the playoffs for Mount Union in his career; but his career yards per carry average in the mid to high 5's could be better considering this is Div. III. He did get a ridiculous amount of carries though in his career; which can bring down a player's YPC.Edited by: ToughJ.Riggins

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

This is indeed a bad year for white RBs. Kyle Bell and Luke Lippincott were good prospects before they had bad knee injuries.

I would have Eric Kettani ranked higher, but this is a very deep class and Kettani played in an option offense for Navy which may have inflated his yards per carry a bit.

The small school guys I may have ranked too low, but they aren't playing against the top competition in the land. I actually have Tyler Roehl as my number two small school prospect after Liberty's Rashad Jennings. I have Stan Zwinggi as my 4th small school prospect despite average production in DIAA based on his potential and Nate Kmic as my 5th best small school prospect. That's 3 out of the top 5 small schoolers being white guys.

 

[Cassiodorus]

I've seen Bolun play a few times; I was impressed with him.

 

[celticdb15]

Draftdaddy had an article stating the patriots and Dolphins were interested in taking Bolen. Also on Draftdaddy it was mentioned that Bill Parcells tried trading for Bobby Carpenter, so we will see if they try trading for this stud to be again..

 

[celticdb15]

Tough J out of your top 4, the first 3 are the most hyped, i think Donald Brown could be a steal like Matt Forte was in last years draft. also i like that you Roehl as your second small school back i think he has a definite shot at making a team, just depends on what role he will have.

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

This seems to be a bad year for white RBs and WRs IMO.

And I just realized Joe McKnight is for the 2011 class so my top 5 for next year at this point would be

1. C.J Spiller 2. Toby Gerhart 3. Charles Scott 4. Jake Sharp (could be number one if he breaks out like I expect next year) 5. Stafon Johnson

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

Donald Brown is indeed talented. And I originally even thought Shoon Greene should be ahead of him, which was definitely a mistake. I actually didn't see a great deal of Shoon Greene but did see some and his stats were ridiculous this year. I may have let the Doak label affect me a bit. He certainly isn't fast for an elite prospect, but he is a very strong runner, who has a burst to the hole with good vision, but he isn't very good in space for an elite prospect.

I'd like to see more of Greene to answer my question once and for all if he is being over-hyped as the 3rd or 4th RB prospect in this draft.

 

[Don Wassall]

Scratch Kettani:


Kettani denied permission to take part in NFL scouting combine


The Naval Academy today denied graduating fullback Eric Kettani permission to participate in next week's NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.

According to Navy spokesman Joe Carpenter, Kettani, 21, must serve a minimum five-year service obligation as a Surface Warfare Officer before he can pursue a pro football career.

The decision was made by Vice Admiral Jeff Fowler, Navy's superintendent.

"A number of factors were considered," Carpenter said. "But he was denied participation because it wouldn't be consistent with current Navy efforts to support active duty readiness during war time. His participation could incorrectly imply that the Navy would support in him pursuing a professional football career immediately after graduation."


Gil Brandt, a former NFL personnel director who works at the combine for NFL.com, called Kettani a legitimate prospect.

"It wasn't a political invitation," Brandt said. "The guy ran under 4.6 at his pro day [last year] and he weighed 233 pounds. He had a good vertical [jump] and he's really a good athlete. This kid's the real deal."

Because of his service obligation, it's unlikely Kettani would be drafted in April. Army's Caleb Campbell participated in the combine last year and was drafted in the seventh round by the Detroit Lions. But the Army changed its policy in July when Campbell reported to the Lions' training camp, and he had to return to duty to fulfill his military obligation.

Under a previous Department of Defense policy, an academy graduate with unique abilities could serve two years of active duty and then six in the reserves. Donald C. Winter, secretary of the Navy, suspended the policy because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We respect the decision of the U.S. Navy," said Chad Wiestling, Kettani's agent. "I know Eric is very disappointed in the decision. What the combine basically is, it's a job interview. My take on it is that the Navy is denying him an opportunity to interview for a post-military career, whether right or wrong."

Kettani, who rushed for 1,862 yards and 14 touchdowns in his last two seasons for the Midshipmen, was traveling today and unavailable to comment.

[url]http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/football/bal-kett ani0213,0,5993970.story[/url]

 

[dwid]

Scratch Kettani:


Kettani denied permission to take part in NFL scouting combine</font>


The Naval Academy today denied graduating fullback Eric Kettani permission to participate in next week's &lt;A class=taxInlineTagLink id=ORSPT000007 title="National Football League" href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/topic/sports/football/nati onal-football-league-ORSPT000007.topic"&gt; NFL</font>&lt;/A&gt; scouting combine in Indianapolis.According to Navy spokesman Joe Carpenter, Kettani, 21, must serve a minimum five-year service obligation as a Surface Warfare Officer before he can pursue a pro football career.The decision was made by Vice Admiral Jeff Fowler, Navy's superintendent."A number of factors were considered," Carpenter said. "But he was denied participation because it wouldn't be consistent with current Navy efforts to support active duty readiness during war time. His participation could incorrectly imply that the Navy would support in him pursuing a professional football career immediately after graduation."


Gil Brandt, a former NFL personnel director who works at the combine for NFL.com, called Kettani a legitimate prospect."It wasn't a political invitation," Brandt said. "The guy ran under 4.6 at his pro day [last year] and he weighed 233 pounds. He had a good vertical [jump] and he's really a good athlete. This kid's the real deal."Because of his service obligation, it's unlikely Kettani would be drafted in April. Army's Caleb Campbell participated in the combine last year and was drafted in the seventh round by the &lt;A class=taxInlineTagLink id=ORSPT000041 title="Detroit Lions" href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/topic/sports/detroit-lions -ORSPT000041.topic"&gt;Detroit Lions</font>&lt;/A&gt;. But the Army changed its policy in July when Campbell reported to the Lions' training camp, and he had to return to duty to fulfill his military obligation.Under a previous Department of Defense policy, an academy graduate with unique abilities could serve two years of active duty and then six in the reserves. Donald C. Winter, secretary of the Navy, suspended the policy because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."We respect the decision of &lt;A class=taxInlineTagLink id=ORGOV0000001 title="United States" href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/topic/politics/government/ national-government/united-states-ORGOV0000001.topic"&gt; the U.S.</font>&lt;/A&gt; Navy," said Chad Wiestling, Kettani's agent. "I know Eric is very disappointed in the decision. What the combine basically is, it's a job interview. My take on it is that the Navy is denying him an opportunity to interview for a post-military career, whether right or wrong."Kettani, who rushed for 1,862 yards and 14 touchdowns in his last two seasons for the Midshipmen, was traveling today and unavailable to comment. [url]http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/football/bal-kett ani0213,0,5993970.story[/url]

damn, i was just about to make a highlight of him, so much for that, i feel sorry for him. I know he made a commitment to the military when he signed up but i doubt he ever thought that he could make an NFL roster. He could play for a while and still serve his country afterwards and help the recruitment process.
the military is really hurting itself with these descisions. If he and/or campbell had made a roster then it would help recruiting. The chances of someone who plays football for one of the military teams going pro is very slim. So its not like they would lose all these players to professional teams in the future. So far that would be one less person in the Army and maybe one less in the Navy. How the hell is he going to make it in the NFL 5 years from now? I know David Robinson did it in Basketball i believe, i dont know which part of the military he was in, but that is basketball and probably the lone exception.Edited by: dwid

 

[backrow]

Robinson was a sailor as well, hence his nick: the Admiral.

sucks about Kettani, he could definitely have made it.

 

[whiteathlete33]

Luke Staley was easily the best white running back of the past 10 years. The only other white back on his level was Jervey. Staley could have been a thousand yard back in the NFL consistently. It's such a shame when once in a blue moon we have a white back with such talent and injuries destroy his career.

 

[Don Wassall]

I think Rob Konrad, Mike Alstott, Bob Christian and Heath Evans are all NFL fullbacks that could have been thousand yard rushers if used at halfback as they should have been.Scott Greenehad a short NFLcareer at FBbut was a very good running back at Michigan State. Brock Forsey and Jesse Lumsden would also have been successful NFL tailbacks. Someother white running backs could have hit 1,000 yards over the past10 years but got no opportunity at tailback or even at fullback. And then there are all the ones who starred in high school but who were forced to change positions or walk-on or play at small programs in college. Edited by: Don Wassall

 

[whiteathlete33]

You are absolutely right Don about those players having 1000 yard capability. Jervey had better speed than Staley but Staley was the better back.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Sad news about Eric. Hopefully we'll have a couple of men who can at least get signed by a team.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Scratch Kettani:


Kettani denied permission to take part in NFL scouting combine</font>

recently someone in a thread discussing recruiting argued that i was wrong about the U.S. Service Academies not being a good destination for white football players, saying at least they'll get an opportunity to show their talents.

well, i disagreed, saying it should be an absolute last resort because of the military obligation putting a serious damper on potential NFL draft picks.

sadly, it looks like i knew what i was talking about.

 

[Gi-15]

Oh that's great to hear! And next year's RB class isn't quite as deep. Jake Sharp and Toby Gerhart would both be in my top 5 already after only one full season with the majority of reps at tailback for their teams.

Lippincott might have a chance to get a little interest from the NFL if he has recovered nicely. If Sharp has a great year he might be my number one, but personally I like C.J Spiller, Toby Gerhart, Joe McKnight and power back Charles Scott ahead of him at this point.

My top 5 for next year:

1. C.J Spiller
2. Toby Gerhart
3. Joe McKnight
4. Charles Scott (similar to Gerhart, but in a better offense to work with)
5. Jake Sharp

What do you like so much about Joe McKnight TJR? He's a bush clone, and we all know what this account to in the NFL. He doesn't have the production that bush had. probably because the USC backfield is crowded. Spiller is a good, fast player on a terrible team, so I'll forget the fact that he didn't produce either. Personnaly my top 5 would be

1. DeMarco Murray(if he can stay healthy)
2. Toby Gerhart (he's in for a BIG year now that his backfield mate Kimble is gone)
3. Jahvid Best
4. Jake Sharp
5. Charles Scott

 

[whiteathlete33]

Toby Gerhart is a fullback isn't he? I only ask because on Rivals he was listed as a fullback.Edited by: whiteathlete33

 

[Gi-15]

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

Gi-15: I like the same things about Joe McKnight that I like about McGuffie; freakish change of direction skills! I believe McKnight ran for 7.9 YPC at USC this past year, but only had around 700 yards rushing; b/c of so few carries.

McKnight currently has the edge over Sam in vision as a runner, but Guff has a better initial burst and I think more potential for power if he can add a little weight and learn to lower his shoulder forward on contact more.

I'd say McKnight has slightly better top-end speed, but truly these guys are similar players with just small differences and have similar body types. But Sam was ranked about 30th by Rivals and ESPN for RBs overall and McKnight was ranked 1st; typical.

Jahvid Best and DeMarco Murray are the 2011 draft and I realized I made a mistake b/c so is McKnight.

Spiller has produced similar to Jake Sharp in yards; but had a monster 7.3 YPC and impressive 938 yards as a freshman. Sharp had more TDs last year, but Kansas's overall offense was better. Sharp very well could be my number one RB next year if he has a monster year like I expect. It will be his first full year as a full-time starter!

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

Scratch Kettani:


Kettani denied permission to take part in NFL scouting combine</font>

This is so stupid. Like I said: The military should have some sort of policy that guys who make an NFL roster from the academy football teams will be required to do 5 years military duty after football instead of 4.

If the player thumbs their nose at this because they are filthy rich afterward with no legit reason, they will be given a dishonorable discharge label.

Also a 10-15% income tax penalty per year could be given for cheating on their duty after being granted the opportunity to play in the NFL first.

Kettani is a legit tailback prospect and is probably the only legit Division IA white guy for that position this year other than Bolen who's a Power-back. Kyle Bell doesn't look half as good as he used to. All the other white tailback prospects are small schoolers.