The RB class 2017

You've got this year's running back class and last year's running back class combined. Using all the information you currently have, rank your top 10 backs if all parties are healthy.

Go!
 
This was a lot harder than I thought it would be. All parties are healthy is the part that swayed me on some choices. Damn that's a lot of running backs. McCaffrey didn't make my top 10...

1. Guice
2. Fournette
3. Chubb
4. Barkley
5. Cook
6. Mixon
7. Hunt
8. K Johnson
9. Walton
10. Penny
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 007
007 said:
It’s a lot of things people here have parroted and spoken out about.

High grades, lofty praise and legit concerns. All of Barkley’s grade out as things he can develop, he just doesn’t grade out quite as polished right now. Guice is a total package guy who might not have the All Pro/MVP upside but he’s a monster.

Damn I hope we get one of those guys.
Click to expand...
Barkley's biggest concern to me isn't if he can run between the tackles. He clearly can. It's that sometimes he tries to do too much when he does. He needs a coach to tell him that the 2 yard gain doesn't have to be made into a 20 yard gain. Take the 2 yards and go to 2nd and 8. Barkley in college tries to break the big one and turns it into 2nd and 13. It's not even a physical deficit, it's a mindset that he has. Any NFL coach will have that broken in a week.
 
Trying to be as unbiased as possible I'd say this is pretty close to where my rankings would mix together. Barkley is clearly at the top of the class for me. Guice is close. Fournette was a great prospect but I wasn't a fan of him in the top 5. I thought Mixon was a 1st round talent. Cook was a late 1st-early 2nd for me. The more I watch Ronald Jones the more I like him. He's bumped past Penny on my board. He's a potential 1st round talent that'll probably drop to the 2nd round. I was on the Hunt bandwagon with the rest of the folks here. Thought he was a steal in the 3rd. Seemed like this whole board was pissed when the Chiefs got him and rightfully so. Penny is going to be the next 3rd round steal IMO. Kamara was a 3rd rounder to me. Very talented but wondered about how many touches he could handle. Well, he answered that. If we were able to use retrospect he'd be up near Barkley. Michel's fumbles worry me but he's a playmaker. Give him the ball and good things happen.

1) Barkley
2) Guice
3) Fournette
4) Mixon
5) Cook
6) Jones II
7) McCaffery
8) Hunt
9) Penny
10) Kamara
11) Michel/Chubb

Edit - To add McCaffery. Like the rest of the NFL, forgot about the white RB. Had him as a 2nd rounder last year. Also put Chubb in with Michel. I like them both for different reasons but have similar grades on them.
 
Last edited:
I put Chubb and others so high because I'm looking at a healthy Chubb (pre injury) probably not the way to go about it, but that's what I was doing. A healthy Guice, Fournette and Chubb.... Just my style of RB's.
 
raiderfreak7 said:
Barkley's biggest concern to me isn't if he can run between the tackles. He clearly can. It's that sometimes he tries to do too much when he does. He needs a coach to tell him that the 2 yard gain doesn't have to be made into a 20 yard gain. Take the 2 yards and go to 2nd and 8. Barkley in college tries to break the big one and turns it into 2nd and 13. It's not even a physical deficit, it's a mindset that he has. Any NFL coach will have that broken in a week.
Click to expand...
I just wonder if he's making "buisness decisions". I wouldn't blame him if he did this year either. He was a top 3 running back lock before the season started, all he had to do is keep himself healthy and perform well enough.
 
raiderfreak7 said:
Trying to be as unbiased as possible I'd say this is pretty close to where my rankings would mix together. Barkley is clearly at the top of the class for me. Guice is close. Fournette was a great prospect but I wasn't a fan of him in the top 5. I thought Mixon was a 1st round talent. Cook was a late 1st-early 2nd for me. The more I watch Ronald Jones the more I like him. He's bumped past Penny on my board. He's a potential 1st round talent that'll probably drop to the 2nd round. I was on the Hunt bandwagon with the rest of the folks here. Thought he was a steal in the 3rd. Seemed like this whole board was pissed when the Chiefs got him and rightfully so. Penny is going to be the next 3rd round steal IMO. Kamara was a 3rd rounder to me. Very talented but wondered about how many touches he could handle. Well, he answered that. If we were able to use retrospect he'd be up near Barkley. Michel's fumbles worry me but he's a playmaker. Give him the ball and good things happen.

1) Barkley
2) Guice
3) Fournette
4) Mixon
5) Cook
6) Jones II
7) Hunt
8) Penny
9) Kamara
10) Michel
Click to expand...

Dude, love it. The only gripe would be I think we are overrating Penny a tad.

I like him, but I stay a little more quiet on him as I think he's more of an early day 3 type of guy.

Where is McCaffrey? Or is he a weapon type of guy not a RB?

I'd just replace Penny with Kerryon but the numbers are damn near perfect IMO.
 
007 said:
Dude, love it. The only gripe would be I think we are overrating Penny a tad.

I like him, but I stay a little more quiet on him as I think he's more of an early day 3 type of guy.

Where is McCaffrey? Or is he a weapon type of guy not a RB?

I'd just replace Penny with Kerryon but the numbers are damn near perfect IMO.
Click to expand...
Forgot about McCaffery. I added him in on an edit, thanks for the reminder. Had him as a 2nd rounder last year. He's a guy Chucky would work the fuck out of and turn into a 1200/1000 yard guy.

With Penny I think what I like about him the most is his footwork and vision. He sees where he wants to go in an instant and with his quick feet he doesn't lose much for speed once he cuts. It's fun to watch from a big guy. He might never be a star RB but I have him graded similarly to Hunt last year... who I also didn't think would be a star, just a solid starter.

With Kerryon we've had this discussion. I like him, I really do. But I have more constraints about him than say Penny and Chubb. If we took him in the 3rd round I'd be stoked. He's a damn good football player.
 
Last edited:
raiderfreak7 said:
I think it was @007 who has said it before, but I wouldn't shed a tear if he was our pick at 10. He's going to have as much of impact on an offense that Fournette had IMO. He's a bonafide stud in his own right. He gets looked over by your average fan because he's not a 'stud' top 5 pick like Barkley and he's not a 'steal in the 3+ rounds' like half a dozen other guys. He'd be a great pick anywhere after the top 10.
Click to expand...

He has some of the best vision both at the LOS and in the open field that I’ve ever seen at the collegiate level. He’s got the prototypical, compact yet sturdy 5-11 220 frame. Great hands. I wonder what he can run 40 wise? He doesn’t LOOK like he’s moving that fast but damn every time you see him he’s pulling away from defenders. Him and the small school TE are the two offensive players I would give my left nut for in this draft. On the other side I like the UCF CB and Hurst of UM. If we could walk away with those four we’d kill this draft.
 
Last edited:
Armyr8rfan said:
He has some of the best vision both at the LOS and in the open field that I’ve ever seen at the collegiate level. He’s got the prototypical, compact yet sturdy 5-11 220 frame. Great hands. I wonder what he can run 40 wise? He doesn’t LOOK like he’s moving that fast but damn every time you see him he’s pulling away from defenders. Him and the small school TE are the two offensive players I would give my left but for in this draft. On the other side I like the UCF CB and Hurst of UM. If we could walk away with those four we’d kill this draft.
Click to expand...

Who even says this?
 
007 said:
Kamara, Hunt and Fournette landed in perfect scenarios on offenses that fit them well.

If our shitty team wants to win we need to find our guy to do the same thing.

Honestly I think Guice behind Marshawn would be a godsend for one year, but I could also see Gruden wanting a passing game back who can get open in space.

Will be interesting.
Click to expand...

If he plans on running Zone, and wants a kid who can catch out of the backfield, it sounds as if the USC kid would be his ideal RB.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 007
alteredst8 said:
This was a lot harder than I thought it would be. All parties are healthy is the part that swayed me on some choices. Damn that's a lot of running backs. McCaffrey didn't make my top 10...

1. Guice
2. Fournette
3. Chubb
4. Barkley
5. Cook
6. Mixon
7. Hunt
8. K Johnson
9. Walton
10. Penny
Click to expand...

Chubb is about 9 slots too high. There is just no trait that puts him above any of the other guys listed.

Mine would look like @raiderfreak7 with Kerryon instead of Penny.
 
007 said:
Chubb is about 9 slots too high. There is just no trait that puts him above any of the other guys listed.

Mine would look like @raiderfreak7 with Kerryon instead of Penny.
Click to expand...
He admitted that this is pre-injury Chubb he's rating and not who he was last year. I do think Chubb gets a little stability back in his knee but he won't ever be more explosive IMO. Kind of like how Willis McGahee was still a heck of a back but he wasn't the freak he was pre-injury.
 
raiderfreak7 said:
He admitted that this is pre-injury Chubb he's rating and not who he was last year. I do think Chubb gets a little stability back in his knee but he won't ever be more explosive IMO. Kind of like how Willis McGahee was still a heck of a back but he wasn't the freak he was pre-injury.
Click to expand...

Yeah he can still be damn solid I just can’t see any way you rate the guy top five right now.

He’s not giving you elite speed, elusivenes, acceleration or wiggle.

He’s got knee history, he’s never caught the ball in college (this is usually a surprisingly efficient way of finding RB potential). I mean if you just graded him based of 17 he looks like a 4-5 rounder.

Rolling the dice on upside for sure but I wouldn’t go too early on that.
 
007 said:
Yeah he can still be damn solid I just can’t see any way you rate the guy top five right now.

He’s not giving you elite speed, elusivenes, acceleration or wiggle.

He’s got knee history, he’s never caught the ball in college (this is usually a surprisingly efficient way of finding RB potential). I mean if you just graded him based of 17 he looks like a 4-5 rounder.

Rolling the dice on upside for sure but I wouldn’t go too early on that.
Click to expand...
I think he'll be a very solid back for whoever takes him. He'll probably never be special. But I think he can give Latavius like production. Or LeGarrette Blount. A solid guy that you might look to always upgrade from but is a contributor.
 
raiderfreak7 said:
I think he'll be a very solid back for whoever takes him. He'll probably never be special. But I think he can give Latavius like production. Or LeGarrette Blount. A solid guy that you might look to always upgrade from but is a contributor.
Click to expand...

Exactly right...and those guys go late in the draft.

Objectively speaking I see little difference between the bigger, younger, faster Bo Scarbrough and Chubb. Similar power and wiggle.

Both guys are just your typical 4+ round power guys who likely won’t add a dynamic element or provide passing game yards.

He will have a role but I just don’t want to over draft him based on who he was in 2015.

4th round or later let’s go baby.
 
people still rating Mixon who didn't do shit super high and Kamara not even top 5? He was the OROY! Grudawg would get that guy the rock in space I have no doubt.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.
Back
Top