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2015 Rookie RB Class, Who's the BEST? (1 Viewer)

BigTex

Don't mess with Texas
Is Gurley the best of the running backs? His injuries concern me a bit even though he's now healthy but I'm also a HUGE fan of Ameer and thinks he has the legit potential to be at least in the top 3 if not the 1st taken in the NFL. (I'm not really sure he's 5'9 like his Bio states so I can't wait to find out and I know he's packed on a few more pounds).

Are there in backs in this class that you'd choose over any RB in the 2014 class? If so, why?

If RBs like Gurley, Gordon, Ameer, Yeldon were eligible or available in 2014 would you pick them at 1.01 or 1.05 if you could.

Now, I'm talking Dynasty and I don't really care if it's PPR or not.

Tex

 
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So far I've got:

Todd Gurley

Melvin Gordon

Karlos Williams

Mike Davis

Duke Johnson

T.J. Yeldon

Probably missing someone big, doing this quickly.

 
I know it's really really early but how many of those guys are we thinking go in the first round?

 
I think this debate will pick up during the next CFB season. Right now I think most people would have Gurley #1. Big dude with solid agility and speed who can catch passes. If I have a question mark about him, it's that he looks a bit heavy-footed and sluggish for the first few yards at times. Even though he has some fast track times on his CV, I don't know that he plays with a great deal of suddenness/explosiveness.

Gordon is more electric, but also not nearly as put together. He's got a little bit of that lanky straight-line speedster McFadden thing going on, but to his credit he shows more elusiveness and quicker feet/hips than what DMC showed at Arkansas. He's also a bit stronger through the lower body. The thing that scares me apart from the build is that it seems like a lot of his yards come on gimmicky sweeps. Those won't work in the NFL.

Close for me between those two right now. I don't have a strong leaning either way. I owned the #2 devy pick in one league, but traded it away. I can't say this dilemma has concerned me much the past few months and it's not something that I'll really think much about again until next Fall.

Sort of like Mike Davis as a solid height/weight/speed guy with decent running ability and good production. My early hunch is that he's closer to Ben Tate (2nd round pick) than Doug Martin (1st round pick). Would not rule him out as an eventual 1st round possibility though.

Really like Ameer, but he's got a different body type and he's quicker than fast. Some of his cuts are insane. He can catch the ball too. Very athletic and very productive. Despite the workload he's handled at Nebraska, I think he's best suited to a commitee role as sort of a Warrick Dunn type of guy.

And of course I have to throw out a Mike Dyer shoutout. Prodigious height/weight/speed athlete. Advanced age, lack of receiving skills, and checkered off-field issues will ensure he's a late pick if not a UDFA. I'll continue to tout him as a nice bargain play on the basis of his rare raw ability.

Not super high on Karlos Williams, Keith Marshall, or Byron Marshall. Do like Keith's speed and quickness, but wonder about his physical constitution. Williams too upright and sprinter-y for me to really get behind. Intrigued by Shock Linwood. Not sure if he's an A level athlete or more of a backup guy. It's hard to tell how much his numbers owe to his talent and how much the system.

 
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I think this debate will pick up during the next CFB season. Right now I think most people would have Gurley #1. Big dude with solid agility and speed who can catch passes. If I have a question mark about him, it's that he looks a bit heavy-footed and sluggish for the first few yards at times. Even though he has some fast track times on his CV, I don't know that he plays with a great deal of suddenness/explosiveness.

Gordon is more electric, but also not nearly as put together. He's got a little bit of that lanky straight-line speedster McFadden thing going on, but to his credit he shows more elusiveness and quicker feet/hips than what DMC showed at Arkansas. He's also a bit stronger through the lower body. The thing that scares me apart from the build is that it seems like a lot of his yards come on gimmicky sweeps. Those won't work in the NFL.

Close for me between those two right now. I don't have a strong leaning either way. I owned the #2 devy pick in one league, but traded it away. I can't say this dilemma has concerned me much the past few months and it's not something that I'll really think much about again until next Fall.

Sort of like Mike Davis as a solid height/weight/speed guy with decent running ability and good production. My early hunch is that he's closer to Ben Tate (2nd round pick) than Doug Martin (1st round pick). Would not rule him out as an eventual 1st round possibility though.

Really like Ameer, but he's got a different body type and he's quicker than fast. Some of his cuts are insane. He can catch the ball too. Very athletic and very productive. Despite the workload he's handled at Nebraska, I think he's best suited to a commitee role as sort of a Warrick Dunn type of guy.

And of course I have to throw out a Mike Dyer shoutout. Prodigious height/weight/speed athlete. Advanced age, lack of receiving skills, and checkered off-field issues will ensure he's a late pick if not a UDFA. I'll continue to tout him as a nice bargain play on the basis of his rare raw ability.

Not super high on Karlos Williams, Keith Marshall, or Byron Marshall. Do like Keith's speed and quickness, but wonder about his physical constitution. Williams too upright and sprinter-y for me to really get behind. Intrigued by Shock Linwood. Not sure if he's an A level athlete or more of a backup guy. It's hard to tell how much his numbers owe to his talent and how much the system.
1. Why did you trade away your 1.2 pick and for what in return?

2. I've become a big fan of Ameer......hope you're wrong about the committee.

3. You've stuck with Dyer through thick (and I mean THICK) and thin and I'm starting to see him move up on most draftnick's board. I gave up on him a long time ago but you've stuck in there and he just might be turning things around which is great for him.

4. I do like both Marshalls (maybe because my last name is Marshall) but what I don't like about Karlos is that he looks very stiff when he runs. Too stiff for my liking.

5. What about Yeldon?

 
So far I've got:

Todd Gurley

Melvin Gordon

Karlos Williams

Mike Davis

Duke Johnson

T.J. Yeldon

Probably missing someone big, doing this quickly.
Is that in the order you rank them?
Yeah, that's where I've got them right now, assuming they do what I expect (mostly talking about Williams with that).
I'm not too sure about Duke or Mike yet..............I need to see more of their games.
Mike isn't flashy but he can do it all.

Duke is electric. Too small to be a feature back most likely but there's a place for him in today's NFL, and as a fantasy starter depending on his landing spot.

 
I think this debate will pick up during the next CFB season. Right now I think most people would have Gurley #1. Big dude with solid agility and speed who can catch passes. If I have a question mark about him, it's that he looks a bit heavy-footed and sluggish for the first few yards at times. Even though he has some fast track times on his CV, I don't know that he plays with a great deal of suddenness/explosiveness.

Gordon is more electric, but also not nearly as put together. He's got a little bit of that lanky straight-line speedster McFadden thing going on, but to his credit he shows more elusiveness and quicker feet/hips than what DMC showed at Arkansas. He's also a bit stronger through the lower body. The thing that scares me apart from the build is that it seems like a lot of his yards come on gimmicky sweeps. Those won't work in the NFL.

Close for me between those two right now. I don't have a strong leaning either way. I owned the #2 devy pick in one league, but traded it away. I can't say this dilemma has concerned me much the past few months and it's not something that I'll really think much about again until next Fall.

Sort of like Mike Davis as a solid height/weight/speed guy with decent running ability and good production. My early hunch is that he's closer to Ben Tate (2nd round pick) than Doug Martin (1st round pick). Would not rule him out as an eventual 1st round possibility though.

Really like Ameer, but he's got a different body type and he's quicker than fast. Some of his cuts are insane. He can catch the ball too. Very athletic and very productive. Despite the workload he's handled at Nebraska, I think he's best suited to a commitee role as sort of a Warrick Dunn type of guy.

And of course I have to throw out a Mike Dyer shoutout. Prodigious height/weight/speed athlete. Advanced age, lack of receiving skills, and checkered off-field issues will ensure he's a late pick if not a UDFA. I'll continue to tout him as a nice bargain play on the basis of his rare raw ability.

Not super high on Karlos Williams, Keith Marshall, or Byron Marshall. Do like Keith's speed and quickness, but wonder about his physical constitution. Williams too upright and sprinter-y for me to really get behind. Intrigued by Shock Linwood. Not sure if he's an A level athlete or more of a backup guy. It's hard to tell how much his numbers owe to his talent and how much the system.
1. Why did you trade away your 1.2 pick and for what in return?

2. I've become a big fan of Ameer......hope you're wrong about the committee.

3. You've stuck with Dyer through thick (and I mean THICK) and thin and I'm starting to see him move up on most draftnick's board. I gave up on him a long time ago but you've stuck in there and he just might be turning things around which is great for him.

4. I do like both Marshalls (maybe because my last name is Marshall) but what I don't like about Karlos is that he looks very stiff when he runs. Too stiff for my liking.

5. What about Yeldon?
I traded the 1.02 dev straight up for Jordan Cameron. That league is 1.5 PPR for TE with TE/WR occupying the same starting slots. He was #16 WR/TE in that league last year, so right around guys like Jordy, VJax, and Fitzgerald in production. There is some risk of regression with him, but also some risk that Gurley/Gordon/Davis/etc end up like McFadden/Trent/Beanie. It's easy to forget that only a fraction of even the top college guys will become reliable FF assets. That being the case, I felt fine with the move.

I am a big fan of Ameer too. Electric game tape and great production on the stat sheet. Atypical body though. Deceptively strong, but just not the biggest guy around. I like the idea of using him as a Dunn type who gets 180-200 carries and loads of catches. I think he's underrated by the dev community. I also think he's unlikely to be a 1st round pick though. He's neither huge nor exceptionally fast (i.e 4.3X). You usually have to check at least one of those boxes to go in the 1st.

As far as Dyer goes, I've said it all before. Rare physical talent. People talked about Isaiah Crowell being this year's Christine Michael. Well, Crowell was a prep sensation and an impact frosh, but he never had the first round workout metrics. Dyer will never be a 1st round pick at this point, but...if you want your next workout monster at RB, he's a strong contender. Guy will look like a million bucks at the combine and probably run 4.4X and jump out of the gym at something like 5'9" 215-220. The baggage and age will kill his draft stock, but get him on the field in training camp and he'll look the part from day one.

On the fence about Yeldon. Looks the part in terms of the height/weight/speed numbers and his production. Alabama has some pretty good backs in the stable and he's managed to outcompete them all. Obviously he has a lot of talent. His funky running style sticks out in a bad way to me. He'll be in the mix next year. I can't say he's one of my personal favorites, but I'd still consider him in the top 4-5 picks of a dev draft.

 
I think this debate will pick up during the next CFB season. Right now I think most people would have Gurley #1. Big dude with solid agility and speed who can catch passes. If I have a question mark about him, it's that he looks a bit heavy-footed and sluggish for the first few yards at times. Even though he has some fast track times on his CV, I don't know that he plays with a great deal of suddenness/explosiveness.

Gordon is more electric, but also not nearly as put together. He's got a little bit of that lanky straight-line speedster McFadden thing going on, but to his credit he shows more elusiveness and quicker feet/hips than what DMC showed at Arkansas. He's also a bit stronger through the lower body. The thing that scares me apart from the build is that it seems like a lot of his yards come on gimmicky sweeps. Those won't work in the NFL.

Close for me between those two right now. I don't have a strong leaning either way. I owned the #2 devy pick in one league, but traded it away. I can't say this dilemma has concerned me much the past few months and it's not something that I'll really think much about again until next Fall.

Sort of like Mike Davis as a solid height/weight/speed guy with decent running ability and good production. My early hunch is that he's closer to Ben Tate (2nd round pick) than Doug Martin (1st round pick). Would not rule him out as an eventual 1st round possibility though.

Really like Ameer, but he's got a different body type and he's quicker than fast. Some of his cuts are insane. He can catch the ball too. Very athletic and very productive. Despite the workload he's handled at Nebraska, I think he's best suited to a commitee role as sort of a Warrick Dunn type of guy.

And of course I have to throw out a Mike Dyer shoutout. Prodigious height/weight/speed athlete. Advanced age, lack of receiving skills, and checkered off-field issues will ensure he's a late pick if not a UDFA. I'll continue to tout him as a nice bargain play on the basis of his rare raw ability.

Not super high on Karlos Williams, Keith Marshall, or Byron Marshall. Do like Keith's speed and quickness, but wonder about his physical constitution. Williams too upright and sprinter-y for me to really get behind. Intrigued by Shock Linwood. Not sure if he's an A level athlete or more of a backup guy. It's hard to tell how much his numbers owe to his talent and how much the system.
1. Why did you trade away your 1.2 pick and for what in return?

2. I've become a big fan of Ameer......hope you're wrong about the committee.

3. You've stuck with Dyer through thick (and I mean THICK) and thin and I'm starting to see him move up on most draftnick's board. I gave up on him a long time ago but you've stuck in there and he just might be turning things around which is great for him.

4. I do like both Marshalls (maybe because my last name is Marshall) but what I don't like about Karlos is that he looks very stiff when he runs. Too stiff for my liking.

5. What about Yeldon?
I traded the 1.02 dev straight up for Jordan Cameron. That league is 1.5 PPR for TE with TE/WR occupying the same starting slots. He was #16 WR/TE in that league last year, so right around guys like Jordy, VJax, and Fitzgerald in production. There is some risk of regression with him, but also some risk that Gurley/Gordon/Davis/etc end up like McFadden/Trent/Beanie. It's easy to forget that only a fraction of even the top college guys will become reliable FF assets. That being the case, I felt fine with the move.

I am a big fan of Ameer too. Electric game tape and great production on the stat sheet. Atypical body though. Deceptively strong, but just not the biggest guy around. I like the idea of using him as a Dunn type who gets 180-200 carries and loads of catches. I think he's underrated by the dev community. I also think he's unlikely to be a 1st round pick though. He's neither huge nor exceptionally fast (i.e 4.3X). You usually have to check at least one of those boxes to go in the 1st.

As far as Dyer goes, I've said it all before. Rare physical talent. People talked about Isaiah Crowell being this year's Christine Michael. Well, Crowell was a prep sensation and an impact frosh, but he never had the first round workout metrics. Dyer will never be a 1st round pick at this point, but...if you want your next workout monster at RB, he's a strong contender. Guy will look like a million bucks at the combine and probably run 4.4X and jump out of the gym at something like 5'9" 215-220. The baggage and age will kill his draft stock, but get him on the field in training camp and he'll look the part from day one.

On the fence about Yeldon. Looks the part in terms of the height/weight/speed numbers and his production. Alabama has some pretty good backs in the stable and he's managed to outcompete them all. Obviously he has a lot of talent. His funky running style sticks out in a bad way to me. He'll be in the mix next year. I can't say he's one of my personal favorites, but I'd still consider him in the top 4-5 picks of a dev draft.
Totally agree and it gets lost sometimes when it comes to rookies especially running backs but things have changed a lot over the last 4 or five years. There once was a time when drafting a WR took 2-3yrs to develop now they produce right away but there are not only uncertainty at the RB position but you have to wait and see before they get their chance and even if they do it may end up and committee situation. So WR like Cooper and Green-Beckham are more appealing.

Good trade snatching Jordan, I'm in the same type of league and would do that trade in a heartbeat.

ETA: What I like about Ameer the most is that he's so electric he makes opposing defenders fall out of the shoes and he doesn't lose speed when he makes his cuts. I don't like comparing college players to pros and I've never have but he truly does have Barry Sanders type moves. I like him better than I liked Spiller and the man love I had for Spiller while at Clemson was borderline insane.

Tex

 
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I think this debate will pick up during the next CFB season. Right now I think most people would have Gurley #1. Big dude with solid agility and speed who can catch passes. If I have a question mark about him, it's that he looks a bit heavy-footed and sluggish for the first few yards at times. Even though he has some fast track times on his CV, I don't know that he plays with a great deal of suddenness/explosiveness.

Gordon is more electric, but also not nearly as put together. He's got a little bit of that lanky straight-line speedster McFadden thing going on, but to his credit he shows more elusiveness and quicker feet/hips than what DMC showed at Arkansas. He's also a bit stronger through the lower body. The thing that scares me apart from the build is that it seems like a lot of his yards come on gimmicky sweeps. Those won't work in the NFL.

Close for me between those two right now. I don't have a strong leaning either way. I owned the #2 devy pick in one league, but traded it away. I can't say this dilemma has concerned me much the past few months and it's not something that I'll really think much about again until next Fall.

Sort of like Mike Davis as a solid height/weight/speed guy with decent running ability and good production. My early hunch is that he's closer to Ben Tate (2nd round pick) than Doug Martin (1st round pick). Would not rule him out as an eventual 1st round possibility though.

Really like Ameer, but he's got a different body type and he's quicker than fast. Some of his cuts are insane. He can catch the ball too. Very athletic and very productive. Despite the workload he's handled at Nebraska, I think he's best suited to a commitee role as sort of a Warrick Dunn type of guy.

And of course I have to throw out a Mike Dyer shoutout. Prodigious height/weight/speed athlete. Advanced age, lack of receiving skills, and checkered off-field issues will ensure he's a late pick if not a UDFA. I'll continue to tout him as a nice bargain play on the basis of his rare raw ability.

Not super high on Karlos Williams, Keith Marshall, or Byron Marshall. Do like Keith's speed and quickness, but wonder about his physical constitution. Williams too upright and sprinter-y for me to really get behind. Intrigued by Shock Linwood. Not sure if he's an A level athlete or more of a backup guy. It's hard to tell how much his numbers owe to his talent and how much the system.
1. Why did you trade away your 1.2 pick and for what in return?

2. I've become a big fan of Ameer......hope you're wrong about the committee.

3. You've stuck with Dyer through thick (and I mean THICK) and thin and I'm starting to see him move up on most draftnick's board. I gave up on him a long time ago but you've stuck in there and he just might be turning things around which is great for him.

4. I do like both Marshalls (maybe because my last name is Marshall) but what I don't like about Karlos is that he looks very stiff when he runs. Too stiff for my liking.

5. What about Yeldon?
I traded the 1.02 dev straight up for Jordan Cameron. That league is 1.5 PPR for TE with TE/WR occupying the same starting slots. He was #16 WR/TE in that league last year, so right around guys like Jordy, VJax, and Fitzgerald in production. There is some risk of regression with him, but also some risk that Gurley/Gordon/Davis/etc end up like McFadden/Trent/Beanie. It's easy to forget that only a fraction of even the top college guys will become reliable FF assets. That being the case, I felt fine with the move.

I am a big fan of Ameer too. Electric game tape and great production on the stat sheet. Atypical body though. Deceptively strong, but just not the biggest guy around. I like the idea of using him as a Dunn type who gets 180-200 carries and loads of catches. I think he's underrated by the dev community. I also think he's unlikely to be a 1st round pick though. He's neither huge nor exceptionally fast (i.e 4.3X). You usually have to check at least one of those boxes to go in the 1st.

As far as Dyer goes, I've said it all before. Rare physical talent. People talked about Isaiah Crowell being this year's Christine Michael. Well, Crowell was a prep sensation and an impact frosh, but he never had the first round workout metrics. Dyer will never be a 1st round pick at this point, but...if you want your next workout monster at RB, he's a strong contender. Guy will look like a million bucks at the combine and probably run 4.4X and jump out of the gym at something like 5'9" 215-220. The baggage and age will kill his draft stock, but get him on the field in training camp and he'll look the part from day one.

On the fence about Yeldon. Looks the part in terms of the height/weight/speed numbers and his production. Alabama has some pretty good backs in the stable and he's managed to outcompete them all. Obviously he has a lot of talent. His funky running style sticks out in a bad way to me. He'll be in the mix next year. I can't say he's one of my personal favorites, but I'd still consider him in the top 4-5 picks of a dev draft.
Totally agree and it gets lost sometimes when it comes to rookies especially running backs but things have changed a lot over the last 4 or five years. There once was a time when drafting a WR took 2-3yrs to develop now they produce right away but there are not only uncertainty at the RB position but you have to wait and see before they get their chance and even if they do it may end up and committee situation. So WR like Cooper and Green-Beckham are more appealing.

Good trade snatching Jordan, I'm in the same type of league and would do that trade in a heartbeat.

ETA: What I like about Ameer the most is that he's so electric he makes opposing defenders fall out of the shoes and he doesn't lose speed when he makes his cuts. I don't like comparing college players to pros and I've never have but he truly does have Barry Sanders type moves. I like him better than I liked Spiller and the man love I had for Spiller while at Clemson was borderline insane.

Tex
Well, I think next year's WR class looks pretty terrible where we stand today, so if I had a top 3-4 dev pick then it would be RB all the way.

Don't know about my NFL comp for Ameer. Built/runs a bit like Odell Beckham, but more rocked up and obviously plays a different position. Super quick with a bow-legged body that gives him a nice wide running base and excellent change of direction. Not sure how NFL teams are going to utilize him, but there has to be a role for someone with his talent level. Could see him in tandem with a bigger back ala Reggie Bush in Detroit.

 
Gurley, Gordon, Yeldon clear top 3, for obvious reasons IMO.

Abdullah and Duke are electric BUT size and build limit their upside IMO. Davis isn't all that impressive to me and Williams is a wild card... I think he's got some special ability but is he really an RB or the next Deon Sanders of the backfield? I'd have a hard time spending a devy pick on him with his ambiguous role in the future.

I respect you sticking with Dyer all this time EBF... He may only have a few years in the NFL if he sticks somewhere (assuming he gets there.)

Matt Jones and Johnathan Gray coming off of injury could climb a bit perhaps. (Malcom Brown never really reached his potential.)

ETA: Gordon could regret his decision of returning to UW... Clement is going to be hard to keep off the field and it could handicap Gordons potential for a true breakout season.

 
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Is Derrick Henry eligible? Dude is a freight train

Also, I have season tickets to Huskers and Amir is more Shady then Bush
2016 for Henry. Amir looks bigger than Duke and there's no doubting his quicks. I think it will be interesting if he can add weight and keep the quicks.

 
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So far I've got:

Todd Gurley

Melvin Gordon

Karlos Williams

Mike Davis

Duke Johnson

T.J. Yeldon

Probably missing someone big, doing this quickly.
I have near identical rankings, except Jay Ajayi above Davis and Yeldon is not in my top 10.

 
Gurley, Gordon, Yeldon clear top 3, for obvious reasons IMO.

Abdullah and Duke are electric BUT size and build limit their upside IMO. Davis isn't all that impressive to me and Williams is a wild card... I think he's got some special ability but is he really an RB or the next Deon Sanders of the backfield? I'd have a hard time spending a devy pick on him with his ambiguous role in the future.

I respect you sticking with Dyer all this time EBF... He may only have a few years in the NFL if he sticks somewhere (assuming he gets there.)

Matt Jones and Johnathan Gray coming off of injury could climb a bit perhaps. (Malcom Brown never really reached his potential.)

ETA: Gordon could regret his decision of returning to UW... Clement is going to be hard to keep off the field and it could handicap Gordons potential for a true breakout season.
Clement will keep Gordon fresher than if he were to get the full load of carries. That's a great thing.

 
Is Gurley the best of the running backs? His injuries concern me a bit even though he's now healthy but I'm also a HUGE fan of Ameer and thinks he has the legit potential to be at least in the top 3 if not the 1st taken in the NFL. (I'm not really sure he's 5'9 like his Bio states so I can't wait to find out and I know he's packed on a few more pounds).

Are there in backs in this class that you'd choose over any RB in the 2014 class? If so, why?

If RBs like Gurley, Gordon, Ameer, Yeldon were eligible or available in 2014 would you pick them at 1.01 or 1.05 if you could.

Now, I'm talking Dynasty and I don't really care if it's PPR or not.

Tex
For those of you who know these running backs, where would they go in 2014 if they came out?

 
Very likely that Gurley and Gordon would go ahead of any 2014 back IMO. Could also see Yeldon and Davis as late 1st-early 2nd round NFL picks.

After that I think the quality starts to drop back into the 2014 pack.

One way or another, should be a better RB class next year.

2015 RB > 2014 RB

2015 WR < 2014 WR

That's my take anyway.

 
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So far I've got:

Todd Gurley

Melvin Gordon

Karlos Williams

Mike Davis

Duke Johnson

T.J. Yeldon

Probably missing someone big, doing this quickly.
I have near identical rankings, except Jay Ajayi above Davis and Yeldon is not in my top 10.
c'mon man!
Yeldon will next year's Carey.
If you mean his hype train comes to a screeching halt, then I could see that. It's already slowing. But I don't think lack of the proper measurables will be the reason.

 
So far I've got:

Todd Gurley

Melvin Gordon

Karlos Williams

Mike Davis

Duke Johnson

T.J. Yeldon

Probably missing someone big, doing this quickly.
I have near identical rankings, except Jay Ajayi above Davis and Yeldon is not in my top 10.
c'mon man!
Yeldon will next year's Carey.
If you mean his hype train comes to a screeching halt, then I could see that. It's already slowing. But I don't think lack of the proper measurables will be the reason.
I don't think he will put up measurables worthy of a 1st rounder (where people projected him to go based on Freshman year). That puts him in the next tier where a lot of other RBs are close in talent. It honestly wouldn't surprised me if he had a horrible Combine like Carey.

 
So far I've got:

Todd Gurley

Melvin Gordon

Karlos Williams

Mike Davis

Duke Johnson

T.J. Yeldon

Probably missing someone big, doing this quickly.
I have near identical rankings, except Jay Ajayi above Davis and Yeldon is not in my top 10.
c'mon man!
Yeldon will next year's Carey.
If you mean his hype train comes to a screeching halt, then I could see that. It's already slowing. But I don't think lack of the proper measurables will be the reason.
I don't think he will put up measurables worthy of a 1st rounder (where people projected him to go based on Freshman year). That puts him in the next tier where a lot of other RBs are close in talent. It honestly wouldn't surprised me if he had a horrible Combine like Carey.
Obviously these numbers aren't a lock for what he puts up at the combine next year, but Walter Football has his measurables at:

6'2

218

4.42

If he puts that 40 time up at 6'2 218, there is very little chance he drops out of the first IMO. Unless he comes out and falls on his face this year.

 
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I think this debate will pick up during the next CFB season. Right now I think most people would have Gurley #1. Big dude with solid agility and speed who can catch passes. If I have a question mark about him, it's that he looks a bit heavy-footed and sluggish for the first few yards at times. Even though he has some fast track times on his CV, I don't know that he plays with a great deal of suddenness/explosiveness.

Gordon is more electric, but also not nearly as put together. He's got a little bit of that lanky straight-line speedster McFadden thing going on, but to his credit he shows more elusiveness and quicker feet/hips than what DMC showed at Arkansas. He's also a bit stronger through the lower body. The thing that scares me apart from the build is that it seems like a lot of his yards come on gimmicky sweeps. Those won't work in the NFL.

Close for me between those two right now. I don't have a strong leaning either way. I owned the #2 devy pick in one league, but traded it away. I can't say this dilemma has concerned me much the past few months and it's not something that I'll really think much about again until next Fall.

Sort of like Mike Davis as a solid height/weight/speed guy with decent running ability and good production. My early hunch is that he's closer to Ben Tate (2nd round pick) than Doug Martin (1st round pick). Would not rule him out as an eventual 1st round possibility though.

Really like Ameer, but he's got a different body type and he's quicker than fast. Some of his cuts are insane. He can catch the ball too. Very athletic and very productive. Despite the workload he's handled at Nebraska, I think he's best suited to a commitee role as sort of a Warrick Dunn type of guy.

And of course I have to throw out a Mike Dyer shoutout. Prodigious height/weight/speed athlete. Advanced age, lack of receiving skills, and checkered off-field issues will ensure he's a late pick if not a UDFA. I'll continue to tout him as a nice bargain play on the basis of his rare raw ability.

Not super high on Karlos Williams, Keith Marshall, or Byron Marshall. Do like Keith's speed and quickness, but wonder about his physical constitution. Williams too upright and sprinter-y for me to really get behind. Intrigued by Shock Linwood. Not sure if he's an A level athlete or more of a backup guy. It's hard to tell how much his numbers owe to his talent and how much the system.
Thanks EBF. Super helpful.

 
So far I've got:

Todd Gurley

Melvin Gordon

Karlos Williams

Mike Davis

Duke Johnson

T.J. Yeldon

Probably missing someone big, doing this quickly.
I have near identical rankings, except Jay Ajayi above Davis and Yeldon is not in my top 10.
c'mon man!
Yeldon will next year's Carey.
If you mean his hype train comes to a screeching halt, then I could see that. It's already slowing. But I don't think lack of the proper measurables will be the reason.
I don't think he will put up measurables worthy of a 1st rounder (where people projected him to go based on Freshman year). That puts him in the next tier where a lot of other RBs are close in talent. It honestly wouldn't surprised me if he had a horrible Combine like Carey.
Obviously these numbers aren't a lock for what he puts up at the combine next year, but Walter Football has his measurables at:

6'2

218

4.42

If he puts that 40 time up at 6'2 218, there is very little chance he drops out of the first IMO. Unless he comes out and falls on his face this year.
Walter Football, just like any other source, are using estimates.

My money says he won't touch that 40 time. Those are basically George Atkinson's numbers and Yeldon doesn't have that kind of speed on tape. I'm projecting him to run 4.55, with a 4.30+ shuttle. His teammate Kenyan Drake will put up a better Combine and should destroy the 3-cone. Besides, the Combine shouldn't change your mind much either way.

 
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I think this debate will pick up during the next CFB season. Right now I think most people would have Gurley #1. Big dude with solid agility and speed who can catch passes. If I have a question mark about him, it's that he looks a bit heavy-footed and sluggish for the first few yards at times. Even though he has some fast track times on his CV, I don't know that he plays with a great deal of suddenness/explosiveness.

Gordon is more electric, but also not nearly as put together. He's got a little bit of that lanky straight-line speedster McFadden thing going on, but to his credit he shows more elusiveness and quicker feet/hips than what DMC showed at Arkansas. He's also a bit stronger through the lower body. The thing that scares me apart from the build is that it seems like a lot of his yards come on gimmicky sweeps. Those won't work in the NFL.
Gurley should do well in the Vertical and Broad Jump, but I don't think he has great timed speed. Being heavy-footed allows him to break tackles at will.

Gordon didn't run as many sweeps in 2013 as he did in 2012.

 
So far I've got:

Todd Gurley

Melvin Gordon

Karlos Williams

Mike Davis

Duke Johnson

T.J. Yeldon

Probably missing someone big, doing this quickly.
I have near identical rankings, except Jay Ajayi above Davis and Yeldon is not in my top 10.
c'mon man!
Yeldon will next year's Carey.
If you mean his hype train comes to a screeching halt, then I could see that. It's already slowing. But I don't think lack of the proper measurables will be the reason.
I don't think he will put up measurables worthy of a 1st rounder (where people projected him to go based on Freshman year). That puts him in the next tier where a lot of other RBs are close in talent. It honestly wouldn't surprised me if he had a horrible Combine like Carey.
Obviously these numbers aren't a lock for what he puts up at the combine next year, but Walter Football has his measurables at:6'2

218

4.42

If he puts that 40 time up at 6'2 218, there is very little chance he drops out of the first IMO. Unless he comes out and falls on his face this year.
Walter Football, just like any other source, are using estimates.

My money says he won't touch that 40 time. Those are basically George Atkinson's numbers and Yeldon doesn't have that kind of speed on tape. I'm projecting him to run 4.55, with a 4.30+ shuttle. His teammate Kenyan Drake will put up a better Combine and should destroy the 3-cone. Besides, the Combine shouldn't change your mind much either way.
Are these estimates going by your usual method of hitting pause and play on your remote control with your iPhone stopwatch in hand?

 
So far I've got:

Todd Gurley

Melvin Gordon

Karlos Williams

Mike Davis

Duke Johnson

T.J. Yeldon

Probably missing someone big, doing this quickly.
I have near identical rankings, except Jay Ajayi above Davis and Yeldon is not in my top 10.
c'mon man!
Yeldon will next year's Carey.
If you mean his hype train comes to a screeching halt, then I could see that. It's already slowing. But I don't think lack of the proper measurables will be the reason.
I don't think he will put up measurables worthy of a 1st rounder (where people projected him to go based on Freshman year). That puts him in the next tier where a lot of other RBs are close in talent. It honestly wouldn't surprised me if he had a horrible Combine like Carey.
Obviously these numbers aren't a lock for what he puts up at the combine next year, but Walter Football has his measurables at:6'2

218

4.42

If he puts that 40 time up at 6'2 218, there is very little chance he drops out of the first IMO. Unless he comes out and falls on his face this year.
Walter Football, just like any other source, are using estimates.

My money says he won't touch that 40 time. Those are basically George Atkinson's numbers and Yeldon doesn't have that kind of speed on tape. I'm projecting him to run 4.55, with a 4.30+ shuttle. His teammate Kenyan Drake will put up a better Combine and should destroy the 3-cone. Besides, the Combine shouldn't change your mind much either way.
Are these estimates going by your usual method of hitting pause and play on your remote control with your iPhone stopwatch in hand?
That's a good one. Feel free to ridicule my analysis all you want. Where's your analysis? Please stop making clueless posts about things you know nothing about. I can teach you how to measure the 40 yard times from the Combine yourself and provide all the video if you'd like. But I know you won't take my offer because you probably would like to remain ignorant.

 
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BUT HOW BIG ARE HIS HANDS?!?!

In all seriousness though I'll trust the estimates from the various reputable sites that put his 40 at 4.4 rather than some random guy no one has ever heard of. No offense intended.

 
BUT HOW BIG ARE HIS HANDS?!?!

In all seriousness though I'll trust the estimates from the various reputable sites that put his 40 at 4.4 rather than some random guy no one has ever heard of. No offense intended.
I don't care how big Yeldon's hands are. You'd rather have secondhand info than firsthand info? You'd rather accept inaccurate figures over accurate figures? Does this seem logical at all? I'm not offended but I think you are. I mean what are you afraid of? Why don't you want to learn anything? Because you want to remain ignorant. You want to believe in things that don't exist. You want to believe in lies fed to you by "reputable" sources. Please.

 
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Lot's of sleepers in the 2015 draft class who have the potential to blow up as prospects. Seems like there's so many guys who have workhorse size in 2015 relative to past years; more excited about this RB class than any in a while.

Guys like Terrence Magee, Javorius Allen, Tevin Coleman, Shock Linwood, Paul James, and Dwayne Washington are a few names that I don't think have been mentioned that can be added to the names already listed in here who have 1st/2nd round upside imo.

 
Lot's of sleepers in the 2015 draft class who have the potential to blow up as prospects. Seems like there's so many guys who have workhorse size in 2015 relative to past years; more excited about this RB class than any in a while.

Guys like Terrence Magee, Javorius Allen, Tevin Coleman, Shock Linwood, Paul James, and Dwayne Washington are a few names that I don't think have been mentioned that can be added to the names already listed in here who have 1st/2nd round upside imo.
I really like all those names. Magee might have to take a backseat to Fournette though. Reminds me a lot of Tre Mason.

 
Gordon & Ajayi are the only two that I've really watched video on, and I like them both a lot. Based on my charting, they both have elusiveness numbers that are better than anyone in the 2013 or 2014 draft classes except for Eddie Lacy & Dri Archer (Gordon also shines in Peshek's elusiveness numbers). I would put them both in the same tier as my top 2 RB prospects in this year's class (Seastrunk & Hyde); not sure about the order.

I haven't formed strong impressions yet on the rest of the 2015+ draft classes, but going strictly by the numbers (college stats, listed size, nflds projected 40 time), Yeldon & Gurley stand out ahead of the pack and the rest rank in this order:

Byron Marshall
Mike Davis

Terrence Magee
Duke Johnson

Corey Grant

Javorius Allen
Kenneth Dixon
Tevin Coleman
Karlos Williams

Thomas Tyner
Shock Linwood

Ameer Abdullah

 
Gordon & Ajayi are the only two that I've really watched video on, and I like them both a lot. Based on my charting, they both have elusiveness numbers that are better than anyone in the 2013 or 2014 draft classes except for Eddie Lacy & Dri Archer (Gordon also shines in Peshek's elusiveness numbers). I would put them both in the same tier as my top 2 RB prospects in this year's class (Seastrunk & Hyde); not sure about the order.

I haven't formed strong impressions yet on the rest of the 2015+ draft classes, but going strictly by the numbers (college stats, listed size, nflds projected 40 time), Yeldon & Gurley stand out ahead of the pack and the rest rank in this order:

Byron Marshall

Mike Davis

Terrence Magee

Duke Johnson

Corey Grant

Javorius Allen

Kenneth Dixon

Tevin Coleman

Karlos Williams

Thomas Tyner

Shock Linwood

Ameer Abdullah
Some of those players aren't 2015 eligible

 
My rankings of the top guys right now;

Todd Gurley - best RB prospect since AP.

Melvin Gordon - better than any RB in tha past 2 drafts.

Mike Davis

Duke Johnson

Jay Ajayi

Karlos Williams

T.J. Yeldon

 
I haven't formed strong impressions yet on the rest of the 2015+ draft classes, but going strictly by the numbers (college stats, listed size, nflds projected 40 time), Yeldon & Gurley stand out ahead of the pack and the rest rank in this order:
DraftScout tends to be extremely conservative with their projected 40 times.

Here are their projected 40 times for some prominent RB prospects:

Todd Gurley - 4.54

Byron Marshall - 4.47

Keith Marshall - 4.49

Thomas Tyner - 4.46

Karlos Williams - 4.60

All of these guys have a pretty strong track background. Here are their 100m bests according to all-athletics.com:

Todd Gurley - 10.70

Byron Marshall - 10.61

Keith Marshall - 10.20

Thomas Tyner - 10.35

Karlos Williams - 10.70

An older post of mine:

Here are some 100m times from the California State Meet over the years, along with corresponding combine 40 times from Draft Scout:

Jahvid Best - 10.36 - 4.34

Reggie Bush - 10.42 (junior) - 4.37 (pro day)

Taiwan Jones - 10.53 - 4.33 (pro day)

Justin Fargas - 10.58 - 4.35

Matt Slater - 10.67 - 4.44 (pro day)

Shane Vereen - 10.76 (junior) - 4.49

Maurice Drew - 10.80 (junior) - 4.39

Chris Owusu had a 10.65 PR in high school and clocked a 4.31 at the combine. DeAnthony Thomas had a wind-aided 10.57 in 2010 and most people consider him a burner.
This is not an exact science, but generally if someone can run 10.5X or faster in the 100m then he's a good threat to run the 40 in the 4.3X range or faster. If he can run under 11 flat in the 100m, he'll be a strong threat to break the 4.50 barrier in the 40. So for DraftScout to project ELITE sprinters like Marshall and Tyner barely under the 4.50 mark seems pretty off. Both guys should run a lot faster than that based on their track times. I don't even really like Karlos Williams as a prospect that much, but he has to be faster than 4.60. Straight-line speed might be his biggest asset.

On a related note, DraftScout still lists Tyner at 201 pounds, but he has been updated to 211 on Oregon's official site.

 
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EBF said:
ZWK said:
I haven't formed strong impressions yet on the rest of the 2015+ draft classes, but going strictly by the numbers (college stats, listed size, nflds projected 40 time), Yeldon & Gurley stand out ahead of the pack and the rest rank in this order:
DraftScout tends to be extremely conservative with their projected 40 times.

Here are their projected 40 times for some prominent RB prospects:

Todd Gurley - 4.54

Byron Marshall - 4.47

Keith Marshall - 4.49

Thomas Tyner - 4.46

Karlos Williams - 4.60

All of these guys have a pretty strong track background. Here are their 100m bests according to all-athletics.com:

Todd Gurley - 10.70

Byron Marshall - 10.61

Keith Marshall - 10.20

Thomas Tyner - 10.35

Karlos Williams - 10.70

An older post of mine:

Here are some 100m times from the California State Meet over the years, along with corresponding combine 40 times from Draft Scout:

Jahvid Best - 10.36 - 4.34

Reggie Bush - 10.42 (junior) - 4.37 (pro day)

Taiwan Jones - 10.53 - 4.33 (pro day)

Justin Fargas - 10.58 - 4.35

Matt Slater - 10.67 - 4.44 (pro day)

Shane Vereen - 10.76 (junior) - 4.49

Maurice Drew - 10.80 (junior) - 4.39

Chris Owusu had a 10.65 PR in high school and clocked a 4.31 at the combine. DeAnthony Thomas had a wind-aided 10.57 in 2010 and most people consider him a burner.
This is not an exact science, but generally if someone can run 10.5X or faster in the 100m then he's a good threat to run the 40 in the 4.3X range or faster. If he can run under 11 flat in the 100m, he'll be a strong threat to break the 4.50 barrier in the 40. So for DraftScout to project ELITE sprinters like Marshall and Tyner barely under the 4.50 mark seems pretty off. Both guys should run a lot faster than that based on their track times. I don't even really like Karlos Williams as a prospect that much, but he has to be faster than 4.60. Straight-line speed might be his biggest asset.

On a related note, DraftScout still lists Tyner at 201 pounds, but he has been updated to 211 on Oregon's official site.
DraftScout is nice because they have numbers for almost everyone, and their projections are pretty good on average. When you run a regression predicting actual 40 time based on their projected 40 time the slope is close to 1, and the same is true for their height & weight estimates (at least for the numbers that they have up a couple months before the combine).

You're right that some of their numbers look a little off (especially Keith Marshall & Karlos Williams). I don't plan on putting much effort into sorting this out, since I'm not in any devy leagues, but if there's a better source for projecting future 40 times (and weight) then I could switch to their numbers.

 
To me, Jonathan Gray belongs in this conversation. Just assuming you guys are down on him due to the knee. Might come on strong 2nd half of the year or do we think he'll stay in college now so he can have a full season his senior year?

 

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