I printed these out in 2002 and the links still work. Interesting to look back and see what was projected. Articles by Chris Smith.
On William Green- "The bottom line on Green is that he will be a solid fantasy runnng back for a lot of seasons to come." OK, many other experts thought he was going to be good. Check it out
Running backs part 1
Running Backs Part 2
How 'bout Brian Westbrook. I should get bonus marks for that
Brian Westbrook (5-8, 200, 4.58)
SELECTED BY PHILADELPHIA, ROUND 3, PICK 26, OVERALL PICK 91
I have a feeling that Brian Westbrook is going to end up one of the biggest steals of the draft. The only real downfall that folks have about the kid is his size. However I seem to remember another 5 ft 8, 200 pound running back that did wonders in the NFL. For those of you who have a short memory, his name was Barry Sanders and while, this player is not Sanders by any stretch of the imagination, he is gifted enough to be a starter in the pros. He is incredibly powerful for his size and yet his has awesome quickness as well. He has the best hands of any running back coming out in this draft and is a terrific option out in the flat.
Westbrook has an awesome mix of skills. He can pound the ball up inside; both elude and break tackles yet he is at his best when he can get to the outside. One of the most surprising things about him is that his hands are quite large which means he should have no problem with fumbling at the next level. He had over 300 touches last season for 2261 total yards and an impressive 28 touchdowns. There are times when size matters on the football field and there are times when it does not. He is one of those “does not” players.
The Eagles got themselves a major steal with this pick. The more I hear about him, the more I believe he will end up beating out the incumbent Duce Staley and run the Eagles into the Super Bowl picture. He will end up the starting running back at some point this season.