It's never too early to rank players. Things obviously change between now and the 2007 season, but based on the 2006 season that is fresh in our memories, how would you rank them?
1) LT - The obvious choice.
2) LJ - Tough call between him and Jackson; LJ's upside is higher in my opinion. Perhaps he didn't live up to everyone's unreal expectations, but 2200 yards and 19 TDs is nice and they are numbers I can easily see him improve upon. Don't be surprised if LJ finishes above LT in '07.
3) S. Jax - He's been great the past two seasons, putting up 2300 yards and 16 TDs in '06. He scored only 4 less points than LJ, but his ceiling is lower. A huge plus - being in the NFC West means 6 games against poor run defenses for him (and the next 2 guys, also).
4) Shaun Alexander - A risky choice, as he'll be 30 years old and coming off injuries, but he was a beast the last 6 weeks of this season and he's coming off his Madden curse/Superbowl hangover. He will once again be the focal point of a pretty strong offense.
5) Gore - Gore does everything. His consistency was huge for his owners this season and I expect him to have more TDs. Alex Smith, Vernon Davis, and their offensive line should improve over the offseason, and that will be reflected in Gore's production (barring injury, which is certainly an issue for him).
6) Portis - His '06 campaign was an injury-plagued mess from the preseason to its premature end. He still managed to be a pretty darn good RB when he was healthy, though. Betts contract is a huge concern, but let's not forget Portis' career. He'll be 100% healthy, 26 years old, the team has a good shot at improving under Jason Campbell, and he'll get 20+ touches a game. That should be enough for Portis to put up nice numbers in '07.
7) Westbrook - Westbrook has always been very talented. In 2006 he had career highs in rushing attempts and receptions, which led to a career season in production. This guy has always been a pretty consistent performer and his versatile skills are an integral part of Philly's offense.
8) Rudi Johnson - A quiet 1400 yards and 12 TDs for Rudi in '06. Consistency was an issue for him, and playing against Pittsburgh or Baltimore 1 out of 4 times may cause that again. But the Bengals offense is extremely potent and after an 8-8 season, it wouldn't surprise me if they lean more on the run next year.
9) Willie Parker - It's amazing to me that Willie Parker had 1700 and 16 with the amount of bad games he had. He, too, suffers from playing Baltimore 2X in a season. Based on his total output it won't surprise me to see him taken well before 9, but having 6 games with under 10 points is not what I want from my first pick. It also wouldn't surprise me if Pittsburgh signs a bigger RB to share the load.
10) Ronnie Brown - Barring a miraculous return by Ricky Williams, I am a fan of Brown's potential in '07. He's guaranteed a lot of touches and, besides a clunker against Minnesota, he was pretty consistent in '06. I think that he's a great value at the end of the first round and he would pair up nicely with a top-notch 2nd year RB.
I think these 10 are the obvious choices for the top 10. It gets tricky after them. You've got mediocre veterans (Chester, Edge, Caddy, McGahee) and then standout rookie RBs (Bush, MJD, Maroney, Addai, Jacobs - not a rookie, but huge potential). Clearly the fates of Dillon, F. Taylor, Deuce, etc make a huge impact on where these guys go. I'm sure one of these guys will secure a starting job between now and August and that will certainly change the top 10. Kevin Jones injury status is important, too.
Looking at it, it seems that next year's draft will be quite different than this years. It is very unlikely that 5 (or more) WRs will be taken in the 2nd round with the crop of young RB talent out there.
Anyway, hope you enjoy. Let me know how you guys rank them. I'll come back with top 10 WRs in a bit.
Happy New Year to all,
kdun
1) LT - The obvious choice.
2) LJ - Tough call between him and Jackson; LJ's upside is higher in my opinion. Perhaps he didn't live up to everyone's unreal expectations, but 2200 yards and 19 TDs is nice and they are numbers I can easily see him improve upon. Don't be surprised if LJ finishes above LT in '07.
3) S. Jax - He's been great the past two seasons, putting up 2300 yards and 16 TDs in '06. He scored only 4 less points than LJ, but his ceiling is lower. A huge plus - being in the NFC West means 6 games against poor run defenses for him (and the next 2 guys, also).
4) Shaun Alexander - A risky choice, as he'll be 30 years old and coming off injuries, but he was a beast the last 6 weeks of this season and he's coming off his Madden curse/Superbowl hangover. He will once again be the focal point of a pretty strong offense.
5) Gore - Gore does everything. His consistency was huge for his owners this season and I expect him to have more TDs. Alex Smith, Vernon Davis, and their offensive line should improve over the offseason, and that will be reflected in Gore's production (barring injury, which is certainly an issue for him).
6) Portis - His '06 campaign was an injury-plagued mess from the preseason to its premature end. He still managed to be a pretty darn good RB when he was healthy, though. Betts contract is a huge concern, but let's not forget Portis' career. He'll be 100% healthy, 26 years old, the team has a good shot at improving under Jason Campbell, and he'll get 20+ touches a game. That should be enough for Portis to put up nice numbers in '07.
7) Westbrook - Westbrook has always been very talented. In 2006 he had career highs in rushing attempts and receptions, which led to a career season in production. This guy has always been a pretty consistent performer and his versatile skills are an integral part of Philly's offense.
8) Rudi Johnson - A quiet 1400 yards and 12 TDs for Rudi in '06. Consistency was an issue for him, and playing against Pittsburgh or Baltimore 1 out of 4 times may cause that again. But the Bengals offense is extremely potent and after an 8-8 season, it wouldn't surprise me if they lean more on the run next year.
9) Willie Parker - It's amazing to me that Willie Parker had 1700 and 16 with the amount of bad games he had. He, too, suffers from playing Baltimore 2X in a season. Based on his total output it won't surprise me to see him taken well before 9, but having 6 games with under 10 points is not what I want from my first pick. It also wouldn't surprise me if Pittsburgh signs a bigger RB to share the load.
10) Ronnie Brown - Barring a miraculous return by Ricky Williams, I am a fan of Brown's potential in '07. He's guaranteed a lot of touches and, besides a clunker against Minnesota, he was pretty consistent in '06. I think that he's a great value at the end of the first round and he would pair up nicely with a top-notch 2nd year RB.
I think these 10 are the obvious choices for the top 10. It gets tricky after them. You've got mediocre veterans (Chester, Edge, Caddy, McGahee) and then standout rookie RBs (Bush, MJD, Maroney, Addai, Jacobs - not a rookie, but huge potential). Clearly the fates of Dillon, F. Taylor, Deuce, etc make a huge impact on where these guys go. I'm sure one of these guys will secure a starting job between now and August and that will certainly change the top 10. Kevin Jones injury status is important, too.
Looking at it, it seems that next year's draft will be quite different than this years. It is very unlikely that 5 (or more) WRs will be taken in the 2nd round with the crop of young RB talent out there.
Anyway, hope you enjoy. Let me know how you guys rank them. I'll come back with top 10 WRs in a bit.
Happy New Year to all,
kdun
