Miscellaneous
Footballguy
FWIW, here's not only my ranking of the backs compared to one another, but their potential, IMO. (all projections barring complete bust; i.e. either they fulfill the potential I put down, or they completely crap out of the league in a couple years)
Stud
1. Ronnie Brown: far and away the top of my list. Potential to be top-5 for the foreseeable future with the right team, no worse than top-15 regardless of team.
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Potential studs
2. Cedric Benson: haven't seen as much of him as I have the other two top-3'ers, but I love the grit, power, and every-downness of this guy. Jamal Lewis-type potential - a top-15 back who, if his team really needs him, could grind through a truly epic season... but that's only in the right situation.
3. Carnell Williams: I'm not nearly as high on this guy as the other two... but then again, I had the same gut feeling about Deuce McAllister. So take that with a grain of salt.
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Middle of the pack
4. Marion Barber III: the kind of solid prospect some GM's going to love having on his resume when their team picks him up in the 2nd rd. Y'know, the kind of guy who looks good when you draft him, better when he shows up for camp, and f'n great when he starts to take carries away from your starter? Given the right situation, he could be top-10 for a few years, top-15 or top-20 for most of his career.
5. Ciatrick Fason: I'm a Gator, so there's some homerism here... but I also recognize his great potential for not doing a d... thing. He's got a lot of physical talent, but he could very easily not show up and fade out of the league in a couple of years. Or he could explode and be a top-10 guy.
6. Vernand Morency: eh... he'll be dependable if he ever makes it off the bench.
7. Eric Shelton: could make it in the right situation, or just be 'one of the best backups in the league.'
8. J.J. Arrington: potential, potential, potential... could be a guy who shows up in the top-10 a couple of times, or you could never see him realize any of it.
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Guys I'm going to enjoy picking up in the later part of my rookie draft and crossing my fingers for
9. Ryan Moats
10. Frank Gore
11. Maurice Clarett
12. Sproles
13. TA McClendon
14. Harris
15. Jacobs
On the outside looking in: Reyes just didn't make the cut, he'll be another of my later-round pickups if he lasts that long; Houston just doesn't do it for me. Maybe it's the fact that I'm a Gator.
I'm hoping the guys in my draft sleep on Gore, Clarett, or Sproles, specifically, because they're guys who I think have a world of talent and a couple of huge question marks that could give you great risk-reward if they pan out, and wouldn't cost you that much in the draft.
Stud
1. Ronnie Brown: far and away the top of my list. Potential to be top-5 for the foreseeable future with the right team, no worse than top-15 regardless of team.
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Potential studs
2. Cedric Benson: haven't seen as much of him as I have the other two top-3'ers, but I love the grit, power, and every-downness of this guy. Jamal Lewis-type potential - a top-15 back who, if his team really needs him, could grind through a truly epic season... but that's only in the right situation.
3. Carnell Williams: I'm not nearly as high on this guy as the other two... but then again, I had the same gut feeling about Deuce McAllister. So take that with a grain of salt.
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Middle of the pack
4. Marion Barber III: the kind of solid prospect some GM's going to love having on his resume when their team picks him up in the 2nd rd. Y'know, the kind of guy who looks good when you draft him, better when he shows up for camp, and f'n great when he starts to take carries away from your starter? Given the right situation, he could be top-10 for a few years, top-15 or top-20 for most of his career.
5. Ciatrick Fason: I'm a Gator, so there's some homerism here... but I also recognize his great potential for not doing a d... thing. He's got a lot of physical talent, but he could very easily not show up and fade out of the league in a couple of years. Or he could explode and be a top-10 guy.
6. Vernand Morency: eh... he'll be dependable if he ever makes it off the bench.
7. Eric Shelton: could make it in the right situation, or just be 'one of the best backups in the league.'
8. J.J. Arrington: potential, potential, potential... could be a guy who shows up in the top-10 a couple of times, or you could never see him realize any of it.
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Guys I'm going to enjoy picking up in the later part of my rookie draft and crossing my fingers for
9. Ryan Moats
10. Frank Gore
11. Maurice Clarett
12. Sproles
13. TA McClendon
14. Harris
15. Jacobs
On the outside looking in: Reyes just didn't make the cut, he'll be another of my later-round pickups if he lasts that long; Houston just doesn't do it for me. Maybe it's the fact that I'm a Gator.
I'm hoping the guys in my draft sleep on Gore, Clarett, or Sproles, specifically, because they're guys who I think have a world of talent and a couple of huge question marks that could give you great risk-reward if they pan out, and wouldn't cost you that much in the draft.