[DYNASTY] Rank the top 15 rookie RB's (1 Viewer)

[Holy Schneikes]

It's interesting how much the tunes have changed.I've got news. There are bunch of "close" guys on the outside looking in every year. There are surprise leftovers every year. If the scouts thought they were any good, they would have been drafted - none of them had any serious health issues or character issues.Reyes probably won't make a roster. Though he's the best of the "leftovers" McLendon's talent is over-rated. Harris is a fullback in the real world and very likely won't even be offered a rookie FA contract.EVERY year there are also a bunch of guys with the "potential" to become starters. The reality is, very very few of them ever do. Outside of the top 3 or 4, every back in this class has a big hole or two in his game. The 4th rounders in this class are no better than Mewelde Moore, Cedric Cobbs, Lee Suggs, Onterio Smith, Dom Davis, Quentin Griffin, Najeh Davenport, Rudi Johnson, etc. Most will fail and a few might succeed. Just like every year.

 

[EBF]

It's interesting how much the tunes have changed.

I've got news. There are bunch of "close" guys on the outside looking in every year. There are surprise leftovers every year. If the scouts thought they were any good, they would have been drafted - none of them had any serious health issues or character issues.

Reyes probably won't make a roster. Though he's the best of the "leftovers" McLendon's talent is over-rated. Harris is a fullback in the real world and very likely won't even be offered a rookie FA contract.

EVERY year there are also a bunch of guys with the "potential" to become starters. The reality is, very very few of them ever do. Outside of the top 3 or 4, every back in this class has a big hole or two in his game. The 4th rounders in this class are no better than Mewelde Moore, Cedric Cobbs, Lee Suggs, Onterio Smith, Dom Davis, Quentin Griffin, Najeh Davenport, Rudi Johnson, etc. Most will fail and a few might succeed. Just like every year.

 

[cstu]

It's interesting how much the tunes have changed.

I've got news.  There are bunch of "close" guys on the outside looking in every year.  There are surprise leftovers every year.  If the scouts thought they were any good, they would have been drafted - none of them had any serious health issues or character issues.

Reyes probably won't make a roster.  Though he's the best of the "leftovers" McLendon's talent is over-rated. Harris is a fullback in the real world and very likely won't even be offered a rookie FA contract.

EVERY year there are also a bunch of guys with the "potential" to become starters.  The reality is, very very few of them ever do.  Outside of the top 3 or 4, every back in this class has a big hole or two in his game.  The 4th rounders in this class are no better than Mewelde Moore, Cedric Cobbs, Lee Suggs, Onterio Smith, Dom Davis, Quentin Griffin, Najeh Davenport, Rudi Johnson, etc.  Most will fail and a few might succeed.  Just like every year.

All of them were signed (McClendon - Falcons, Harris - Dolphins, Reyes - Titans, Grant - Giants).Link

 

[firecrackerfreakshow]

little bump

 

[jgb95]

bump......just looking for updated rankings.

 

[EBF]

1. Williams2. Benson3. Brown4. Arrington5. Fason6. Moats7. Clarett 8. Shelton9. Barber10. Morency11. Gore12. Houston13. Nash14. Pearman15. McLendonFor me the toughest part of projecting this rookie class is trying to figure out where to put Benson and Brown. They were very high picks, yet I just can't help but feel as if they're each completely overrated. Despite all that, it's tough to justify ranking anyone other than Cadillac and Arrington over them.

 

[beto]

1. Williams2. Brown3. Benson4. Arrington5. Shelton6. Moats7. Fason 8. Gore9. Barber10. Morency11. Pearman12. Houston13. Clarett14. Jacobs15. SprolesBrown and Benson could move in the top tier with Williams depending on what I see in the preseason.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

1. Williams2. Arrington3. Brown4. Benson5. Shelton6. Moats7. Fason8. Barber9. Morency10. Gore11. Pearman12. Houston13. Sproles14. Clarrett15. Jacobs

 

[Dave Stauff]

1. Williams2. Brown3. Benson4. Arrington5. Moats6. Shelton7. Morency8. Fason9. Barber10. Clarett11. Houston . . . insert large cliff here 12. Jacobs13. Gore14. Pearman15. Sproles

 

[Finatic]

1.C. Williams2.C. Benson3.JJ. Arrington4.R. Brown5.C. Fason6.R. Moats7.E. Shelton8.M. Barber9.A. Pearman10.V. Morency11.C. Houston12.F. Gore13.B. Jacobs14.M. Clarett15.D. Sproles

 

[Holy Schneikes]

It's interesting how much the tunes have changed.

I've got news.  There are bunch of "close" guys on the outside looking in every year.  There are surprise leftovers every year.  If the scouts thought they were any good, they would have been drafted - none of them had any serious health issues or character issues.

Reyes probably won't make a roster.  Though he's the best of the "leftovers" McLendon's talent is over-rated. Harris is a fullback in the real world and very likely won't even be offered a rookie FA contract.

EVERY year there are also a bunch of guys with the "potential" to become starters.  The reality is, very very few of them ever do.  Outside of the top 3 or 4, every back in this class has a big hole or two in his game.  The 4th rounders in this class are no better than Mewelde Moore, Cedric Cobbs, Lee Suggs, Onterio Smith, Dom Davis, Quentin Griffin, Najeh Davenport, Rudi Johnson, etc.  Most will fail and a few might succeed.  Just like every year.

All of them were signed (McClendon - Falcons, Harris - Dolphins, Reyes - Titans, Grant - Giants).Link

Harris, Reyes, and McClendon have all now been cut before the final cutdowns have even taken place. Grant, listed as RB5 will likely be cut before the season.20 guys before the talent drops...

 

[Holy Schneikes]

i think youre putting too much stock in slower than expected 40 times. kevin jones also ran much slower than anyone expected last year.

fason's time was on a slow, wet track.

morency, i am sold on from watchin game play. there were points in games last year when every single person in the stadium knew morency was getting the ball and he still couldnt be stopped. he looked better in college than bell did if you ask me. the 25 issue just means his ceiling is very good instead of outstanding.

moats is 2nd to only caddy for vision/cutting/instinct. i have a feeling he will be a RBBC at worst.

barber looks like another travis henry to me.

sproles is a role player, i agree there.

harris and shelton are projects/power backs, i agree there.

you didnt even mention arrington, who some think is the best of the 2nd tier, or houston, who has has the tools to succeed in the NFL, but just hasnt put it together.

when you add in the big 3, thats 12 backs i've named so far - i havent even mentioned gore, clarett, reyes, davis, herron, grant, nash, broughton - all guys who have at least a shot at panning out.

look at a typical RB class. once you get to 3-5, you run out of guys who project to be solid NFL feature backs. this year i would say that tier goes to 6-8. one you get to 8-10, you run out of guys who at least have a 50/50 shot of being a primary RBBC back. this year that tier goes to 12. once you get to 12-15 in a typical class, the dropoff is huge - very marginal prospects. this year that drop doesnt happen til about 20.

the class is deep. im not sure how this is debatable. a guy with X measureables/performance is very likely to rank lower in this class than he would have in another recent class.

Bloom - it's early, but do you still believe everything you posted in this thread?I feel even more strongly so far that the 2005 draft class was extremely over-hyped and is NOT the "deepest/best" class ever that many were suggesting.

Again it's early, but SO FAR:

The top three were solid, which no one really debated.

Arrington has looked mediocre at best.

Shelton looked bad before the injury.

Gore is looking mediocre and doesn't appear to be much of a threat to Barlow despite Barlow being Barlow.

Morency doesn't seem to be doing anything spectacular.

Moats is having trouble getting on the field before Lamar Gordon.

Clarett is out of the league already.

Barber is not near the top of the pecking order.

Jacobs was very promising early, but haven't seen much of him lately.

Despite a lot of the backs in front him having their typical problems, Fason hasn't even been looked at for regular time.

Pearman is now the backup for Taylor, but hasn't knocked anyone's socks off either.

Sproles is a good return man.

Nash has been benched in favor of a practice squad guy from last year - again, despite a nice opportunity.

Houston remains a nice sleeper, but he hasn't done anything exciting yet.

Most of the other amazing depth guys in the "fabulous 20" were not drafted and were not picked on FA contracts (outside of training camps).

SOME of these guys will turn it around and contribute to their teams. But the 2005 class looks a LOT like any other class of RBs would look at this time in their rookie seasons if not a little worse.

 

[Bloom]

i think youre putting too much stock in slower than expected 40 times. kevin jones also ran much slower than anyone expected last year.

fason's time was on a slow, wet track.

morency, i am sold on from watchin game play. there were points in games last year when every single person in the stadium knew morency was getting the ball and he still couldnt be stopped. he looked better in college than bell did if you ask me. the 25 issue just means his ceiling is very good instead of outstanding.

moats is 2nd to only caddy for vision/cutting/instinct. i have a feeling he will be a RBBC at worst.

barber looks like another travis henry to me.

sproles is a role player, i agree there.

harris and shelton are projects/power backs, i agree there.

you didnt even mention arrington, who some think is the best of the 2nd tier, or houston, who has has the tools to succeed in the NFL, but just hasnt put it together.

when you add in the big 3, thats 12 backs i've named so far - i havent even mentioned gore, clarett, reyes, davis, herron, grant, nash, broughton - all guys who have at least a shot at panning out.

look at a typical RB class. once you get to 3-5, you run out of guys who project to be solid NFL feature backs. this year i would say that tier goes to 6-8. one you get to 8-10, you run out of guys who at least have a 50/50 shot of being a primary RBBC back. this year that tier goes to 12. once you get to 12-15 in a typical class, the dropoff is huge - very marginal prospects. this year that drop doesnt happen til about 20.

the class is deep. im not sure how this is debatable. a guy with X measureables/performance is very likely to rank lower in this class than he would have in another recent class.

Bloom - it's early, but do you still believe everything you posted in this thread?I feel even more strongly so far that the 2005 draft class was extremely over-hyped and is NOT the "deepest/best" class ever that many were suggesting.

Again it's early, but SO FAR:

The top three were solid, which no one really debated.

Arrington has looked mediocre at best.

Shelton looked bad before the injury.

Gore is looking mediocre and doesn't appear to be much of a threat to Barlow despite Barlow being Barlow.

Morency doesn't seem to be doing anything spectacular.

Moats is having trouble getting on the field before Lamar Gordon.

Clarett is out of the league already.

Barber is not near the top of the pecking order.

Jacobs was very promising early, but haven't seen much of him lately.

Despite a lot of the backs in front him having their typical problems, Fason hasn't even been looked at for regular time.

Pearman is now the backup for Taylor, but hasn't knocked anyone's socks off either.

Sproles is a good return man.

Nash has been benched in favor of a practice squad guy from last year - again, despite a nice opportunity.

Houston remains a nice sleeper, but he hasn't done anything exciting yet.

Most of the other amazing depth guys in the "fabulous 20" were not drafted and were not picked on FA contracts (outside of training camps).

SOME of these guys will turn it around and contribute to their teams. But the 2005 class looks a LOT like any other class of RBs would look at this time in their rookie seasons if not a little worse.

I agree that most of the 2nd tier backs in this class have been disappointments thus far. I still like the depth, and think we havent heard the last from Shelton, Moats, Gore, Arrington, and Houston - 5 to 6 feature backs out of this class once the dust settles is not out of the question.

 

[-OZ-]

Bloom - it's early, but do you still believe everything you posted in this thread?

Again it's early, but SO FAR:

Pearman is now the backup for Taylor, but hasn't knocked anyone's socks off either.

Granted, it's in limited time, but if you watched the JAX/Cincy game, he looked very impressive on one run and a reception. He has a ways to go still, but with work, he'll be a strong starter once / if Taylor is out. (either injury or moving on)

 

[jurb26]

Bloom - it's early, but do you still believe everything you posted in this thread?

I feel even more strongly so far that the 2005 draft class was extremely over-hyped and is NOT the "deepest/best" class ever that many were suggesting.

Again it's early, but SO FAR:

The top three were solid, which no one really debated.

Arrington has looked mediocre at best.

Shelton looked bad before the injury.

Gore is looking mediocre and doesn't appear to be much of a threat to Barlow despite Barlow being Barlow.

Morency doesn't seem to be doing anything spectacular.

Moats is having trouble getting on the field before Lamar Gordon.

Clarett is out of the league already.

Barber is not near the top of the pecking order.

Jacobs was very promising early, but haven't seen much of him lately.

Despite a lot of the backs in front him having their typical problems, Fason hasn't even been looked at for regular time.

Pearman is now the backup for Taylor, but hasn't knocked anyone's socks off either.

Sproles is a good return man.

Nash has been benched in favor of a practice squad guy from last year - again, despite a nice opportunity.

Houston remains a nice sleeper, but he hasn't done anything exciting yet.

Most of the other amazing depth guys in the "fabulous 20" were not drafted and were not picked on FA contracts (outside of training camps).

SOME of these guys will turn it around and contribute to their teams. But the 2005 class looks a LOT like any other class of RBs would look at this time in their rookie seasons if not a little worse.

I agree, this class was overrated and has been THUS FAR lack luster.Big 3, well they ain't been so big with exception of Caddy (who is now hurt). Can he really carry the featured roll? Solid, yeah maybe. But RBs drafted in the top 5 overall are not supposed to be just solid. They are supposed to be stars. Brown has been OK, but not great and Benson well.... They could be some day, but as of now I would say that they are behind the curve.

Arrington has looked flat awful. There is really no way to sugar coat this. He is being outplayed by Shipp and loos tentetive and lost most times.

Moats, can't even get on the field. Enough said.

Gore, has looked good IMO, but SF is horrible and Barlow is running better than last year.

Jacobs, I think he has lived up thus far.

Shelton, agree he has not been a factor healthy or not.

Morency, again I agree with you but then again this O is playing worse than SF's.

Barber, seems to be the odd man out right now.

All in all, this class has not lived up to the lable yet. These things could all change though so I think it's a bet premature to get worried.

 

[EBF]

I still think Moats has a chance to make some noise in future seasons. He had a strong preseason and seemed to do well in camp. It's a bit concerning that the team brought in Lamar Gordon, but it makes sense because his style provides a contrast to Westbrook's. Anyhow, let's not forget that Andy Reid's rookies haven't done a whole lot in recent season. Even Westbrook was relegated to a minor role as a rookie. I think there's still plenty of hope for Moats. If Westrbook skips town then Moats could assume a prominent role next year.I'm not optimistic about the rest of the second and third tier rookie backs. Pearman and Jacobs look like they'll be contributors, but neither strikes me as a future starter. Fason has some promise, but may never be more than a backup. Most of the other guys seem like major longshots.

 

[beto]

What I take from this discussion is that most of these guys will be on NFL rosters/practice squads longer than most other rookie RB classes. At some point, one or more of them will get a chance. Anybody who thought the 2nd tier players would be starting by week 6 was fooling themselves. It's way too early to judge these guys.

 

[Barry Jive and The Uptown Five]

What is mildy amusing is that NONE of us even bothered to discuss Tyson Thompson! LOL

EBF, you and I should have had a little knowledge of him from the KCFA experiences. I knew of his potential, but definitely didn't follow up on it. Even if I had, sharing such info would have been viewed as "crazy talk" .

 

[EBF]

What is mildy amusing is that NONE of us even bothered to discuss Tyson Thompson! LOL

EBF, you and I should have had a little knowledge of him from the KCFA experiences. I knew of his potential, but definitely didn't follow up on it. Even if I had, sharing such info would have been viewed as "crazy talk" .

I saw SJSU in person once last year and don't remember being impressed with any of their RBs. I think I may have confused Tyson Thompson with Yonus Davis, which only made the odds of me considering him as a legit NFL prospect even slimmer (Davis is 5'5" 170).

 

[Mr. Vegas]

i think youre putting too much stock in slower than expected 40 times. kevin jones also ran much slower than anyone expected last year.

fason's time was on a slow, wet track.

morency, i am sold on from watchin game play. there were points in games last year when every single person in the stadium knew morency was getting the ball and he still couldnt be stopped. he looked better in college than bell did if you ask me. the 25 issue just means his ceiling is very good instead of outstanding.

moats is 2nd to only caddy for vision/cutting/instinct. i have a feeling he will be a RBBC at worst.

barber looks like another travis henry to me.

sproles is a role player, i agree there.

harris and shelton are projects/power backs, i agree there.

you didnt even mention arrington, who some think is the best of the 2nd tier, or houston, who has has the tools to succeed in the NFL, but just hasnt put it together.

when you add in the big 3, thats 12 backs i've named so far - i havent even mentioned gore, clarett, reyes, davis, herron, grant, nash, broughton - all guys who have at least a shot at panning out.

look at a typical RB class. once you get to 3-5, you run out of guys who project to be solid NFL feature backs. this year i would say that tier goes to 6-8. one you get to 8-10, you run out of guys who at least have a 50/50 shot of being a primary RBBC back. this year that tier goes to 12. once you get to 12-15 in a typical class, the dropoff is huge - very marginal prospects. this year that drop doesnt happen til about 20.

the class is deep. im not sure how this is debatable. a guy with X measureables/performance is very likely to rank lower in this class than he would have in another recent class.

Bloom - it's early, but do you still believe everything you posted in this thread?I feel even more strongly so far that the 2005 draft class was extremely over-hyped and is NOT the "deepest/best" class ever that many were suggesting.

Again it's early, but SO FAR:

The top three were solid, which no one really debated.

Arrington has looked mediocre at best.

Shelton looked bad before the injury.

Gore is looking mediocre and doesn't appear to be much of a threat to Barlow despite Barlow being Barlow.

Morency doesn't seem to be doing anything spectacular.

Moats is having trouble getting on the field before Lamar Gordon.

Clarett is out of the league already.

Barber is not near the top of the pecking order.

Jacobs was very promising early, but haven't seen much of him lately.

Despite a lot of the backs in front him having their typical problems, Fason hasn't even been looked at for regular time.

Pearman is now the backup for Taylor, but hasn't knocked anyone's socks off either.

Sproles is a good return man.

Nash has been benched in favor of a practice squad guy from last year - again, despite a nice opportunity.

Houston remains a nice sleeper, but he hasn't done anything exciting yet.

Most of the other amazing depth guys in the "fabulous 20" were not drafted and were not picked on FA contracts (outside of training camps).

SOME of these guys will turn it around and contribute to their teams. But the 2005 class looks a LOT like any other class of RBs would look at this time in their rookie seasons if not a little worse.

This class is Two words I'll use from your post 'little worse' .

Or just over rated rookie class.

 

[cstu]

Bloom - it's early, but do you still believe everything you posted in this thread?

I feel even more strongly so far that the 2005 draft class was extremely over-hyped and is NOT the "deepest/best" class ever that many were suggesting.

Again it's early, but SO FAR:

The top three were solid, which no one really debated.

Arrington has looked mediocre at best.

Shelton looked bad before the injury.

Gore is looking mediocre and doesn't appear to be much of a threat to Barlow despite Barlow being Barlow.

Morency doesn't seem to be doing anything spectacular.

Moats is having trouble getting on the field before Lamar Gordon.

Clarett is out of the league already.

Barber is not near the top of the pecking order.

Jacobs was very promising early, but haven't seen much of him lately.

Despite a lot of the backs in front him having their typical problems, Fason hasn't even been looked at for regular time.

Pearman is now the backup for Taylor, but hasn't knocked anyone's socks off either.

Sproles is a good return man.

Nash has been benched in favor of a practice squad guy from last year - again, despite a nice opportunity.

Houston remains a nice sleeper, but he hasn't done anything exciting yet.

Most of the other amazing depth guys in the "fabulous 20" were not drafted and were not picked on FA contracts (outside of training camps).

SOME of these guys will turn it around and contribute to their teams. But the 2005 class looks a LOT like any other class of RBs would look at this time in their rookie seasons if not a little worse.

I agree, this class was overrated and has been THUS FAR lack luster.Big 3, well they ain't been so big with exception of Caddy (who is now hurt). Can he really carry the featured roll? Solid, yeah maybe. But RBs drafted in the top 5 overall are not supposed to be just solid. They are supposed to be stars. Brown has been OK, but not great and Benson well.... They could be some day, but as of now I would say that they are behind the curve.

Arrington has looked flat awful. There is really no way to sugar coat this. He is being outplayed by Shipp and loos tentetive and lost most times.

Moats, can't even get on the field. Enough said.

Gore, has looked good IMO, but SF is horrible and Barlow is running better than last year.

Jacobs, I think he has lived up thus far.

Shelton, agree he has not been a factor healthy or not.

Morency, again I agree with you but then again this O is playing worse than SF's.

Barber, seems to be the odd man out right now.

All in all, this class has not lived up to the lable yet. These things could all change though so I think it's a bet premature to get worried.

Arrington is really the only guy who has disappointed so far and he wasn't even in the best situation for a RB. Barber has played very well filling in for Julius Jones.

Gore has been looking very good the past few weeks.

Houston hasn't had much of a chance but he has a 5.3 YPC.

Fason hasn't played much and is raw as expected.

Shelton didn't get much of chance to show anything before he got hurt.

Morency has played ok in limited action.

What's the surprise here? Many of these guys came in as backups and it will be several years before some of them get a starting job. None of the guys in my top 10 have shown that they can't be decent NFL RB's.

 

[Michael Fox Fan]

Arrington is really the only guy who has disappointed so far and he wasn't even in the best situation for a RB.

So you don't think Benson has been a disappointment?

 

[-OZ-]

Arrington is really the only guy who has disappointed so far and he wasn't even in the best situation for a RB.

So you don't think Benson has been a disappointment?

Benson's tough to judge. Sure, if your draft was before camp, and you took him high, you're disapointed. I did in one league, and am. But OTOH, he's been behind one of the better RBs this year and got injured. I can excuse the injury. IMO he screwed himself by sitting out camp, and most of us didn't expect much at that point.

 

[cstu]

Arrington is really the only guy who has disappointed so far and he wasn't even in the best situation for a RB.

So you don't think Benson has been a disappointment?

Benson's tough to judge. Sure, if your draft was before camp, and you took him high, you're disapointed. I did in one league, and am. But OTOH, he's been behind one of the better RBs this year and got injured. I can excuse the injury. IMO he screwed himself by sitting out camp, and most of us didn't expect much at that point.

I agree. He's a disappointment but brought it on himself by holding out and letting a very good RB keep the starting job. He also played well the last three games before getting hurt and was beginning to change my opinion of him as a bust.

 

[Holy Schneikes]

So, does anyone still feel that the mighty class of '05 is "the best RB class ever" as was being hyped all last pre-season?

Going into '06, we have two starters from the '05 class.

The '04 class had 3 starters going into their 2nd season, now has 4 starters.

The '03 class had 3, and that doesn't count Larry Johnson, now has 4.

The '02 class had 2 going into year 2, now has 4 (if you count Chester Taylor).

The '01 class had Tomlinson, McAllister, Bennett, Thomas, Henry as starters in '02. And now has Tomlisnon, McAllister, Jordan, Rudi Johnson, and sort of Barlow. All totalled, the class had 8 guys who were starters at some point (not due to injury).

The '00 class also had 5 by their 2nd year and still have 4 starters.

In all honesty, '05 was average at BEST, and the depth which was so highly regarded is probably going to end up much worse than average.

 

[Maroney=Speed]

It obviously hasn't lived up to that high of a billing.

Caddy, Ronnie and Cedric are still well thought of.

Gore could be considered a starter

MB3, Moats, Jacobs and Morency are primary backups.

Fason, Houston and Pearman still in the mix on their respective clubs.

Clarett, Arrington and Shelton busted.

Still, if shark pool readers saw this post and loaded up on

2nd/3rd round rookie picks they have some decent RB talent

to show for it.

So, does anyone still feel that the mighty class of '05 is "the best RB class ever" as was being hyped all last pre-season?

Going into '06, we have two starters from the '05 class.

The '04 class had 3 starters going into their 2nd season, now has 4 starters.

The '03 class had 3, and that doesn't count Larry Johnson, now has 4.

The '02 class had 2 going into year 2, now has 4 (if you count Chester Taylor).

The '01 class had Tomlinson, McAllister, Bennett, Thomas, Henry as starters in '02. And now has Tomlisnon, McAllister, Jordan, Rudi Johnson, and sort of Barlow. All totalled, the class had 8 guys who were starters at some point (not due to injury).

The '00 class also had 5 by their 2nd year and still have 4 starters.

In all honesty, '05 was average at BEST, and the depth which was so highly regarded is probably going to end up much worse than average.

 

[JayMan]

It obviously hasn't lived up to that high of a billing.

Caddy, Ronnie and Cedric are still well thought of.

Gore could be considered a starter

MB3, Moats, Jacobs and Morency are primary backups.

Fason, Houston and Pearman still in the mix on their respective clubs.

Clarett, Arrington and Shelton busted.

Still, if shark pool readers saw this post and loaded up on

2nd/3rd round rookie picks they have some decent RB talent

to show for it.

So, does anyone still feel that the mighty class of '05 is "the best RB class ever" as was being hyped all last pre-season?

Going into '06, we have two starters from the '05 class.

The '04 class had 3 starters going into their 2nd season, now has 4 starters.

The '03 class had 3, and that doesn't count Larry Johnson, now has 4.

The '02 class had 2 going into year 2, now has 4 (if you count Chester Taylor).

The '01 class had Tomlinson, McAllister, Bennett, Thomas, Henry as starters in '02.  And now has Tomlisnon, McAllister, Jordan, Rudi Johnson, and sort of Barlow.  All totalled, the class had 8 guys who were starters at some point (not due to injury).

The '00 class also had 5 by their 2nd year and still have 4 starters.

In all honesty, '05 was average at BEST, and the depth which was so highly regarded is probably going to end up much worse than average.

Does this mean that, this year, Addai / Calhoun / Norwood / Drew have "statistically" as many chance of succeeding than White / Williams / Maroney?

 

[coolnerd]

So, does anyone still feel that the mighty class of '05 is "the best RB class ever" as was being hyped all last pre-season?

Going into '06, we have two starters from the '05 class.

The '04 class had 3 starters going into their 2nd season, now has 4 starters.

The '03 class had 3, and that doesn't count Larry Johnson, now has 4.

The '02 class had 2 going into year 2, now has 4 (if you count Chester Taylor).

The '01 class had Tomlinson, McAllister, Bennett, Thomas, Henry as starters in '02.  And now has Tomlisnon, McAllister, Jordan, Rudi Johnson, and sort of Barlow.  All totalled, the class had 8 guys who were starters at some point (not due to injury).

The '00 class also had 5 by their 2nd year and still have 4 starters.

In all honesty, '05 was average at BEST, and the depth which was so highly regarded is probably going to end up much worse than average.

Think you are being premature to call 2005 mediocore. Of the top 15 listed by the original poster the top 12 are still in the league; somewhere between a solid starter and 2 twisted ankles from being the starter. By the end of 2006, even w/o injury, Benson, Gore, Gado and Houston all easily could be starters.

 

[Maroney=Speed]

Does this mean that, this year, Addai / Calhoun / Norwood / Drew have "statistically" as many chance of succeeding than White / Williams / Maroney?

I'm not sure what you are asking here? The lower the draft choice, the less "statistical" chance a player has of succeeding. What I try to do it watch those 2nd tier guys play and try to decide which ones have the talent to succeed in the NFL given the opportunity.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

There's no way around it, after year one, the 2005 rookie RBs have been a disappointment. Grades:

Ronnie Brown - A - future feature back material and showed his game speed was as excellent as his timed speed.

Cedric Benson C/INC - a holdout, great play by Thomas Jones, and then a knee injury when an opportunity for playing time came.

Cadillac Williams - A - got hurt early in the year, but finished games like an all pro when healthy.

JJ Arrington - F - Looked small and ineffective (although behind a weak line). Hello Edge.

Eric Shelton - F - Got hurt in camp and wasnt even playing well enough to merit an active roster spot.

Frank Gore - B - One of the most highly debated backs . Those that said he had real talent were right. Those that said he can't stay healthy were right.

Vernand Morency - D - Outplayed by Jonathan Wells and will be buried in Houston

Ryan Moats - C - Slow start, eventually got to show he was a true home run threat, but also seemed real small between the tackles.

Maurice Clarett - F- :X

Marion Barber - A - The biggest success of the 2nd tier backs. He looked like the kind of guy who could carry the load when given the chance to and showed a knack for goal line running.

Brandon Jacobs - C - Big time darling of training camp looks like a one trick pony

Alvin Pearman - C - Camp went well, but resurgence of Greg Jones is pushing him into a "Kevin Faulk" role.

Darren Sproles - C - like Jacobs, hype in camp, but really just a role player

Damien Nash - F - Injuries, acquisition of Henry, emergence of Payton - all hurt Nash

Cedric Houston - A - The biggest success of the late round backs. Discovering his thyroid condition may have unlocked some hidden upside and Houston looked adequate at worst as a featured RB in New York late in the year.

OTHERS:

Sam Gado - A - Ran tough and hard and put himself in the mix for the long term RB job in Green Bay

Derrick Wimbush - one of my favorite sleepers, any big back who can return a kickoff for TD gets my attention.

Overall - C - the big 3 mainly held up their part of the bargain, but only Gore and Barber really stepped up in the 2nd tier.

Like last year, this year saw a ton of talented juniors declare and at least on paper looks as good as last year's 9 deep.

 

[JayMan]

Does this mean that, this year, Addai / Calhoun / Norwood / Drew have "statistically" as many chance of succeeding than White / Williams / Maroney?

I'm not sure what you are asking here? The lower the draft choice, the less "statistical" chance a player has of succeeding. What I try to do it watch those 2nd tier guys play and try to decide which ones have the talent to succeed in the NFL given the opportunity.

I think we're saying the same thing... my comment was not detremental of the 1st tier guys - but asking if those in the 2nd tier can also have an impact, fantasy wise... since it seems, after one year, that: Barber / Gore / Moats can be equally appealing as Arrington / Shelton down the road...The real question seems to be - out of Calhoun / Addai / Norwood / Drew... which(s) one(s) can be equal "fantasy wise" to Maroney / White / Williams?...