from Patriots.com NFL draft prospects on the decline: running backs
Snipits:
Running back is a position the Patriots will likely look at in the draft. Here are a few backs that are on the decline and may not be a good fit in New England.
LenDale White, USC – White has very good vision in the hole and was a touchdown-scoring machine at USC but he does come with some baggage. He had some trouble with academics in college and his weight and attitude are also a concern.
I know a lot of people would like to see White in New England and while I wouldn’t scream and yell if they took him, just remember the old phrase “Buyer Beware.” If I had to go on record right now, I would say White’s career is going to resemble that of Curtis Enis more than it will Corey Dillon.
Joseph Addai, LSU – I think my good friend Andy Hart put it best while we were watching Addai on tape. He said, “Joseph Addai is just a guy.” That is exactly right. Addai is a good player and someone you would like to have on your team but he’s not going to be a feature back in the NFL.
Addai does a lot of things well but nothing great. He has impressive straight-line speed but he isn’t very elusive or quick. He can catch the ball well out of the backfield but he doesn’t have great moves in the open field. He runs well inside but he doesn’t break a lot of tackles. In other words, Addai is a perfect situational back but to say he’s worthy of a late first-early second round draft pick is stretching it.
I think Addai is going to have a good NFL career. He’ll be a nice compliment to a team because he can do so many different things. However, I don’t think Addai is ever going to be an every-down running back at the pro level so drafting him high is a risky proposition in my opinion. Think of him as a faster, more talented Patrick Pass
Brian Calhoun, Wisconsin – In my opinion, Calhoun is one of those guys who is going to end up being a better college player than he will be in the pros. Wisconsin has a track record over the past decade of having great college runners who don’t do as well in the NFL and I think Calhoun is going to follow in those
footsteps.
I’ll give him credit, he shows good vision and patience on tape but I’m worried about him being able to run inside at the next level. Calhoun bounced a lot of plays outside in college but in the NFL, that’s hard to do over and over again because of the speed difference in the pros. I just don’t think he’s a strong runner between the tackles. I compare him to William Green. I felt the same way about him coming out of Boston College. Instead of running hard inside, Green would often bounce runs to the outside for no reason. That kind of running style can get you in trouble in the NFL and I see a lot of that out of Calhoun when I watch him.
Mike Bell, Arizona – Going into the Combine there were the big four at running back and then a bunch of other backs all bunched in together. We all knew that in the next two months some backs would rise up draft boards and others would fall. Bell was in that group but no other back has seen their stock drop more since the Combine than he has.
Bell had a terrible outing in Indianapolis. He didn’t fair well in the position drills and ran in the 4.6-4.8 range. Bell told the media before he ran that scouts had questions about his speed and he didn’t do anything to calm their fears. Not only did Bell not run good times in the 40, he looked very slow in the change of direction drills as well.
As far as playing running back in the NFL, Bell doesn’t have the speed, vision, quickness or feel for the position. If you are looking for a mid-round prospect at running back for the Patriots, cross Bell off your list. He just doesn’t have the physical tools to succeed at the NFL level.
Leon Washington, Florida State – Out of all the backs I saw on film, Washington was the one I liked the least. I saw very little in him from watching Florida State games to breaking him down on film that would make me believe Washington can even make an NFL roster.
Washington’s only hope to stick with an NFL team is as a kick returner and third-down back. However, his lack of physical skills and instincts as a runner will limit what he can do as a running back in the pros. There are other backs in this class similar to Washington who are much more talented and because of that, I expect the former Seminole won’t hear his name called until the later rounds of the draft. He’ll have a tough time making an NFL roster in my opinion.
Wide Receiver | Senior | Notre Dame Maurice Stovall 
I would like to see the first two rounds go DeMeco Ryans and Joseph Addai. Richard Marshall in the third would be icing on the cake. 
Thanks for the analysis. That makes things a bit clearer.
Seriously, I saw Brady play in a Michael Jordan sponsored charity event back in February, I think it was. It was only a couple weeks after the Broncos game, and he was apparently playing with a tweaked groin, and I was wondering what the hell he was doing out there, semi-hurt and Im sure still pissed about giving that game away. He and Jordan won the tourney that weekend despite probably having alot on his mind. He and MJ teamed up was something to see.... a couple of the most driven characters youll ever see. Those guys were 2 friggin' peas in a pod on the links. And I couldnt help but think....."right, thats my guy....that crazy character is gonna come back and win another friggin' ring next year....". mark it down.
The sites I use for my Rookie information do not rank what rounds they think the WRs will go in. I looked at the mocks they did, and they have four to six WR going in the first two rounds, three to five going in the third (with the Pats grabbing Jeff Webb in that round), and two in the fourth round. Looks like the Third round is the round to make a move on WRs.
