Peterson in comparison to... (1 Viewer)

[switz]

It seems pretty much every year there is a rookie RB that's highly touted. Some pan out (Edge, LT) where others don't (TJones, WGreen).

The question is - where do you rank Peterson among the top drafted rookie RBs of the last 5-7 years in terms of potential? Looking at it from their rookie year and then onward...

off the top of my head the guys that were really thought well of... and how I'd rate them over the first few seasons

LT

Edge

SJax

Jamal Lewis

Bush

Larry Johnson

Cadillac Williams

Deuce McAllister

Ricky Williams

Ronnie Brown

Willis McGahee

Thomas Jones

Michael Bennett

Cedric Benson

William Green

 

[Ned]

It seems pretty much every year there is a rookie RB that's highly touted. Some pan out (Edge, LT) where others don't (TJones, WGreen).

The question is - where do you rank Peterson among the top drafted rookie RBs of the last 5-7 years in terms of potential? Looking at it from their rookie year and then onward...

off the top of my head the guys that were really thought well of... and how I'd rate them over the first few seasons

LT

Edge

peterson

SJax

Jamal Lewis

Bush

Larry Johnson

Cadillac Williams

Deuce McAllister

Ricky Williams

Ronnie Brown

Willis McGahee

Thomas Jones

Michael Bennett

Cedric Benson

William Green

 

[Burning Sensation]

Assuming dynasty league, which i have only been doing for four years, Bush would easily top my list.

 

[switz]

Assuming dynasty league, which i have only been doing for four years, Bush would easily top my list.

I wasn't so much looking for critiques on my quickly thrown together order, but rather, for others to make their own list, with Peterson in there somewhere

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

rating them based on how they were thought of at the time they were drafted:

Bush

LT

Edge

Ricky

AD

 

[switz]

rating them based on how they were thought of at the time they were drafted:BushLTEdgeRickyAD

So you think AD will perform at a lower level than Ricky?

 

[Burning Sensation]

Assuming dynasty league, which i have only been doing for four years, Bush would easily top my list.

I wasn't so much looking for critiques on my quickly thrown together order, but rather, for others to make their own list, with Peterson in there somewhere

Well, this will only be my 5th year of dynasty, but going into the rookie drafts i guess it would go something like this:1.Bush(2006)2.Caddy(2005)3.Peterson(2007)4.RBrown(2005)5.KJones(2004)5.LJ(2003)6.Maroney(2006)7.SJax(2004)8.Addai(2006)10.Mcgahee(2003)11.Lynch(2007)12.DWilliams(2006)13.Tatum Bell(2004)14.JJones(2004)15.LWhite(2006)16.Arrington(2005)17.CBrown(2003)18.Jones-Drew(2006)19.Gore(2005)20.Clarrett(2005)Maybe more than you wanted, but i was on a roll. ETA, forgot Benson, put him between Maroney and Sjax at #7

 

[jurb26]

My rankings or what I thought of them the year they came out.

Bush

Ricky

LT

Edge

Peterson

Willis

Caddy

Lewis

Brown

Johnson

McAllister

SJax

Green

Jones

Bennett

Benson

 

[noneother]

rating them based on how they were thought of at the time they were drafted:BushLTEdgeRickyAD

So you think AD will perform at a lower level than Ricky?

I shouldn't speak for Bloom, BUT I don't think that's what he's saying..I believe he is saying that this ranking is based in his interpretation of how people felt on each candidate at the time they entered their respective draft. More expectation of Reggie than any other back...I think AD and Maroney, from a NFL perspective may be more statistically successful RBs than Bush.. yet no one can say Bush is a lesser player than anyone listed.I also think AD, LT Sjax, Maroney, and Edge, will have a more consistant FF point per game result than Reggie.. (maybe Edge PRE Arizona)they are to Reggie what Emmit Smith was to Barry Sanders IN MY OPINION,and guesstimation on their careers going forward..

 

[Jackal]

kevin jones?

 

[switz]

kevin jones?

What about him?

 

[switz]

Assuming dynasty league, which i have only been doing for four years, Bush would easily top my list.

I wasn't so much looking for critiques on my quickly thrown together order, but rather, for others to make their own list, with Peterson in there somewhere

Well, this will only be my 5th year of dynasty, but going into the rookie drafts i guess it would go something like this:1.Bush(2006)2.Caddy(2005)3.Peterson(2007)4.RBrown(2005)5.KJones(2004)5.LJ(2003)6.Maroney(2006)7.SJax(2004)8.Addai(2006)10.Mcgahee(2003)11.Lynch(2007)12.DWilliams(2006)13.Tatum Bell(2004)14.JJones(2004)15.LWhite(2006)16.Arrington(2005)17.CBrown(2003)18.Jones-Drew(2006)19.Gore(2005)20.Clarrett(2005)Maybe more than you wanted, but i was on a roll. ETA, forgot Benson, put him between Maroney and Sjax at #7

Awesome, exactly what I was looking for...

 

[BigTex]

Assuming dynasty league, which i have only been doing for four years, Bush would easily top my list.

I wasn't so much looking for critiques on my quickly thrown together order, but rather, for others to make their own list, with Peterson in there somewhere

Well, this will only be my 5th year of dynasty, but going into the rookie drafts i guess it would go something like this:1.Bush(2006)2.Caddy(2005)3.Peterson(2007)4.RBrown(2005)5.KJones(2004)5.LJ(2003)6.Maroney(2006)7.SJax(2004)8.Addai(2006)10.Mcgahee(2003)11.Lynch(2007)12.DWilliams(2006)13.Tatum Bell(2004)14.JJones(2004)15.LWhite(2006)16.Arrington(2005)17.CBrown(2003)18.Jones-Drew(2006)19.Gore(2005)20.Clarrett(2005)Maybe more than you wanted, but i was on a roll. ETA, forgot Benson, put him between Maroney and Sjax at #7

LT?

 

[Buckna]

Assuming dynasty league, which i have only been doing for four years, Bush would easily top my list.

I wasn't so much looking for critiques on my quickly thrown together order, but rather, for others to make their own list, with Peterson in there somewhere

Well, this will only be my 5th year of dynasty, but going into the rookie drafts i guess it would go something like this:1.Bush(2006)2.Caddy(2005)3.Peterson(2007)4.RBrown(2005)5.KJones(2004)5.LJ(2003)6.Maroney(2006)7.SJax(2004)8.Addai(2006)10.Mcgahee(2003)11.Lynch(2007)12.DWilliams(2006)13.Tatum Bell(2004)14.JJones(2004)15.LWhite(2006)16.Arrington(2005)17.CBrown(2003)18.Jones-Drew(2006)19.Gore(2005)20.Clarrett(2005)Maybe more than you wanted, but i was on a roll. ETA, forgot Benson, put him between Maroney and Sjax at #7

LT?

He didn't go back that far. I'd like to see some of the oldtimers be honest about what they felt about Willie Green, Michael Bennett, Foster, Portis, Duckett, Anthony Thomas, Thomas Jones, Trung Candidate, Ron Dayne, James Johnson, Kevin Faulk, etc. Edit: Other 1st & 2nd round picks that were hyped at 1 time or another.

 

[EBF]

rating them based on how they were thought of at the time they were drafted:

Bush

LT

Edge

Ricky

AD

This seems pretty accurate to me. I'd compare Peterson's prospects to McGahee's right before he got hurt in the Ohio State game (when he was still projected as a top 3 pick). Willis, like Peterson, was a solid back with all of the physical skills needed to be effective in the NFL. I remember Ricky being a real sensation in his day, but I honestly didn't follow scouting as closely back then as I do now, so it's tough for me to compare Peterson to Ricky and Edge.

Peterson is a notch below Tomlinson and Bush because he doesn't have the ideal RB build and he lacks the elite lateral agility of those two. I've seen some Oklahoma homers say Peterson is just as quick as Bush, but when you watch their highlights, you quickly see that this is not the case. Bush makes a lot of cuts and bursts that Peterson could only dream of.

But Peterson is still a solid prospect. He's got great speed, good instincts, good balance, and good power. He should be one of the top 10 RBs in the league when healthy. I think he's a more dynamic talent than Kevin Jones and Cadillac Williams (both of whom I was high on). He's not quite as big or strong as Steven Jackson, but he's a more exciting runner. I think he's easily more impressive than the likes of Maroney and Addai.

 

[JimboJim]

rating them based on how they were thought of at the time they were drafted:BushLTEdgeRickyAD

Hate to diagree with you buddy, but even though LT was drafted fourth overall, he wasn't as highly thought of coming out of school as a number of other recent backs.If it wasn't for San Diego falling in love with him prior to the draft and swapping picks with Atlanta, there is a chance LT could have really slid that year.After his senior season, and prior to his workouts, lots of people were saying that he was a product of the wishbone offense at TCU and wasn't nearly the overall prospect Deuce McAllister was, nor did he posses the world class speed Michael Bennett did.I'm from Fort Worth and was a huge LT fan when he as here at TCU. I was biased of course, and KNEW he would be a good pro (not really; homerism), but I must admit, some of the critiques on him were accurate. He got most of his yardage in college on pitch plays to the outside and had little experience blocking or catching the ball.At the combine he did show soft hands and better than expected speed, which upped his stock.I would say that guys like Caddy, Bush, Ronnie Brown, Benson, Peterson and Ricky Williams were all thought of more highly coming out of school. I'd put LT in the same category as LJ, Jackson, Jamal Lewis and Maroney. Guys who proved themselves at the college level, but still had some question marks surronding major facets fo their games.

 

[kensat30]

Peterson reminds me a lot of Deuce McAllister. But a little stronger and faster with less bulk. Doesn't really compare to the ideally sized and proportioned prototypical RBs like Tomlinson, Ricky, and Edge. He's really 3rd on the list of the unorthodox sized RBs behind Reggie Bush and Marshall Faulk. I would put him ahead of Kijana Carter and Jamal Lewis though, really the highest rated "big" RB in recent memory IMO.

I believe AD is more highly rated than any RB within the last couple of 2 or 3 years as well, namely Brown, Jackson, Benson, and Caddy.

 

[noneother]

Peterson reminds me a lot of Deuce McAllister. But a little stronger and faster with less bulk. Doesn't really compare to the ideally sized and proportioned prototypical RBs like Tomlinson, Ricky, and Edge. He's really 3rd on the list of the unorthodox sized RBs behind Reggie Bush and Marshall Faulk. I would put him ahead of Kijana Carter and Jamal Lewis though, really the highest rated "big" RB in recent memory IMO.I believe AD is more highly rated than any RB within the last couple of 2 or 3 years as well, namely Brown, Jackson, Benson, and Caddy.

I would say higher than everyone.. except Reggie

 

[428143]

Peterson reminds me a lot of Deuce McAllister. But a little stronger and faster with less bulk. Doesn't really compare to the ideally sized and proportioned prototypical RBs like Tomlinson, Ricky, and Edge. He's really 3rd on the list of the unorthodox sized RBs behind Reggie Bush and Marshall Faulk. I would put him ahead of Kijana Carter and Jamal Lewis though, really the highest rated "big" RB in recent memory IMO.I believe AD is more highly rated than any RB within the last couple of 2 or 3 years as well, namely Brown, Jackson, Benson, and Caddy.

 

[jurb26]

Peterson reminds me a lot of Deuce McAllister. But a little stronger and faster with less bulk. Doesn't really compare to the ideally sized and proportioned prototypical RBs like Tomlinson, Ricky, and Edge. He's really 3rd on the list of the unorthodox sized RBs behind Reggie Bush and Marshall Faulk. I would put him ahead of Kijana Carter and Jamal Lewis though, really the highest rated "big" RB in recent memory IMO.I believe AD is more highly rated than any RB within the last couple of 2 or 3 years as well, namely Brown, Jackson, Benson, and Caddy.

I would say higher than everyone.. except Reggie

I don't think people are remembering just how big a deal Ricky was coming out of Texas.

 

[Yitbos69]

Peterson reminds me a lot of Deuce McAllister. But a little stronger and faster with less bulk. Doesn't really compare to the ideally sized and proportioned prototypical RBs like Tomlinson, Ricky, and Edge. He's really 3rd on the list of the unorthodox sized RBs behind Reggie Bush and Marshall Faulk. I would put him ahead of Kijana Carter and Jamal Lewis though, really the highest rated "big" RB in recent memory IMO.I believe AD is more highly rated than any RB within the last couple of 2 or 3 years as well, namely Brown, Jackson, Benson, and Caddy.

I would say higher than everyone.. except Reggie

I don't think people are remembering just how big a deal Ricky was coming out of Texas.

I don't think anyone had the hype that Mcgahee had (before his injury) until Bush. Mcgahee was not going to be able to play in 2003 and was still drafted 23rd overall and was the 1st RB off the board!

 

[jurb26]

Peterson reminds me a lot of Deuce McAllister. But a little stronger and faster with less bulk. Doesn't really compare to the ideally sized and proportioned prototypical RBs like Tomlinson, Ricky, and Edge. He's really 3rd on the list of the unorthodox sized RBs behind Reggie Bush and Marshall Faulk. I would put him ahead of Kijana Carter and Jamal Lewis though, really the highest rated "big" RB in recent memory IMO.I believe AD is more highly rated than any RB within the last couple of 2 or 3 years as well, namely Brown, Jackson, Benson, and Caddy.

I would say higher than everyone.. except Reggie

I don't think people are remembering just how big a deal Ricky was coming out of Texas.

I don't think anyone had the hype that Mcgahee had (before his injury) until Bush. Mcgahee was not going to be able to play in 2003 and was still drafted 23rd overall and was the 1st RB off the board!

That's true, but the injury derail a huge portion of his hype and expectations.

 

[Jackal]

kevin jones?

What about him?

i seem to remember a lot of discussion as to whether he or steven jackson would be the first off the board that year.

 

[Yitbos69]

Peterson reminds me a lot of Deuce McAllister. But a little stronger and faster with less bulk. Doesn't really compare to the ideally sized and proportioned prototypical RBs like Tomlinson, Ricky, and Edge. He's really 3rd on the list of the unorthodox sized RBs behind Reggie Bush and Marshall Faulk. I would put him ahead of Kijana Carter and Jamal Lewis though, really the highest rated "big" RB in recent memory IMO.I believe AD is more highly rated than any RB within the last couple of 2 or 3 years as well, namely Brown, Jackson, Benson, and Caddy.

I would say higher than everyone.. except Reggie

I don't think people are remembering just how big a deal Ricky was coming out of Texas.

I don't think anyone had the hype that Mcgahee had (before his injury) until Bush. Mcgahee was not going to be able to play in 2003 and was still drafted 23rd overall and was the 1st RB off the board!

That's true, but the injury derail a huge portion of his hype and expectations.

I can't think of any other player who was injured like Mcgahee and still went in the 1st round and 1st at there position. I think it surprised a lot of people.Then again it was Buffalo who drafted him

 

[switz]

He didn't go back that far. I'd like to see some of the oldtimers be honest about what they felt about Willie Green, Michael Bennett, Foster, Portis, Duckett, Anthony Thomas, Thomas Jones, Trung Candidate, Ron Dayne, James Johnson, Kevin Faulk, etc. Edit: Other 1st & 2nd round picks that were hyped at 1 time or another.

I don't consider myself an old timer, but I was playing FF back when Barry Sanders was drafted Am I tthat old????Anyway - Including the fellows you listed, I'll redo my list with all the guys you mention... and a few others I thought well of...100% positive they'd be superstarsLTEdgeBushJamal LewisClinton PortisGarrison Hearst------------------90% positive they'd be superstarsCadillac WilliamsSJax------------------80% positive they'd be superstarsLarry JohnsonDeShaun FosterDeuce McAllisterRicky Williams------------------75% positive they'd be superstarsRonnie BrownWillis McGaheeCedric Benson75% certain they'd bustKevin JonesAnthony ThomasThomas JonesMichael BennettKijana Carter------------------80% certain they'd bustKevin FaulkTJ DuckettWilliam Green------------------90% certain they'd bustJames JohnsonTrung Canidate------------------100% certain they'd bustRon Dayne

 

[switz]

kevin jones?

What about him?

i seem to remember a lot of discussion as to whether he or steven jackson would be the first off the board that year.

Not by me

 

[EBF]

kevin jones?

What about him?

i seem to remember a lot of discussion as to whether he or steven jackson would be the first off the board that year.

Not by me

I thought KJ was the better back and still feel that it might actually be the case. There's a big difference between playing for the Rams and the Lions. At any rate, they were only drafted 7 spots apart, so there's some evidence for the claim that there didn't appear to be a huge gap between them when they entered the league.

 

[Shermanator]

Peterson reminds me a lot of Deuce McAllister. But a little stronger and faster with less bulk. Doesn't really compare to the ideally sized and proportioned prototypical RBs like Tomlinson, Ricky, and Edge. He's really 3rd on the list of the unorthodox sized RBs behind Reggie Bush and Marshall Faulk. I would put him ahead of Kijana Carter and Jamal Lewis though, really the highest rated "big" RB in recent memory IMO.I believe AD is more highly rated than any RB within the last couple of 2 or 3 years as well, namely Brown, Jackson, Benson, and Caddy.

I would say higher than everyone.. except Reggie

I don't think people are remembering just how big a deal Ricky was coming out of Texas.

Ricky was uber hyped right along with Reggie Bush. It was like Ricky-mania. Not many draftniks had Edge rated higher than him.Obviously the Colts made the right call. But there was shock and awe when the 4th pick in the draft was chosen. Then of course Ditka goes ahead and trades his entire draft away for R-Dub

 

[Bracie Smathers]

rating them based on how they were thought of at the time they were drafted:

Bush

LT

Edge

Ricky

AD

Hate to diagree with you buddy, but even though LT was drafted fourth overall, he wasn't as highly thought of coming out of school as a number of other recent backs.If it wasn't for San Diego falling in love with him prior to the draft and swapping picks with Atlanta, there is a chance LT could have really slid that year.

After his senior season, and prior to his workouts, lots of people were saying that he was a product of the wishbone offense at TCU and wasn't nearly the overall prospect Deuce McAllister was, nor did he posses the world class speed Michael Bennett did.

I'm from Fort Worth and was a huge LT fan when he as here at TCU. I was biased of course, and KNEW he would be a good pro (not really; homerism), but I must admit, some of the critiques on him were accurate. He got most of his yardage in college on pitch plays to the outside and had little experience blocking or catching the ball.

At the combine he did show soft hands and better than expected speed, which upped his stock.

I would say that guys like Caddy, Bush, Ronnie Brown, Benson, Peterson and Ricky Williams were all thought of more highly coming out of school. I'd put LT in the same category as LJ, Jackson, Jamal Lewis and Maroney. Guys who proved themselves at the college level, but still had some question marks surronding major facets fo their games.

Dead nutz center on everything about LdT coming out of college. People tend to put on twenty-twenty hindsite googles in doing past evaluations. When LdT came out their were tons of questions with the system he came from, his hands, and in that draft Deuce was thought to be the best RB on MANY draft boards. The only reason McAllister dropped was due to his spotty injury history. Deuce had better hands as he was split out and used as a WR and some were even considering moving him to WR, he was that good catching the ball. Now after seeing LdT catch the ball like crazy people tend to forget that their were MAJOR questions about his hands coming out. Their have only been three RBs who had pre-draft hype of epic proportions who have been listed, Kijana, Ricky and Reggie. Kijana was slated to be a superstar but got injured before he played his first game and never was able to live up to his expectations. Ricky disappointed at his Pro Day workout by running slower forty than expected and then the 'personality quirk' whispers began to circulate. Edge was not thought of nearly as high as Ricky was coming out. Reggie held some questions, and still does, for me on a personal level. I love certain thing he does in space and how he's currently being used but I still have questions about whether he could ever carry the full workload.

This is how I recall them listed pre-draft style and where I'd place AP in the listing.

1 first tier- These guys had the most pre-draft hype of any RBs coming out and were thought to be shoe-ins as franchise RBs.

====

Ricky Williams

Bush

Adrian Peterson

Kijana Carter

Cedric Benson

====

2 nd tier- These guys were not listed with the above listing but were still thought to be franchise RBs coming out:

====

LT

Edge

Ronnie Brown

Garrison Hearst

Thomas Jones

Jamal Lewis

Cadillac Williams

Kevin Jones

Deuce McAllister

Laurence Maroney

DeAngelo Williams

====

3 rd tier- These guys had questions coming out. I don't remember why Steve-Jax fell in the first round but it may have been the glut of RBs or that he came from Portland State but he was NOT thought of as a franchise RB and thus fell down the board. I was sky-high on LJ coming out but their were all sorts of anti PSU RB fears and questions about his hands. Also people don't remember how Shaun Alexander was a later first round pick without much hype coming out.

====

Joseph Addai

Ron Dayne

Willis McGahee

Shaun Alexander

SJax

Michael Bennett

Larry Johnson

William Green

TJ Duckett

Chris Perry

====

4 th tier- Trung was thought of more as a third down special teamer and A-Train was thought of as a plodder. LenDale was thought by some to be the better USC RB at the time. T-Bell was the highest drafted RB in the Mike Shanahan era so the FF world took notice AFTER his selection. I honestly don't recall ANY hype of him pre-draft but he was one of the top FF rookie selections the year he came out. Chris Brown was thought of as a low-first high-second round RB prospect but had the infamous high running style but landed in a great spot as the hier apparrent to Eddie George and many would be claiming today that they KNEW Chris Brown would make it if he had but ofcourse he gets lost in the shuffle since his career hasn't panned out.

====

Trung Canidate

LenDale White

Chris Brown

Anthony Thomas

Tatum Bell

====

5 th tier- Clinton should and would have been taken by the Browns in the first round but Butch Davis was the biggest personnel moron to have ever ran a franchise into the ground. He took James Jackson the year prior, one of his Miami bois and got burned so he was gunshy about taking Clinton with his first pick and ended up with the larger RB who had loads of personal baggage in William Green. J.J. was thought to be a solid prospect but hasn't panned out. Jordan and Henry were second round backs and I liked Jordan but only after I had a chance to see him with the Jets.

====

Clinton Portis

J.J. Arrington

LaMont Jordan

Travis Henry

====

6 th tier- IIRC DeShaun had injury concerns a-plenty coming out and that is why he fell to the second round. I'd also place Fargas into this group but honestly they are well below the others. People forget the minor hype for Travis Prentice when he came out.

====

DeShaun Foster

Kevan Barlow

Travis Prentice

James Jackson

Kevin Faulk

James Johnson

====

FAR too many people claim that before a certain draft that they KNEW a guy was going to make or break but if you notice they always are far more accurate when they know the outcome than before things take shape. As it stands right now, AP ranks in the top tier but honestly anything can happen. KiJana Carter could and probably should have been a super star and now I see people saying they knew he'd bust, feh! I don't buy it for a second. Nobody knows for certain how AP's career will play out but he squarely fits in with top-tier former draftees in how they were veiwed prior to the draft.

Also, Julius and Greg Jones and a few others I didn't get around to listing either. The point being pre-draft listing of players is one thing, RECALLING how players were listed pre-draft AFTER knowing how each has turned out tends to discount how people talked up a prospect like Travis Prentice or to forget how much hype and talk their was of KiJana Carter.

 

[ThePittbully]

Honestly I dont know how anyone could be 75% sure Kevin J or Kevin Faulk would be busts. Their tape is astounding, more so KJ

 

[The Jacket]

People are BS'ing like a muthafugger in this thread. No one, at the time, had LT on the same kind of level as people put Bush on last year or even a guy like Ronnie Brown a couple years ago.

Hindsight's a beetch.

Edit: I see some sense was injected into the thread a few posts ago. I like that tiered list, except there's no way I put Benson in the top tier with guys like Bush and Ricky. I'm not even sure about Peterson. And a guy like Steven Jackson should be in tier two, IMO. Most fans I knew at that time had him as the #1 back in that class and were shocked when he fell so far.

 

[Routilla]

My expectations are not that high for AP, especially if he lands on a losing team. He will get beat up early in the season and finish the year on the bench if he starts in week 1. Best case scenerio is he sees spot duty and has time to adjust to the speed of the game without being the teams top option on the ground. IMO. He will see a lot of 8 in the box and if the team cannot pass effectively he will have a lot of 0-2 yard carries.

 

[BGP]

Note that William Green WAS productive. I don't doubt he can play at the NFL level. His problem is drugs. If he gets caught again its a one-year suspension. No-one is going to want him because of that.

 

[BGP]

Switz,

How concerned are you about the injury-prone tag on Peterson? I know Jamal Lewis isn't much these days and I think its actually a good possibility he may be the pick for my Browns. He's had an ankle that cost him all or parts of four games one year and then broke his collarbone and missed 6 games in another year. The Browns of course have suffered thru an injury to Charlie Frye, an injury to LeCharles Bentley, A blown knee by Braylon Edwards, and a shredded knee by Kellen Winslow. So yah, injury-prone is the focus here. Thanks.

 

[WhoDat]

rating them based on how they were thought of at the time they were drafted:

Bush

LT

Edge

Ricky

AD

Hate to diagree with you buddy, but even though LT was drafted fourth overall, he wasn't as highly thought of coming out of school as a number of other recent backs.If it wasn't for San Diego falling in love with him prior to the draft and swapping picks with Atlanta, there is a chance LT could have really slid that year.

After his senior season, and prior to his workouts, lots of people were saying that he was a product of the wishbone offense at TCU and wasn't nearly the overall prospect Deuce McAllister was, nor did he posses the world class speed Michael Bennett did.

I'm from Fort Worth and was a huge LT fan when he as here at TCU. I was biased of course, and KNEW he would be a good pro (not really; homerism), but I must admit, some of the critiques on him were accurate. He got most of his yardage in college on pitch plays to the outside and had little experience blocking or catching the ball.

At the combine he did show soft hands and better than expected speed, which upped his stock.

I would say that guys like Caddy, Bush, Ronnie Brown, Benson, Peterson and Ricky Williams were all thought of more highly coming out of school. I'd put LT in the same category as LJ, Jackson, Jamal Lewis and Maroney. Guys who proved themselves at the college level, but still had some question marks surronding major facets fo their games.

Dead nutz center on everything about LdT coming out of college. People tend to put on twenty-twenty hindsite googles in doing past evaluations. When LdT came out their were tons of questions with the system he came from, his hands, and in that draft Deuce was thought to be the best RB on MANY draft boards. The only reason McAllister dropped was due to his spotty injury history. Deuce had better hands as he was split out and used as a WR and some were even considering moving him to WR, he was that good catching the ball. Now after seeing LdT catch the ball like crazy people tend to forget that their were MAJOR questions about his hands coming out. Their have only been three RBs who had pre-draft hype of epic proportions who have been listed, Kijana, Ricky and Reggie. Kijana was slated to be a superstar but got injured before he played his first game and never was able to live up to his expectations. Ricky disappointed at his Pro Day workout by running slower forty than expected and then the 'personality quirk' whispers began to circulate. Edge was not thought of nearly as high as Ricky was coming out. Reggie held some questions, and still does, for me on a personal level. I love certain thing he does in space and how he's currently being used but I still have questions about whether he could ever carry the full workload.

This is how I recall them listed pre-draft style and where I'd place AP in the listing.

1 first tier- These guys had the most pre-draft hype of any RBs coming out and were thought to be shoe-ins as franchise RBs.

====

Ricky Williams

Bush

Adrian Peterson

Kijana Carter

Cedric Benson

====

2 nd tier- These guys were not listed with the above listing but were still thought to be franchise RBs coming out:

====

LT

Edge

Ronnie Brown

Garrison Hearst

Thomas Jones

Jamal Lewis

Cadillac Williams

Kevin Jones

Deuce McAllister

Laurence Maroney

DeAngelo Williams

====

3 rd tier- These guys had questions coming out. I don't remember why Steve-Jax fell in the first round but it may have been the glut of RBs or that he came from Portland State but he was NOT thought of as a franchise RB and thus fell down the board. I was sky-high on LJ coming out but their were all sorts of anti PSU RB fears and questions about his hands. Also people don't remember how Shaun Alexander was a later first round pick without much hype coming out.

====

Joseph Addai

Ron Dayne

Willis McGahee

Shaun Alexander

SJax

Michael Bennett

Larry Johnson

William Green

TJ Duckett

Chris Perry

====

4 th tier- Trung was thought of more as a third down special teamer and A-Train was thought of as a plodder. LenDale was thought by some to be the better USC RB at the time. T-Bell was the highest drafted RB in the Mike Shanahan era so the FF world took notice AFTER his selection. I honestly don't recall ANY hype of him pre-draft but he was one of the top FF rookie selections the year he came out. Chris Brown was thought of as a low-first high-second round RB prospect but had the infamous high running style but landed in a great spot as the hier apparrent to Eddie George and many would be claiming today that they KNEW Chris Brown would make it if he had but ofcourse he gets lost in the shuffle since his career hasn't panned out.

====

Trung Canidate

LenDale White

Chris Brown

Anthony Thomas

Tatum Bell

====

5 th tier- Clinton should and would have been taken by the Browns in the first round but Butch Davis was the biggest personnel moron to have ever ran a franchise into the ground. He took James Jackson the year prior, one of his Miami bois and got burned so he was gunshy about taking Clinton with his first pick and ended up with the larger RB who had loads of personal baggage in William Green. J.J. was thought to be a solid prospect but hasn't panned out. Jordan and Henry were second round backs and I liked Jordan but only after I had a chance to see him with the Jets.

====

Clinton Portis

J.J. Arrington

LaMont Jordan

Travis Henry

====

6 th tier- IIRC DeShaun had injury concerns a-plenty coming out and that is why he fell to the second round. I'd also place Fargas into this group but honestly they are well below the others. People forget the minor hype for Travis Prentice when he came out.

====

DeShaun Foster

Kevan Barlow

Travis Prentice

James Jackson

Kevin Faulk

James Johnson

====

FAR too many people claim that before a certain draft that they KNEW a guy was going to make or break but if you notice they always are far more accurate when they know the outcome than before things take shape. As it stands right now, AP ranks in the top tier but honestly anything can happen. KiJana Carter could and probably should have been a super star and now I see people saying they knew he'd bust, feh! I don't buy it for a second. Nobody knows for certain how AP's career will play out but he squarely fits in with top-tier former draftees in how they were veiwed prior to the draft.

Also, Julius and Greg Jones and a few others I didn't get around to listing either. The point being pre-draft listing of players is one thing, RECALLING how players were listed pre-draft AFTER knowing how each has turned out tends to discount how people talked up a prospect like Travis Prentice or to forget how much hype and talk their was of KiJana Carter.

These are each very good posts especially those items regarding Tomlinson coming out of college. Only the Chargers saw that coming at the time and I think even their scouting staff would admit they never thought it would be that good. I do not necessarily agree with all the rankings but great points being made about several things. I would only add that Bush; his hype; his promise and his expectations were far greater than anyone mentioned in this thread. The last RB that came out of college within 25-30 years with that type of buyer's tag, promise and anticipation was Bo Jackson. Period. It is not even close.