Hankmoody
Footballguy
How long did it take PIT to retool their offense around Bell? Tyreek Hill in KCC? Ironic you bring up DJ but then poo-poo the concept of quikcly building around a mid-pick? The cost is 100% irrelevant the moment camp opens - if the guy has the talent they will get him the rock regardless of where they drafted him.I agree to some extent with this point. If one of the other running backs ends up showing elite skills early in their career, the team will eventually change the offense to be built around them. David Johnson is a prime example of a RB being way better than the team expected (remember AZ wanted Ameer Abdullah and were pissed they had to settle for DJ) and almost forcing his way into a massive role.
Where I disagree though is that the chances that an offense gets completely built around one of those guys is much lower because of the investment required for a team to take Barkley. As with Fournette last year and Zeke the year before, if you are a team taking a running back in the top-5, it is because you believe both in his talent and in the team building philosophy of investing in your OL and making sure your lead back gets 20-25 touches a game. No team will use a super premium pick on Barkley without being dead set on him seeing a ton of touches. If you believe that Barkley is going to go top-5, then you can feel extremely confident he is going to see a ton of touches and won't be part of a committee.
If a guy like Penny or Michel go in the 2nd or 3rd round, it could be to a team that philosophically believes in using multiple backs and spreading the touches around. Or to a team that already has a very good back but wants to add depth. You just don't know what the team's plan is because the cost isn't so high that they have to be committed to a ton of touches to get their money's worth.