Allen Bradford (1 Viewer)

The guy to get right now as a sneaky buy low. I realize Blount emerged last year,but, considering he was an undrafted pick up , I'm not sure they have a large amount of loyalty to keep him as a workhorse type of guy. Dont get me wrong either, I dont think Blount is Chopped liver. I fully expect him to take some of the load within the next few years.

Just from seeing what Bradford could do in college, It seems like to me he could potentially be an all purpose back at the next level. AT 5'11" 240 pounds, he seems to run faster than what would seem usual for the type of frame he has. Clocking a 4.59 40 is pretty solid for his playing style and it also seems like he may play a bit faster than that time tells. He was not asked to catch the ball at USC(15,00 other backs in the backfield), but , nothing I've seen from him tells me it isn't possible he could develop into a solid dump off guy. I'm not saying That hes going to emerge this year into a top 20 back, I just think Bradford has a shot to develop into a very solid NFL player and with given a good shot with the Bucs and that emerging offense, It could be a very solid combination for years to come. IMO a nice guy to monitor during training camp and have at the end of your bench just in case things fall his way. Who knows He could be one Blount injury and good preseason away from being the starting guy for TB this year.

Blount was a UFA more because of his off the field stuff as opposed to his ability. I think the bucks waiting till the end of the sixth round to draft a RB shows that they have confidence in Blount. They seem to have similar size but I would be surprised if Bradford did anything much better than Blount. USC always seems to get the highly touted guys out of high school but they never seem to pan out in the NFL, kinda like their WRs. If I was a Blount owner, I would pick up Bradford, just in case but would not expect much out of him especially if they resign Cadilac.

'No Way Jose said:

Blount was a UFA more because of his off the field stuff as opposed to his ability. I think the bucks waiting till the end of the sixth round to draft a RB shows that they have confidence in Blount. They seem to have similar size but I would be surprised if Bradford did anything much better than Blount. USC always seems to get the highly touted guys out of high school but they never seem to pan out in the NFL, kinda like their WRs. If I was a Blount owner, I would pick up Bradford, just in case but would not expect much out of him especially if they resign Cadilac.

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I really do agree with everything you say..really do.

But just to toss out another spin on it, I think we could consider that the Bucs taking a RB is not just a sign that they were ok with who they got but as a sign that they DID take a RB.

Its no secret for Bucs fans; this team was ALL about defense needs this years. And RB is a position this year that I believe all the NFL teams knew players would be taken lower than their talent (even Ingram, LeShoure, etc went much later than their talent suggests). You know, sometimes things will just happen, so I kind of like the OP's thoughts.

One of the best comparisons I can think of (in terms of situaiton) is the Texans. They had guys that were supposed to be there and they all got hurt. Then they bring in Green who is supposed to be good for a quick fix and HE got hurt. Then the kid that everyone said wasn't big enough to be anything more than a COP back (Steve Slaton) has a great fantasy year...and then HE got hurt. Then they trade up and draft a guy in the 2nd round that ALMOST EVERYONE expected to be the next feature back there (funny, people Assumed he WOULD be the guy because of his draft pick and that Bradford WON'T because of his) and HE got hurt. And in the end, when all the dust settled, an UNDRAFTED RB is the guy that is almost universally considered to be a top 5 dynasty player in FF.

Moral of the story: if you are at that point in a draft and a RB is there with some potnetial: pick up the spaghetti and throw it against the wall. You will have a lot of small messes to clean up but when just one sticks, you will eat many meals like a king.

I doubt the Texans have any less plans for Arian Foster just because he was a UDFA. I think with a 1st rounder, he gets more chances to play, and prove himself. But when a UDFA comes in a tears it up, I don't really think the team is looking to replace him, just because at one point he was a UDFA. In fact, he might become one of their favorite players, because they are congratulating themselves for picking him up, and he's cheap. Regarding this:

I realize Blount emerged last year,but, considering he was an undrafted pick up , I'm not sure they have a large amount of loyalty to keep him as a workhorse type of guy.

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A 6th round pick isn't much more of an investment. Picking up Blount's potential handcuff in deep leagues? I can see that. But isn't he even a longshot to be that?

I don't know a ton about Bradford, but I will pick him up just because I don't think Blount is the answer in TB.

You can get this guy in the 4th round of rookie drafts, I would buy because you got nothing to lose.

Seems like Bradford, Ridley, Royster, Harper, Todman, Allen, and Scott have 0 hype and are available in the 4th. Is Bradford the best? Does he have the clearest path to starting?

I would take royster as a flyer, helu is also a flyer but comes at a first round price. Ridley is cheap so he is another good flyer.

'massraider said:

A 6th round pick isn't much more of an investment. Picking up Blount's potential handcuff in deep leagues? I can see that. But isn't he even a longshot to be that?

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At the risk of blowing my chance to get him in a few picks (I know my league mates scour this site), I am going to say "absolutely no, I don't think it's a longshot at all".Watching the Bucs at the end of the season last year, it was crystal clear, the Caddy has broken down. His juice is gone. His YPC were nothing. They were not trying to get him involved in the passing game.

Lumpkin...just don't see it.

They have moved their other big back to FB.

So here is Bradford. you watch him and he looks good in highlights (don't they all?). You hear people talk about how USC guys don't usually pan out. Point taken. You read about how the guy is too slow and not agile, etc. Ok, now here's where I am ready to challenge the logic because it reads a bit too much like copy and paste laziness instead of reality.

Here's the deal: His 40 time is actually identical to Blount's fastest 40 time and .2 better than Blount's avg. time. More importantly, Bradford appears to play that fast as well. I like to watch the 3-cone drills for agility. Bradford's time is better there than Blount's. The long shuttle? Bradford and Blount very close. In many ways, it appears that the Bucs may have just drafted a guy they see as an interchangeable part with Blount. And one other thing that may or may never be relevant: Isn't Blount the same guy that has been known to have some degree of poor judgment from time to time?

Going back to the USC players don't ever pan out. Obviously that's a matter of relevance. They are rockstars in college and for many, if they don't translate into #1s for people's fantasy teams, they grow bitter. But even guys like Big Mike now and LenDale when he was playing and Steve Smith certainly have/had good value in fantasy.

So what's the asking price? late round pick in a rookie draft? I'm buying.

I'm buying as well. Doesn't cost much and there's very little in front of him.

I'm a big college recruiting guy and I can remember when Bradford was getting recruited. This guy was a 5 star recruit and was ranked as the 9th overall prospect in the country for a reason. Yes, I realize that not every highly touted guy out of high school is really all that, but, There was clearly something appealing about this guy from the start.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Allen-Bradford-37057

Guys like this dont ever seem to be lacking talent, it's usually more of a work ethic type of thing.Also, I would like to point out that He was competing with multiple other 5 star highly touted Runningbacks at USC.

4 or 5 star runningbacks going to USC in the time period Bradford was there:

2006:

5 star:

CJ Gable

stafon johnson

4 stars

Stanley Havili

Emmanuel Moody

2007:

5 star:

Marc Tyler

Joe McKnight

4 star:

Broderick Green

none in 2008 or 2009

2010:

5 star

Dillon Baxter

4 star

D J Moore

Soma Vainuku

Now I have a few points on this.

The first thing I would like to point out is the fact that all of these recruits chose to go to USC over at least 10 other big time colleges and every single one of them was at least, in some way, promised playing time in there career. There is no way you can consistently pull off grabbing big time recruits like that if you are not promising them that. So, think of the headaches the USC staff had when realizing they had to give all of these guys touches. To be honest, I dont think it really mattered how well one of them produced because they all needed touches. To add onto that, USC has obviously gone through a lot recently with all the player violations and having their bowl potential stripped from them. With that being the case, I'm not even sure winning is there number one priority right now. The fact that USCs recruiting hasn't taken a huge dip tells me that players are going there for there NFL draft stock rather than their college experience.

If you notice on Bradfords Recruiting page, it says he was coming in as a linebacker. The fact that He came in as a linebacker and they still decided to move him to runningback (even with that crowded backfield keep in mind), is the first sign there is something here. Although he did not play much in his first 3 years(mostly because of injury,Medical redshirt in 2008) They kept him on scholarship and still gave him an opportunity in 2009 to battle for carries.In his career at USC He registered a 5.9 YPC. The thing with that was, In his ten career games where he had over ten carries He ran for over 4.4 YPC in all of them(4 of them with him going over 131 rushing yards). It seems the more carries you give the guy, the better he gets.

Just some food for thought folks . People Doubting bradford because of his pure talent or because he was a sixth round pick may be blindsided if he can put something together in camp. Far from a sure thing, But definitely a possibility IMO.

'wiscstlatlmia said:

I'm a big college recruiting guy and I can remember when Bradford was getting recruited. This guy was a 5 star recruit and was ranked as the 9th overall prospect in the country for a reason. Yes, I realize that not every highly touted guy out of high school is really all that, but, There was clearly something appealing about this guy from the start. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Allen-Bradford-37057Guys like this dont ever seem to be lacking talent, it's usually more of a work ethic type of thing.Also, I would like to point out that He was competing with multiple other 5 star highly touted Runningbacks at USC.4 or 5 star runningbacks going to USC in the time period Bradford was there:2006:5 star:CJ Gablestafon johnson4 stars Stanley Havili Emmanuel Moody2007:5 star:Marc TylerJoe McKnight4 star: Broderick Greennone in 2008 or 20092010:5 starDillon Baxter4 starD J MooreSoma VainukuNow I have a few points on this. The first thing I would like to point out is the fact that all of these recruits chose to go to USC over at least 10 other big time colleges and every single one of them was at least, in some way, promised playing time in there career. There is no way you can consistently pull off grabbing big time recruits like that if you are not promising them that. So, think of the headaches the USC staff had when realizing they had to give all of these guys touches. To be honest, I dont think it really mattered how well one of them produced because they all needed touches. To add onto that, USC has obviously gone through a lot recently with all the player violations and having their bowl potential stripped from them. With that being the case, I'm not even sure winning is there number one priority right now. The fact that USCs recruiting hasn't taken a huge dip tells me that players are going there for there NFL draft stock rather than their college experience. If you notice on Bradfords Recruiting page, it says he was coming in as a linebacker. The fact that He came in as a linebacker and they still decided to move him to runningback (even with that crowded backfield keep in mind), is the first sign there is something here. Although he did not play much in his first 3 years(mostly because of injury,Medical redshirt in 2008) They kept him on scholarship and still gave him an opportunity in 2009 to battle for carries.In his career at USC He registered a 5.9 YPC. The thing with that was, In his ten career games where he had over ten carries He ran for over 4.4 YPC in all of them(4 of them with him going over 131 rushing yards). It seems the more carries you give the guy, the better he gets.Just some food for thought folks . People Doubting bradford because of his pure talent or because he was a sixth round pick may be blindsided if he can put something together in camp. Far from a sure thing, But definitely a possibility IMO.

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This shows me USC recruits directly off the Rivals database. I can tell you why players like to go to USC. $$$I will beekeeping an eye on him though and definitely like his price tag.

'wiscstlatlmia said:

Just some food for thought folks . People Doubting bradford because of his pure talent or because he was a sixth round pick may be blindsided if he can put something together in camp.

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You mean like doubting a player because he was a UDFA?You can't have it both ways. On the one hand, Blount has less clout to you with the Bucs because he was a UDFA. But on the other, they are going to upset the apple cart, and mess with success at RB because they have a 6th rounder in the stable now?

'massraider said:

'wiscstlatlmia said:

Just some food for thought folks . People Doubting bradford because of his pure talent or because he was a sixth round pick may be blindsided if he can put something together in camp.

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You mean like doubting a player because he was a UDFA?You can't have it both ways. On the one hand, Blount has less clout to you with the Bucs because he was a UDFA. But on the other, they are going to upset the apple cart, and mess with success at RB because they have a 6th rounder in the stable now?

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When did I ever say I doubt Blount? I said I dont see Blount getting taken out or completely losing the job, I think this could potentially turn into a RBBC. I Just do not think Blount is stud status, therefore, could easily lose his job with one big injury or one bad run of games.IF either of those happen, I think Bradford would take the job and run with it. Thats just a fact of how the NFL is nowadays. I dont think the team has has a lot of loyalty to either player at this point in time..please dont put word in my mouth sir.

'wiscstlatlmia said:

'massraider said:

'wiscstlatlmia said:

Just some food for thought folks . People Doubting bradford because of his pure talent or because he was a sixth round pick may be blindsided if he can put something together in camp.

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You mean like doubting a player because he was a UDFA?You can't have it both ways. On the one hand, Blount has less clout to you with the Bucs because he was a UDFA. But on the other, they are going to upset the apple cart, and mess with success at RB because they have a 6th rounder in the stable now?

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When did I ever say I doubt Blount? I said I dont see Blount getting taken out or completely losing the job, I think this could potentially turn into a RBBC. I Just do not think Blount is stud status, therefore, could easily lose his job with one big injury or one bad run of games.IF either of those happen, I think Bradford would take the job and run with it. Thats just a fact of how the NFL is nowadays. I dont think the team has has a lot of loyalty to either player at this point in time..please dont put word in my mouth sir.

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These are the words I was responding to:

I realize Blount emerged last year,but, considering he was an undrafted pick up , I'm not sure they have a large amount of loyalty to keep him as a workhorse type of guy.

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That's faulty logic at best. And when the guy you think is going to push this UDFA for playing time is a 6th rounder, I think it is valid to point out the fallacy in this thinking.

Bradford went undrafted in my 16 team 5 round draft. When our free agency starts he will be a top target of mine.

It's important to take into account that Blount was an undrafted free agent because of his off the field issues. Before the incident against Boise State he was considered a late first or early second round pick, iirc.

It's also important to remember that Legarrette Blount averaged 5 yards per carry and accumulated 1,007 yards rusing in only 7 starts with the Bucs. His rookie season was extremely impressive.

Bradford was brought in so TB doesn't have to alter their offense if Blount is injured or needs to come out for a few plays. That being said, there is always the chance Blount decides he doesn't need to work hard anymore or does something foolish off the field.

The RB in TB is going to have quite a bit of value in coming years. This offense is going to be very good. Personally, I think it'll be Blount.

'massraider said:

'wiscstlatlmia said:

'massraider said:

'wiscstlatlmia said:

Just some food for thought folks . People Doubting bradford because of his pure talent or because he was a sixth round pick may be blindsided if he can put something together in camp.

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You mean like doubting a player because he was a UDFA?You can't have it both ways. On the one hand, Blount has less clout to you with the Bucs because he was a UDFA. But on the other, they are going to upset the apple cart, and mess with success at RB because they have a 6th rounder in the stable now?

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When did I ever say I doubt Blount? I said I dont see Blount getting taken out or completely losing the job, I think this could potentially turn into a RBBC. I Just do not think Blount is stud status, therefore, could easily lose his job with one big injury or one bad run of games.IF either of those happen, I think Bradford would take the job and run with it. Thats just a fact of how the NFL is nowadays. I dont think the team has has a lot of loyalty to either player at this point in time..please dont put word in my mouth sir.

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These are the words I was responding to:

I realize Blount emerged last year,but, considering he was an undrafted pick up , I'm not sure they have a large amount of loyalty to keep him as a workhorse type of guy.

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That's faulty logic at best. And when the guy you think is going to push this UDFA for playing time is a 6th rounder, I think it is valid to point out the fallacy in this thinking.

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I'm not trying to be difficult here, But, Im not sure why that is faulty logic. IMO There is a big difference between Blount's situation and say Spiller ,Mcfadden or even moreno.. I think it would be a lot easier for the Bucs to pull the plug on Blount than those other teams to pull the trigger on the guys they spent high firsts(and a lot of money) on . I'm not comparing those guys talent wise either, I'm saying that usually high firsts get a better shot at opportunity and have a better chance at holding job security because the teams are much more invested in them. I guess what im saying is Blount is on a shorter leash than most. If you still think this is faulty logic then I guess im a very confused

RB wasn't a priority for me in my rookie draft that is now in round 5. The pick before me took Harper (Tenn) who I would have nabbed as the possible backup (Ringer) to Johnson who I own. That left my other option of Bradford, who I view as being in a better situation for opportunity. For the price of the #70th pick I can survive if he fails.

'Grahamburn said:

It's important to take into account that Blount was an undrafted free agent because of his off the field issues. Before the incident against Boise State he was considered a late first or early second round pick, iirc.

It's also important to remember that Legarrette Blount averaged 5 yards per carry and accumulated 1,007 yards rusing in only 7 starts with the Bucs. His rookie season was extremely impressive.

Bradford was brought in so TB doesn't have to alter their offense if Blount is injured or needs to come out for a few plays. That being said, there is always the chance Blount decides he doesn't need to work hard anymore or does something foolish off the field.

The RB in TB is going to have quite a bit of value in coming years. This offense is going to be very good. Personally, I think it'll be Blount.

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Yes. as well as the issue/nonissue of him throwing punches in titans camp also. As much as it validates the point that his talent is greater than how he got to the NFL, it also validates that he may have some degree of knucklehead factor.He was impressive, albeit some of the games where against horrible defenses (Cardinals), and he got the privelage of NOT playing an entire year. Lots of backs look great when they are fresh and their competition has been grinding for 3 months (Joe McKnight anyone?). Not saying that Blount isn't that good, just that I usually want to compare apples to apples before I accept stats.

Overall, the more we have discussed this topic, I think the OP has something here. As I said in the posts above, when you compare the measureables and the performance test times, Blount and Bradford are very similar. Watching game runs, the biggest difference I see is that Bradford does tend to like to do this thing where he kicks out and tries to bounce outside off the tackle. that likely needs to change. But overall, I honestly think that the generic writeups people had on him about speed and agility were lazy assessments.

To me it looks like the Bucs have drafted a Blount clone and if Caddy leaves, Bradford should be a name that, at the least, Blount owners are aware of. If nothing else, if he becomes a name this summer, he will at least have value to the Blount owner so if you pick him up maybe you do so with the thought that maybe he garners a return to you via trade.

I already grabbed Bradford in the 3rd round of my rookie draft and am definitely with the OP, for a variety of reasons:

1. I don't much buy into the hype of Blount. He's solid but I don't think he's a big-time talent or anything. Just a solid guy who is kind of slow and fumbles way too much. I don't buy that he was ever going to be a 1st or 2nd round pick and the only reason he fell was off field issues. That's just not true.

2. I think TB is a great situation for a RB. Freeman's running ability and the emergence of their young WRs makes that a nice spot for whoever ends up being the starter there long term.

3. Bradford is a bit of an anomaly as far as USC guys go in that he ended up being underhyped. In part because he's not flashy. In part because he had a bunch of other flashy talents to compete for time against (McKnight). And in part because his best season came when the team was on probation and not part of the national conversation as they normally are. I like his toughness and work ethic.

Bradford seems like not only a Blount clone but a must handcuff. I doubt most Blount owners will handcuff him in redraft leagues especially, so I'll be keeping a sneaky eye on these two all season in case Bradford looks to be a late round or waiver steal. This offense is primed and ready to run the ball. If Blount should falter, Bradford seems very capable of filling the void.

Problem with Bradford is he's a big back that tries to be Reggie Bush

'NorrisB said:

Problem with Bradford is he's a big back that tries to be Reggie Bush

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I've seen him run hard, and well when he gets enough carries to get in rhythm. This is a classic workhorse back that was never properly utilized at SC due to all the competition there. He reminds me a of a Ced Benson type but w/o all the college mileage. I thought he could be a steal for the right type of offense and the Bucs are definitely a great landing spot IMO. Let's see if they can get him to run hard.

'wiscstlatlmia said:

I'm a big college recruiting guy and I can remember when Bradford was getting recruited. This guy was a 5 star recruit and was ranked as the 9th overall prospect in the country for a reason. Yes, I realize that not every highly touted guy out of high school is really all that, but, There was clearly something appealing about this guy from the start. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Allen-Bradford-37057Guys like this dont ever seem to be lacking talent, it's usually more of a work ethic type of thing.Also, I would like to point out that He was competing with multiple other 5 star highly touted Runningbacks at USC.4 or 5 star runningbacks going to USC in the time period Bradford was there:2006:5 star:CJ Gablestafon johnson4 stars Stanley Havili Emmanuel Moody2007:5 star:Marc TylerJoe McKnight4 star: Broderick Greennone in 2008 or 20092010:5 starDillon Baxter4 starD J MooreSoma VainukuNow I have a few points on this. The first thing I would like to point out is the fact that all of these recruits chose to go to USC over at least 10 other big time colleges and every single one of them was at least, in some way, promised playing time in there career. There is no way you can consistently pull off grabbing big time recruits like that if you are not promising them that. So, think of the headaches the USC staff had when realizing they had to give all of these guys touches. To be honest, I dont think it really mattered how well one of them produced because they all needed touches. To add onto that, USC has obviously gone through a lot recently with all the player violations and having their bowl potential stripped from them. With that being the case, I'm not even sure winning is there number one priority right now. The fact that USCs recruiting hasn't taken a huge dip tells me that players are going there for there NFL draft stock rather than their college experience. If you notice on Bradfords Recruiting page, it says he was coming in as a linebacker. The fact that He came in as a linebacker and they still decided to move him to runningback (even with that crowded backfield keep in mind), is the first sign there is something here. Although he did not play much in his first 3 years(mostly because of injury,Medical redshirt in 2008) They kept him on scholarship and still gave him an opportunity in 2009 to battle for carries.In his career at USC He registered a 5.9 YPC. The thing with that was, In his ten career games where he had over ten carries He ran for over 4.4 YPC in all of them(4 of them with him going over 131 rushing yards). It seems the more carries you give the guy, the better he gets.Just some food for thought folks . People Doubting bradford because of his pure talent or because he was a sixth round pick may be blindsided if he can put something together in camp. Far from a sure thing, But definitely a possibility IMO.

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I somewhat followed Bradford's recruitment out of HS as he was one of Nebraska's top targets at LB. Yes, he was one of the top recruits in the country, but nearly all the big time schools wanted him as a LB, not RB.USC promised him that he could come in and play RB not LB, which is one of, if not the main reason, he went there (it didn't hurt he was a California kid either). I'll admit I was surprised that he never moved to LB because he seemed to be 3rd string or lower on the depth chart for most of his career.And USC homers can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall Pete Carroll ever promising any incoming recruit playing time. As a coach, he preached competition, and every starting spot was open for competition each year. Didn't matter if the kid was a senior and returning starter or an incoming true freshman, every player had an equal chance to compete for the starting job at their position each season. One of the biggest selling points for recruits when Carroll was there was that incoming freshman could come in right away and compete for playing time. They didn't have to redshirt like freshmen do at most big time schools.Finally, I think Blount is clearly the better the back.

'NorrisB said:

Problem with Bradford is he's a big back that tries to be Reggie Bush

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A bit of an exxageration, but does indicate why he is not a Blount clone. He is somewhere between Jerome Bettis and Ron Dayne. Blount has a no nonsense style which sometimes is more effective. However, I like what I see from Bradford and think he has a chance to unseat Blount.

Love this kid, and think he should have been a first/second day pick. Was praying the Phins picked him as I think hes a shiftier, more powerful runner than Daniel Thomas while also possessing more burst and top end speed. Kid can be a 1300 yard rusher in the league if given the chance.

'NorrisB said:

Problem with Bradford is he's a big back that tries to be Reggie Bush

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My favorite Blount highlights are the ones where he imitates Reggie Bush.

'Native said:

Love this kid, and think he should have been a first/second day pick. Was praying the Phins picked him as I think hes a shiftier, more powerful runner than Daniel Thomas while also possessing more burst and top end speed. Kid can be a 1300 yard rusher in the league if given the chance.

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hmm a first day pick. Mark Ingram almost even missed being a first day pick. 6th round was the right place for him.

Coulda swore I read something where they were talking about making him a fullback.

Bradford seems eager & shows some initiative. I like it

http://www2.tbo.com/sports/bucs/2011/may/23/bucs-draft-pick-bradford-gets-help-to-learn-playbo-ar-216944/

Bucs draft pick Bradford gets help to learn playbook

By ANWAR S. RICHARDSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 23, 2011

TAMPA --

Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie running back Allen Bradford is not waiting for the NFL lockout to end before diving into his team's playbook.

Instead, Bradford will begin learning Tampa Bay's playbook today.

Bradford did not snag a playbook from One Buc Place during those few moments when the lockout was lifted in April. The coaching staff did not mail him a playbook to memorize. Bradford, a former University of Southern California standout, has not spoken with Bucs offensive coordinator Greg Olson since the draft.

Despite those obstacles, Bradford will begin working out today with Tampa Bay backup quarterback Rudy Carpenter in Westlake, Calif., to prepare for the upcoming season.

"It's been like a blessing. I need this," Bradford said. "With the lockout, it's been putting a lot of rookies on the backburner as far as building chemistry, being around the coaching staff and learning plays.

"I'm just thankful Rudy will take the time out to teach me some stuff."

Bradford connected with Carpenter largely through an eager publicist. Benjamin Weiss, Bradford's publicist, never heard of Carpenter, but reached out to him in hopes the quarterback would be willing to help his client.

"Basically, after Allen got taken by the Bucs, I decided to see if any of his teammates were local so maybe he could link up with them, workout, develop some chemistry and talk about the team's system," Weiss said. "I saw Rudy went to Westlake High School before Arizona State and reached out to his agent.

"Rudy gave me a call the next day and we just went from there."

Bradford is optimistic Carpenter's mentorship can help him have an impact this season.

Tampa Bay recently used its sixth round pick on Bradford, a 5-foot-11, 235 pound running back, who rushed for 794 yards and five touchdowns last season. Bradford played on special teams every year at USC and is looking forward to contributing anyway possible once the season begins.

Today, however, he is just looking forward to Carpenter teaching him the playbook.

"I don't have any expectations of coming in and rushing for 1,000 yards, or being a starter," Bradford said. "Whatever role the coaches want me to play, I'm going to play it to the best of my abilities. If I have to help out on special teams, I'm going to do whatever I can to help my team win.

"One thing I know is if the lockout hadn't been here, I would be on schedule. It just so happens that Rudy is out here and it's a blessing in disguise. I get to learn the offense, if only just a little bit. Give me something. I want something to put in my memory base."

i think he's going to have his hands full beating out Lumpkin and Graham for the #2 gig, let along become this beast you guys are projecting

he did have the 1 good game in college though

Bradford's amazing physical measureables

What jumps out immediately on Bradford is what amazing size and strength he has (relative to the rest of the 2011 RB class, or any RB class...). Bradford is 5'11, 243 pounds and ran a 4.53 40-yard dash (Combine), with high agility metrics for his size. Not only is he physically big and fast, he is very strong...the 2nd best bench press among 2011 RBs. Watching tape on Bradford, the first thing I noticed was how huge his arms were. The next noticeable thing was how nimble/shifty he was for his huge size.

The only poor physical measureable was a very, very low vertical jump. That hasn't been a huge thing (in our analysis) for a "power RB" to translate to the NFL (in our system analysis), but it was shockingly low.

On paper, Bradford has all the physical tools to potentially be an NFL elite RB. The questions on Bradford are -- how much are the past hip injuries an issue going forward and...why did Bradford not rip up the competition in college?

Manipulating Bradford's 2009-10 stats

As we mentioned, Bradford never led USC in rushing in his 2 main seasons (2009 and 2010)...he was the 2nd leading rusher in both seasons. Perhaps it's a tell of "behind the scenes" issues with Bradford, or perhaps it is because USC has/had a great RB roster each year? If you look just at the 2009 and 2010 season total performances by Bradford, you would be left mostly underwhelmed. However, if you scratch a little deeper...you might see a better/elite level college RB potential hiding in there...

Here is a snapshot of every game (10 of them) that Bradford played in his career, in which he had 10 or more carries in a game.

YEAR OPP Carries Yards TDs YPC

2009 at Cal 12 53 0 4.4

2009 Ore St 15 147 2 9.8

2009 at Arz St 14 67 0 4.8

2009 UCLA 14 62 2 4.4

2009 Arizona 11 66 1 6.0

2009 BC (bowl) 17 72 0 4.2

2010 at Minn 12 131 1 10.9

2010 Wash 21 223 2 10.6

2010 at Stanf 13 33 1 2.5

2010 at UCLA 28 212 1 7.6

TOTAL 10 games 157 1,066 10 6.8

TOTAL avg per game 15.7 106.6 1.0 6.8

PROJECTED 13 game? 204 1,386 13 6.8

Bradford had two 200+ yard rushing games in 2010, only 3 other (by my count) of the main 2011 RB prospects can claim that distinction. In that 2010 game against UCLA (USC's 2010 finale'), not only did Bradford rush for 212 yards (73 yard long/TD run), he also caught a pass and turned it into a 47 yard TD.

If you look at just the games in his career where Bradford had more touches (10+ carries), he was incredibly productive -- with a 6.8 yards per carry average as well as averaging a rushing TD per game. Bradford averaged 7.2 yards per carry overall for 2010 on 115 carries on the season. You will also note there are no cupcakes on that schedule above, they are all power conference opponents.

It's convenient to only take a slice of games and use them in a statistical argument. There are definitely question marks on the hip injuries, and questions on why he wasn't used more exclusively at USC. At the same time, looking at this slice of games that he actually got the bigger opportunities/touches...it is eye-opening to what Bradford is potentially capable of (especially, if the issue is truly only that there were other good/better RBs on the USC roster cutting into his time).

Current NFL RB that most matches Allen Bradford...

This is a no-brainer for our computer -- he is Mike Tolbert all the way down the line. Huge size/strength and yet fairly fast and agile. Like Tolbert, Bradford had a less than dominant on-field college metrics in our system, but still pretty good performance metrics....just not as dominating as one might expect. There are a couple data points where Bradford aligns with Michael Turner, but Turner was a little straight-line faster and was a very highly productive RB in college.

Source: FFM

This guy was overlooked at SC b/c of their depth at RB. He's a beast and a legit SOD candidate. Blount is not a lock-in NFL starter. And even if he does perform, his style lends to attrition. Bradford was the hardest runner SC had during his time there, but they always managed to put in the higher rated youngsters, keeping him out of rhythm. In games where he got touches, he wore down teams and has enough burst to make some big plays, especially later in games. My favorite comp in this regard is Michael Bush, though Bush has better hands and receiving ability. Tampa is on the up and is a great landing spot for him. Both are NFL feature backs in the making if they can get opportunity and stay healthy.

One good thing about the SC timeshare is that this guy is seemingly more fresh than some rookie RBs, but the counter to that is the durability question in terms of whether he could actually carry an NFL load, especially as a rookie in a lockout year. Rookies in general may be tough to count on in 2011.

People are getting way too excited about this guy. Rookie mania in high gear.

He's a career backup, nothing more.

The comparison with Tolbert is ok on some levels, but Tolbert ran a 4.75.

The better comparisons is as a much better version of Lamont Jordan. Very little doubt that he's got the physical tools to start in the NFL. Only question is if he's got some sort of major medical or character red flag that will keep him from the field.

'Couch Potato said:

People are getting way too excited about this guy. Rookie mania in high gear.He's a career backup, nothing more.

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I agree about the mania part but calling him a career backup is the same knee jerk reaction . I don't think anyone can make a call on at least 75% off players until they see nfl action. Some guys just need an opportunity , others need a lot more

'HellToupee said:

'Couch Potato said:

People are getting way too excited about this guy. Rookie mania in high gear.He's a career backup, nothing more.

Click to expand...

I agree about the mania part but calling him a career backup is the same knee jerk reaction . I don't think anyone can make a call on at least 75% off players until they see nfl action. Some guys just need an opportunity , others need a lot more

Click to expand...

When a guy is a 6th rounder and the 185th player taken in the draft, odds are about 80-90% he's a career backup. That's not my opinion, that's statistics.Yes, there are exceptions like Blount and Foster, but for every one of those there are nine who never make it beyond a small role if they make it at all. I've seen nothing in Bradford that makes me believe he can be special. Not great speed, not elusive at all. He's a big boy who just may end up a FB instead of a TB eventually. Goal line / short yardage and occasional breather for the starter is the best to hope for in my opinion.

'Couch Potato said:

When a guy is a 6th rounder and the 185th player taken in the draft, odds are about 80-90% he's a career backup. That's not my opinion, that's statistics.

Click to expand...

This.I have never seen so much excitement for late round RB prospects as this year.

'Couch Potato said:

Not great speed, not elusive at all.

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LOLYou can make the argument that he might not be able to carry the load in the NFL, but to say he doesn't have great speed? He ran the same 40 time as Ingram, and Bradford is 30 lbs heavier.

NFL draft scout, which uses the same methodology for all players, every year says that Ingram ran a 4.62 and Bradford clocked a 4.53. But your point stands... for a guy who weighed in a 242 Bradford can fly.

'treat88 said:

'Couch Potato said:

When a guy is a 6th rounder and the 185th player taken in the draft, odds are about 80-90% he's a career backup. That's not my opinion, that's statistics.

Click to expand...

This.I have never seen so much excitement for late round RB prospects as this year.

Click to expand...

I just think you guys are living in the past a little bit...its a new era of football folks... 6 out of the top ten fantasy rushers last year were not drafted in the first round RBs that have gotten the majority of the carries for there team in the past few years(5th round to undrafted):Arian Foster Peyton HIllisAhmad BradshawLegarrette Blount(yes yes i know im using him as an example)Fred JacksonRyan TorainMike tolbertRyan GrantPierre ThomasMichael TurnerTim hightowerDerrick WardNow, I will concede the fact that most of these guys didn't have solid long term value. But, to say these guys are not relevant and that they dont have the talent to succeed in a solid situation is kind of ignorant IMO.

'wiscstlatlmia said:

I just think you guys are living in the past a little bit...its a new era of football folks... 6 out of the top ten fantasy rushers last year were not drafted in the first round RBs that have gotten the majority of the carries for there team in the past few years(5th round to undrafted):Arian Foster Peyton HIllisAhmad BradshawLegarrette Blount(yes yes i know im using him as an example)Fred JacksonRyan TorainMike tolbertRyan GrantPierre ThomasMichael TurnerTim hightowerDerrick WardNow, I will concede the fact that most of these guys didn't have solid long term value. But, to say these guys are not relevant and that they dont have the talent to succeed in a solid situation is kind of ignorant IMO.

Click to expand...

Now, how many of those guys listed above beat out a young, 1,000 yard rusher?

'massraider said:

'wiscstlatlmia said:

I just think you guys are living in the past a little bit...its a new era of football folks... 6 out of the top ten fantasy rushers last year were not drafted in the first round RBs that have gotten the majority of the carries for there team in the past few years(5th round to undrafted):Arian Foster Peyton HIllisAhmad BradshawLegarrette Blount(yes yes i know im using him as an example)Fred JacksonRyan TorainMike tolbertRyan GrantPierre ThomasMichael TurnerTim hightowerDerrick WardNow, I will concede the fact that most of these guys didn't have solid long term value. But, to say these guys are not relevant and that they dont have the talent to succeed in a solid situation is kind of ignorant IMO.

Click to expand...

Now, how many of those guys listed above beat out a young, 1,000 yard rusher?

Click to expand...

who is saying Bradford is going to beat out Blount? All anyone saying is if something happened to Blount , Bradford might be able to step in. He was a 6th round pick for a reason but still has intriguing measurables .There are a lot spec picks near the end of rookie drafts than Bradford

'wiscstlatlmia said:

'treat88 said:

'Couch Potato said:

When a guy is a 6th rounder and the 185th player taken in the draft, odds are about 80-90% he's a career backup. That's not my opinion, that's statistics.

Click to expand...

This.I have never seen so much excitement for late round RB prospects as this year.

Click to expand...

I just think you guys are living in the past a little bit...its a new era of football folks... 6 out of the top ten fantasy rushers last year were not drafted in the first round RBs that have gotten the majority of the carries for there team in the past few years(5th round to undrafted):

Arian Foster

Peyton HIllis

Ahmad Bradshaw

Legarrette Blount(yes yes i know im using him as an example)

Fred Jackson

Ryan Torain

Mike tolbert

Ryan Grant

Pierre Thomas

Michael Turner

Tim hightower

Derrick Ward

Now, I will concede the fact that most of these guys didn't have solid long term value. But, to say these guys are not relevant and that they dont have the talent to succeed in a solid situation is kind of ignorant IMO.

Click to expand...

It's easy to list the exceptions and to the undiscerning it looks impressive, just as it would be to say that because of Brady and Warner finding late QBs is prevalent.You listed 7 guys from among 75 drafted in rounds 5-7 from 2004 forward (9.3%), and 5 cherry picked UDFAs from among hundreds who never saw the light of day. That's not a "living in the past" percentage, it's from the exact same "new era" you are using. And the percentage ignores the fact that the lasting value of Ward, Tolbert, Hightower, and Thomas (1/4 of your list) would have to be considered pretty limited. I stand by my contention that Bradford has a 10% chance of ever being a regular starter. Here are the other 68 drafted RBs (90.7%):

2010 5 139 NYJ John Conner

2010 6 173 SFO Anthony Dixon

2010 6 174 WAS Dennis Morris

2010 6 180 JAX Deji Karim

2010 6 188 PIT Jonathan Dwyer

2010 6 193 GNB James Starks

2010 6 200 PHI Charles Scott

2010 7 237 MIN Ryan D'Imperio

2009 5 145 GNB Quinn Johnson

2009 5 169 PIT Frank Summers

2009 5 173 TEN Javon Ringer

2009 6 185 BAL Cedric Peerman

2009 6 192 DET Aaron Brown

2009 6 195 CLE James Davis

2009 6 209 CIN Bernard Scott

2009 7 211 STL Chris Ogbonnaya

2009 7 212 KAN Javarris Williams

2009 7 215 CIN Fui Vakapuna

2009 7 221 WAS Eddie Williams

2009 7 240 ARI LaRod Stephens-Howling

2009 7 250 JAX Rashad Jennings

2008 5 166 SDG Marcus Thomas

2008 5 146 DET Jerome Felton

2008 5 163 SEA Owen Schmitt

2008 6 172 ATL Thomas Brown

2008 6 176 MIA Jalen Parmele

2008 6 179 BUF Xavier Omon

2008 6 202 IND Mike Hart

2008 6 204 MIA Lex Hilliard

2008 7 213 JAX Chauncey Washington

2008 7 233 SEA Justin Forsett

2008 7 238 TAM Cory Boyd

2008 7 240 BAL Allen Patrick

2007 5 148 KAN Kolby Smith

2007 6 181 MIA Reagan Mauia

2007 6 187 SFO Thomas Clayton

2007 6 208 NWE Justise Hairston

2007 6 175 OAK Oren O'Neal

2007 6 185 DAL Deon Anderson

2007 7 228 GNB DeShawn Wynn

2007 7 236 PHI Nate Ilaoa

2007 7 244 ATL Jason Snelling

2007 7 246 TAM Kenneth Darby

2006 5 163 SEA David Kirtman

2006 6 170 HOU Wali Lundy

2006 6 180 CLE Lawrence Vickers

2006 6 195 CHI J.D. Runnels

2006 7 222 CLE Justin Hamilton

2006 7 240 PIT Cedric Humes

2006 7 246 TEN Quinton Ganther

2005 5 142 TEN Damien Nash

2005 5 158 BAL Justin Green

2005 6 182 NYJ Cedric Houston

2005 6 201 ATL DeAndra Cobb

2005 7 221 TAM Rick Razzano

2005 7 222 WAS Nehemiah Broughton

2005 7 236 BUF Lionel Gates

2005 7 243 IND Anthony Davis

2005 7 251 STL Madison Hedgecock

2005 7 244 PIT Noah Herron

2004 5 156 NOR Mike Karney

2004 5 162 PHI Thomas Tapeh

2004 6 191 TEN Troy Fleming

2004 7 208 CLE Adimchinobe Echemandu

2004 7 219 ATL Quincy Wilson

2004 7 241 TEN Sean McHugh

2004 7 242 PHI Bruce Perry

2004 7 247 DEN Brandon Miree

'massraider said:

'wiscstlatlmia said:

I just think you guys are living in the past a little bit...its a new era of football folks... 6 out of the top ten fantasy rushers last year were not drafted in the first round RBs that have gotten the majority of the carries for there team in the past few years(5th round to undrafted):Arian Foster Peyton HIllisAhmad BradshawLegarrette Blount(yes yes i know im using him as an example)Fred JacksonRyan TorainMike tolbertRyan GrantPierre ThomasMichael TurnerTim hightowerDerrick WardNow, I will concede the fact that most of these guys didn't have solid long term value. But, to say these guys are not relevant and that they dont have the talent to succeed in a solid situation is kind of ignorant IMO.

Click to expand...

Now, how many of those guys listed above beat out a young, 1,000 yard rusher?

Click to expand...

3?Foster/SlatonBradshaw/JacobsJackson/Lynch

'Go deep said:

'massraider said:

'wiscstlatlmia said:

I just think you guys are living in the past a little bit...its a new era of football folks... 6 out of the top ten fantasy rushers last year were not drafted in the first round RBs that have gotten the majority of the carries for there team in the past few years(5th round to undrafted):Arian Foster Peyton HIllisAhmad BradshawLegarrette Blount(yes yes i know im using him as an example)Fred JacksonRyan TorainMike tolbertRyan GrantPierre ThomasMichael TurnerTim hightowerDerrick WardNow, I will concede the fact that most of these guys didn't have solid long term value. But, to say these guys are not relevant and that they dont have the talent to succeed in a solid situation is kind of ignorant IMO.

Click to expand...

Now, how many of those guys listed above beat out a young, 1,000 yard rusher?

Click to expand...

3?Foster/SlatonBradshaw/JacobsJackson/Lynch

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My point was more that if you can play, now you have a better shot at getting an opportunity than the past.Not to even mention Turner got traded with the thought they were turning him into a feature back.I still have never said its a sure thing hes GOING to be the feature back in 2011. I said if things fall his way he COULD be at some point. It may not even be this year, I just like his talent and think TB is an awesome and upcoming situation.

'Couch Potato said:

It's easy to list the exceptions and to the undiscerning it looks impressive, just as it would be to say that because of Brady and Warner finding late QBs is prevalent.

You listed 7 guys from among 75 drafted in rounds 5-7 from 2004 forward (9.3%), and 5 cherry picked UDFAs from among hundreds who never saw the light of day. That's not a "living in the past" percentage, it's from the exact same "new era" you are using. And the percentage ignores the fact that the lasting value of Ward, Tolbert, Hightower, and Thomas (1/4 of your list) would have to be considered pretty limited. I stand by my contention that Bradford has a 10% chance of ever being a regular starter. Here are the other 68 drafted RBs (90.7%):

2010 5 139 NYJ John Conner

2010 6 173 SFO Anthony Dixon

2010 6 174 WAS Dennis Morris

2010 6 180 JAX Deji Karim

2010 6 188 PIT Jonathan Dwyer

2010 6 193 GNB James Starks

2010 6 200 PHI Charles Scott

2010 7 237 MIN Ryan D'Imperio

2009 5 145 GNB Quinn Johnson

2009 5 169 PIT Frank Summers

2009 5 173 TEN Javon Ringer

2009 6 185 BAL Cedric Peerman

2009 6 192 DET Aaron Brown

2009 6 195 CLE James Davis

2009 6 209 CIN Bernard Scott

2009 7 211 STL Chris Ogbonnaya

2009 7 212 KAN Javarris Williams

2009 7 215 CIN Fui Vakapuna

2009 7 221 WAS Eddie Williams

2009 7 240 ARI LaRod Stephens-Howling

2009 7 250 JAX Rashad Jennings

2008 5 166 SDG Marcus Thomas

2008 5 146 DET Jerome Felton

2008 5 163 SEA Owen Schmitt

2008 6 172 ATL Thomas Brown

2008 6 176 MIA Jalen Parmele

2008 6 179 BUF Xavier Omon

2008 6 202 IND Mike Hart

2008 6 204 MIA Lex Hilliard

2008 7 213 JAX Chauncey Washington

2008 7 233 SEA Justin Forsett

2008 7 238 TAM Cory Boyd

2008 7 240 BAL Allen Patrick

2007 5 148 KAN Kolby Smith

2007 6 181 MIA Reagan Mauia

2007 6 187 SFO Thomas Clayton

2007 6 208 NWE Justise Hairston

2007 6 175 OAK Oren O'Neal

2007 6 185 DAL Deon Anderson

2007 7 228 GNB DeShawn Wynn

2007 7 236 PHI Nate Ilaoa

2007 7 244 ATL Jason Snelling

2007 7 246 TAM Kenneth Darby

2006 5 163 SEA David Kirtman

2006 6 170 HOU Wali Lundy

2006 6 180 CLE Lawrence Vickers

2006 6 195 CHI J.D. Runnels

2006 7 222 CLE Justin Hamilton

2006 7 240 PIT Cedric Humes

2006 7 246 TEN Quinton Ganther

2005 5 142 TEN Damien Nash

2005 5 158 BAL Justin Green

2005 6 182 NYJ Cedric Houston

2005 6 201 ATL DeAndra Cobb

2005 7 221 TAM Rick Razzano

2005 7 222 WAS Nehemiah Broughton

2005 7 236 BUF Lionel Gates

2005 7 243 IND Anthony Davis

2005 7 251 STL Madison Hedgecock

2005 7 244 PIT Noah Herron

2004 5 156 NOR Mike Karney

2004 5 162 PHI Thomas Tapeh

2004 6 191 TEN Troy Fleming

2004 7 208 CLE Adimchinobe Echemandu

2004 7 219 ATL Quincy Wilson

2004 7 241 TEN Sean McHugh

2004 7 242 PHI Bruce Perry

2004 7 247 DEN Brandon Miree

Click to expand...

do all those fb's really count?

'loose circuits said:

do all those fb's really count?

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Tolbert, Hillis, and Ward (on his list) originally were FBs. I'm just being consistent.Remove the 3 hits and all the misses and the percentages don't really change.

'wiscstlatlmia said:

'treat88 said:

'Couch Potato said:

When a guy is a 6th rounder and the 185th player taken in the draft, odds are about 80-90% he's a career backup. That's not my opinion, that's statistics.

Click to expand...

This.I have never seen so much excitement for late round RB prospects as this year.

Click to expand...

I just think you guys are living in the past a little bit...its a new era of football folks... 6 out of the top ten fantasy rushers last year were not drafted in the first round RBs that have gotten the majority of the carries for there team in the past few years(5th round to undrafted):Arian Foster Peyton HIllisAhmad BradshawLegarrette Blount(yes yes i know im using him as an example)Fred JacksonRyan TorainMike tolbertRyan GrantPierre ThomasMichael TurnerTim hightowerDerrick WardNow, I will concede the fact that most of these guys didn't have solid long term value. But, to say these guys are not relevant and that they dont have the talent to succeed in a solid situation is kind of ignorant IMO.

Click to expand...

earnest graham didn't make the cut?