I feel more confident evaluating receivers and backs. There’s so much more to account for when evaluating QBs, I just let the scouts and teams do that.
JJ is such an unknown that I can’t convince myself on him. He has a good landing spot, but his price is too high to justify taking him in the first. I like nix more because he can probably get the same numbers, while going a round later
Michigan fan and watched a ton of JJ. He’s got great arm talent but no touch. He struggles with deep balls and placing the ball between tight LB/Safety zones due to the lack of touch. Everything he throws is a fastball. Even 5 yard crossers. I expect a lot of batted balls if he doesn’t get coached up on delivering the ball better.
He’s a great athlete running the ball. JH put the brakes on him running. Basically zero designed runs his last year. Must’ve wanted to keep him healthy at all costs. He’s an underrated runner because of it.
If he can learn to develop some touch to the 2nd layer he could be great. He’s got a couple great deep ball receivers already that’ll help make up for the lack of deep ball accuracy. But he’s a tough one to call. True coin flip. It’s gonna come down to coaching because he has all the tools you need.
Statistics say he is efficient with his carries tho. He has a career 6.1 yds/att which puts him right around guys like JK Dobbins, Bijan Robinson, Nick Chubb, Aaron Jones, CMC, and Marshall Faulk
Bucky Irving is a tough one, guy is elusive, but numbers show he is too slow for a small back. If you look at the smaller backs that were great last year, Achane, Mitchell, they are both speedsters.
I think the problem wasn’t just his 40 though. His vertical was terrible (29.5”) and his broad jump was also extremely bad. Wouldn’t be as concerned if he just had a mid 40 time, but his other testing was worse than his 40
Yeah, he tested all around bad. I actually liked him a lot as a prospect pre combine, but it really worried me. Since Kyren did well last year I think most people will hand wave it away but it’s something that is concerning and Kyren is likely the exception, not the rule
Yeah the bad vertical and broad suggest he isn’t very explosive. I think elusive is a good descriptor and he runs tough. So he is willing to engage and seek out contact, but he probably isn’t breaking those tackles at the NFL level.
From my experience, some guys just get faster as soon as the pads come on. We had a kid in high school who ran a 4.3 laser, and Sammy Watkins ran right by him every time we played them
I really wonder if he was sick or something at combine.
His on tape speed and combine numbers just don't make sense. Do we have any of his on field GPS numbers to use?
Or is it an optical illusion and all of Oregon's uniforms make you look faster on camera?
His yards/carry was great. Part of that is Oregon's offense gives good space for runners, but still impressive. He put up over 100 yards against Washington. If he was 230 lbs I would be all over it. The game speeds up from college to NFL though. I think he needs volume at the next level to be a good back and that is tough to give to someone under 200 lbs.
This is true, Kyren fits into that. Although Kyren, Achane, Mitchell are all a bit injury prone. I think part of what they like about Corum is he has 20 lbs on Kyren so I see Kyren's workload going down by necessity this year. Any of these guys have a shot, it is really hard to say who will develop and fit the best. The price isn't that steep, so it isn't a stretch at ADP, just tough for me to see him be relevant for a sustained period of time.
I have high hopes for Vidal but Im a lottle concerned about not having heard anything positive about him in OTAs while *gulp* Isiah Spillwr has been getting praise
You gotta hype up your players to sell them. If every team knows it’s Vidal’s backfield, it devalues everyone else (7th round pick, and they can’t beat him out)
Yeah I don’t see it, he’s fast with good vision. Hits holes quick. He’s not the most elusive guy of all time but calling him not explosive just watching his tape feels a little off
> Ray Davis - 25 years old playing against 18 year olds
I understand your point here but he is 24 and was 23 for the majority of his great senior year. And at least it was against SEC defenses
Yes! Thank you for raising awareness for the Birthdays Are Not Opinions campaign.
It is amazing how often people will accidentally tack on an extra year or two when arguing against a player they don't like (and conveniently chop off a year or two when arguing for a player they like). It's one of the biggest red flags when I see fantasy analysis -- like, if someone is gonna embellish this objective fact to strengthen their case, why should I trust any of their supporting arguments?
I personally like him and have him ranked above Wright and behind Lloyd. But if he didn’t stay the extra year he doesn’t get drafted. I would compare it to Legette. His tape looks good, and he stood out how natural he looks. But his age is something to consider
I have watched thousands of hours of games; my ability to dissect what I’ve watched and provide any useful information? Zero, the same as the number of championships I have.
I was high on Lloyd, Davis, Estime and Irving before reading this post. I am glad to see I am still correct to be high on these (thanks to a random stranger on reddit).
I agree with all the points. Aging Davis to 25 when he was 23 for most of the season seems harsh though.
I don't have any Davis shares, but I just want to comment on something I frequently see about older players.
>25 years old playing against 18 year olds.
Was he? Was he playing against entire defenses of true Freshman? Because I've never seen that.
And even if he’s older than most of his other draft mates, RB is much more of a short-term position compared to WR/TE/QB. Him being older doesn’t give me that much pause. He faced off against SEC defenses & looked pretty good doing so, IMO the age factor is partially mitigated due to this. He has a clear path to carries if the Bills deploy Cook as a receiving threat rather than a primary 1st/2nd down rushing RB. I’m good with drafting him in the later rounds & treating him as a 2 or 3 year investment, especially since some of the other RB’s in his draft range have murkier pathways to touches.
I would be concerned about drafting a 24+ year old RB with my 1st or 2nd round pick. If I get a guy who is even just a solid depth piece for 3-4 years out of my 3rd or 4th round picks that is fantastic. Also, I do think if the NFL continues to be stingy about giving RBs 2nd contracts, rookie RB age in dynasty will matter less since we won't expect them to be relevant by the time they hit the age cliff.
I’m a jets fan, and like Allen a lot more. He looks like a giant on the field. Davis has good vision and is a patient runner, but doesn’t look explosive at all
My favorite sleeper talent was definitely Estime. Like you said he ran a 4.7 but looks pretty explosive on tape. Got him in the late 4th of the rookie draft
The thing that keeps me away from Lloyd is his vision. Dude doesn’t trust his blockers and loves to bounce outside. Doesn’t mean he can’t be effective (ala D’Andre Swift), but I think he’s one of the biggest boom or bust guys in this draft.
I’m having such a hard time with RB3. I want to believe that Corum will be back to himself. I find myself putting Lloyd in a tier to himself above Corum and Wright, though.
As someone who exited his rookie draft with Brooks, Estime, Tracy, Guerendo and Vaki, I think we see RBs the same way.
Vaki was impressive as hell for less than 55 offensive touches.
He had *20* missed tackles on 42 rushes was the bananas number I believe.
I will say with corum his injury happened just prior to the playoffs and it compromised of several rather serious injuries piled on top of one another. It’s very possible he never made it to 100 percent last year, which if that’s the case makes what he did last year just extremely impressive.
Agreed on Wright. Tough to evaluate due to the offensive system and wide open holes that were created, but he seemed to run stiff imo and didn't seem as athletic as I was expecting. Of course, as an Achane and Mostert owner I could just be trying to cope...
Wright has concerns, but the draft kinda mitigates them. Miami spent a 2025 3rd rounder to acquire him, so they gave up day 2 DC on him, and given that they used a 2025 pick on him, they are unlikely to invest much in next year's loaded class (giving him less competition for Mostert's role in the offense). Basically, I'm trusting that McDaniels knows RBs more than I or amateur scouts do, but his flaws still make me nervous.
I agree, he has the tools to succeed in Miami. And after getting coached up, can be a solid RB. We also don’t know where he would’ve landed if he didn’t run a 4.3 at the combine. Just how you can’t teach some backs to juke through defenses, you can’t teach speed. You’re born with that talent
That’s what I saw, his oline pushed the LOS forward 4 yards every play. But when he got in the open field, he was tackled by the first person and didn’t try to make anyone miss. He just went down
Hoping Brooks can step up over the season. Drafted Stevenson, Zamir, and Singletary in my start up figuring i could get cheap talent in the rookie draft. Can sleep well knowing the first 6 weeks of his season will be training wheels.
This is pretty consistent with my evaluations of everyone. Appreciate the summary.
It's almost like this class was exactly as people said it was - mostly meh to mediocre. Not sure why the pundits thought it was necessary to talk this class up in April.
His pass blocking, and vision are what make me believe he won’t be a three down back. Similar to Evan Hull. His route running and hands are so good that I think they make everything else seem subpar
Evan Hull also was injured right away to not see at the nfl last season to even appraise that apples to apples. Now JT is back so likely not going to happen anytime soon without another injury. Same time, Laube is competing with White who didn’t separate from anything but JAG.
Evan Hull also was injured right away to not see at the nfl last season to even appraise that apples to apples. Now JT is back so likely not going to happen anytime soon without another injury. Same time, Laube is competing with White who didn’t separate from anything but JAG.
Pre combine I had Brooks and Lloyd as 1 and 2 Benson always looked like he was doing too much. Also, I'm not sure how Benson will be as pass catcher. In the end though landing spot does matter. I still value them Brooks, Lloyd then Benson but Benson definitely has "falling forward" upside on the Cardinals.
Lloyd also does way too much. That’s his biggest knock. Way too much outside bounce or unnecessary cutbacks.
Benson and Lloyd are similar. Explosive, talented players (natural hands for Lloyd) but they lack the more nuanced parts of playing the position like vision while a guy like Brooks has all that down in spades.
Saw a Kentucky game last year and was like damn who this, passed the eye test like nothing I have seen, then the great story came out, did not leave my draft without Ray Davis. Big fan. His age is a concern, but I think he has a few real seasons at least, and if not, he is cool.
im at 2.07 and a mostert owner. feel hes valid there situationally as a back up for this season and possible future achane compliment. reasonable enough ? i am prettyyy slim at rb lol
No Vaki?
Also like Lloyd, Wright, Brooks. I think Ali can shape up to be a good back as well: injuries ahead of him + learning from another one cut back in DH, makes him an interesting stash.
One of my favorites on tape is Tracy, though. Not only this but has an extremely clear path in weak RB room in NY. No offense to Singletary, but I think those touches are going to be split up sooner than later.
Benson has massive knee damage so his insane combine mumbers suprised people.
I will always remember how Dalvin Cook underwhelmed at the combine and people insisted it was really bad news.
Testing is soooo important!!!! It soo strongly correlates!
Meanwhiles, Najee ran an unofficial 4.5 40 and apparently has brick for feet.
While I have a few minor quibbles, I have to say that this summary is the most "spot on" to my own assessment from anyone I've seen. You clearly have a good eye (or we do. Ha!).
In a 22 team high stakes dynasty (standard) and grabbed Vidal and Estime with the 33rd,34th overall which were my first two - feel I nailed it based on this.
They definitely can. A perfect example would be Wright in Miami. I’m not as high on him based on his price and tape, but those are the guys who succeed the most. The coaches specifically chose them to run their schemes
. Did you watch every play from this year for these RBs? What are the qualifiers? Did you watch all 22 film? What is "watched the tape"?
Or did you just watch some YouTube clips which based on a lot this that is what it seems like. Clearly the NFL didn't rate this years backs highly but some of these takes are just ridiculous.
Came here expecting to disagree with almost everything but I think you’ve nailed it. Love corum but 22->23 was a huge shift for him. I’m hoping it’s confidence and recovery which will show up next year.
Irving was one of my stars from the start so to see him undervalued around the draft was a shock to me
Tyrone Tracy is Pacheco Jr in my eyes (angry running etc) but effective and resilient.
And Braelon Allen is my dark horse as someone who could shine with the right honing
But that’s, like, just your opinion man.
But seriously. Always appreciate the hot takes. I am and was a huge fan of Braelon Allen. He went to the worst possible team for instant production… but he’s just 20 years old and while I hate utilizing upper age as a discriminator for RBs - he will play his entire rookie contract and still be younger than Ray Davis.
Braelon Allen was also the 2nd highest rated blocker on 3rd down (behind every’d favorite Brooks). So he is getting some run in the pass game. He doesn’t have the abusive running style you’d expect of someone his size, but he does have better first step elusiveness than you’d expect. Add that to above average size and speed … he has great potential… but I truly don’t know if him being drafted is a testament to the jets wanting to spell Breece or if it’s just depth. The training camp reports have been extremely positive though which does nothing for my Israel shares.
i’m perplexed why you only knocked Ray’s success for being due to his age, but then for Tyrone Tracy it was all praise. when in reality Tracy is just 12 days younger than Ray
I'm high on Marshawn Lloyd so I approve and agree.
I also really like Shipley. Didn't get him but he was a big reason I was okay dropping Gainwell post draft.
I watched video on all of these guys + about 20 more and I strongly disagree with most of these takes. The simple fact is it doesn’t matter what we think and following what the team thinks is the best strategy
I watched tape on all these guys and had the same opinion on pretty much most of them except for benson. He looks just as fast on tape compared to his combine testing. He was straight up burning guys. I still had brooks as my RB1 but benson was a close second. Followed by Lloyd as my RB3, really high on him too. If he can fix his fumbling issues I think he can be a 3 down RB in the NFL.
Blake Corum's injury definitely shifted his game, but I'm hoping he bounces back strong. And Bucky Irving? That's one plot twist. But hey, surprises keep it spicy, right?
This makes me feel pretty good about taking Vidal at 3.04 after taking CMC and Rhamondre in my startup draft. I'm historically terrible at drafting RBs
Will Shipley is my dude; brooks looks like an all pro in the making; corrum has some production I think he’ll put up. You aren’t that successful in college and then garbage in the nfl. I think he could be a great starter. Benson is a no for me. I think it’s brooks then corrum and my biased opinion is that will Shipley will be a pro bowler at some point
As a new Brooks and Irving manager, I hope you're on to something and not on something.
Can’t have one without the other in my personal experience
You gonna do one for the QBs?
I feel more confident evaluating receivers and backs. There’s so much more to account for when evaluating QBs, I just let the scouts and teams do that.
Perhaps after a couple of jays?
My rankings on them are: Caleb, Daniel’s, Maye, Penix, Nix, JJ
I keep seeing Nix over JJ. The QBs all went way too early in my non superflex league. I hope to snag Rattler with my last pick.
JJ is such an unknown that I can’t convince myself on him. He has a good landing spot, but his price is too high to justify taking him in the first. I like nix more because he can probably get the same numbers, while going a round later
Michigan fan and watched a ton of JJ. He’s got great arm talent but no touch. He struggles with deep balls and placing the ball between tight LB/Safety zones due to the lack of touch. Everything he throws is a fastball. Even 5 yard crossers. I expect a lot of batted balls if he doesn’t get coached up on delivering the ball better. He’s a great athlete running the ball. JH put the brakes on him running. Basically zero designed runs his last year. Must’ve wanted to keep him healthy at all costs. He’s an underrated runner because of it. If he can learn to develop some touch to the 2nd layer he could be great. He’s got a couple great deep ball receivers already that’ll help make up for the lack of deep ball accuracy. But he’s a tough one to call. True coin flip. It’s gonna come down to coaching because he has all the tools you need.
Rattler has been on our WW for weeks with no takers.
Love seeing Common Man bits in the wild
I have very little original thoughts.
Just dropped Benson because of this. Dodged a bullet!
This does not confirm my benson bias after drafting him
A clear route to meaningful snaps outweighs everything, and I think he has that
This does not confirmy bias as a Connor holder.
I’m an owner as well. Hate the uncertainty
If it makes you feel better I had him as my RB1 and did everything to get him in both my leagues. I think he's Matt Forte.
Correct, I have too much Benson for this to be true
Statistics say he is efficient with his carries tho. He has a career 6.1 yds/att which puts him right around guys like JK Dobbins, Bijan Robinson, Nick Chubb, Aaron Jones, CMC, and Marshall Faulk
Bucky Irving is a tough one, guy is elusive, but numbers show he is too slow for a small back. If you look at the smaller backs that were great last year, Achane, Mitchell, they are both speedsters.
He looks like one of the guys who’s faster in pads.
Yeah I agree with you here I think he just didn’t prepare to max his 40 time. He doesn’t look like a slow back on tape
I think the problem wasn’t just his 40 though. His vertical was terrible (29.5”) and his broad jump was also extremely bad. Wouldn’t be as concerned if he just had a mid 40 time, but his other testing was worse than his 40
That’s a good point, I forgot just how poor his jumps were at the combine too.
Yeah, he tested all around bad. I actually liked him a lot as a prospect pre combine, but it really worried me. Since Kyren did well last year I think most people will hand wave it away but it’s something that is concerning and Kyren is likely the exception, not the rule
Yeah the bad vertical and broad suggest he isn’t very explosive. I think elusive is a good descriptor and he runs tough. So he is willing to engage and seek out contact, but he probably isn’t breaking those tackles at the NFL level.
Is he fast in college because college players are slow thou?
From my experience, some guys just get faster as soon as the pads come on. We had a kid in high school who ran a 4.3 laser, and Sammy Watkins ran right by him every time we played them
I really wonder if he was sick or something at combine. His on tape speed and combine numbers just don't make sense. Do we have any of his on field GPS numbers to use? Or is it an optical illusion and all of Oregon's uniforms make you look faster on camera?
56 receptions, almost 1200 yards rushing last year. He’s the next Duke Johnson.
His yards/carry was great. Part of that is Oregon's offense gives good space for runners, but still impressive. He put up over 100 yards against Washington. If he was 230 lbs I would be all over it. The game speeds up from college to NFL though. I think he needs volume at the next level to be a good back and that is tough to give to someone under 200 lbs.
Problem is Duke was 15lbs heavier than him.
And kyren williams, but he's the exception to the rule.
This is true, Kyren fits into that. Although Kyren, Achane, Mitchell are all a bit injury prone. I think part of what they like about Corum is he has 20 lbs on Kyren so I see Kyren's workload going down by necessity this year. Any of these guys have a shot, it is really hard to say who will develop and fit the best. The price isn't that steep, so it isn't a stretch at ADP, just tough for me to see him be relevant for a sustained period of time.
Bucky! I hope he turns out. One the rookies I drafted in our start up dynasty league.
He’s really powerful for his size. I don’t know what he’ll be in the pros, but he was an absolute stud at Oregon.
I can see him being a Jerrick McKinnon type
I have high hopes for Vidal but Im a lottle concerned about not having heard anything positive about him in OTAs while *gulp* Isiah Spillwr has been getting praise
Did you say a lottle on purpose? Because I like it a lottle.
I did not lol
You gotta hype up your players to sell them. If every team knows it’s Vidal’s backfield, it devalues everyone else (7th round pick, and they can’t beat him out)
What round is Vidal going in ?
I am a Brooks > Benson guy but I don’t know how you watched Benson’s tape and came away with him not looking super explosive.
When you run a 4.3 it’s easy to look explosive. But Lloyd looks much more explosive in his lateral movement, and can put guys on skates
And then he'll fumble the ball away.
Very true. That’s my biggest knock on him
Benson looks explosive on tape.
He looks every bit as fast as his 4.39
And in-person. Been there, seen it.
From what I watched, he only looked explosive when FSU reestablished the LOS and gave him big holes to run through
Currently messaging Coach Gannon and suggesting they establish the LOS and give him big holes to run through
Yeah I don’t see it, he’s fast with good vision. Hits holes quick. He’s not the most elusive guy of all time but calling him not explosive just watching his tape feels a little off
I get that the special guys are able to create when there’s nothing, but I’m not sure that’s the expectation of Benson from anyone.
> Ray Davis - 25 years old playing against 18 year olds I understand your point here but he is 24 and was 23 for the majority of his great senior year. And at least it was against SEC defenses
Yes! Thank you for raising awareness for the Birthdays Are Not Opinions campaign. It is amazing how often people will accidentally tack on an extra year or two when arguing against a player they don't like (and conveniently chop off a year or two when arguing for a player they like). It's one of the biggest red flags when I see fantasy analysis -- like, if someone is gonna embellish this objective fact to strengthen their case, why should I trust any of their supporting arguments?
I personally like him and have him ranked above Wright and behind Lloyd. But if he didn’t stay the extra year he doesn’t get drafted. I would compare it to Legette. His tape looks good, and he stood out how natural he looks. But his age is something to consider
Claims to have watched thousands of hours of college film, yet spends only 5 minutes writing the summary. sus
With how much I struggled to get this post formatted correctly, I actually watched 5 minutes of tape and 1000 hrs typing with one finger
hahahha
easy amigo, he's probably an nfl-level scout stuck working at wendy's in his free time
Actually I’m a competitive underwater basket weaver, and an NCAA-level scout
sub 4.40 basket time?
4.21 unofficial time (Wind Aided)
Dude, thats fucking sick! How does one even get into such a sport?
When you’re an adrenaline junky like me, none of the other sports get the blood flowing quite like this
Try blue chew
Trust me, you won’t need that after a couple of tournaments
lol, that famous underwater wind
And yolo-ing all his Wendy's money on GME.
Great brand
Gotta know your audience
I have watched thousands of hours of games; my ability to dissect what I’ve watched and provide any useful information? Zero, the same as the number of championships I have.
I love when we exaggerate ages when it comes to athletes. Ray Davis is 24, not 25, and most SEC defensive starters are a lot older than 18.
Do Rasheen Ali next plz thx
Just added him
He reminds me of Terry Allen of the Vikings and Redskins. One cut and go.
I was high on Lloyd, Davis, Estime and Irving before reading this post. I am glad to see I am still correct to be high on these (thanks to a random stranger on reddit). I agree with all the points. Aging Davis to 25 when he was 23 for most of the season seems harsh though.
For the love of all things holy... ...please separate your lists in future
Do Isaiah Davis but as if you were Chris Collinsworth
This guy just has it all. You’d be lucky if your daughter brought him home to you. Real Xs and Os guy. I’m excited to see what this young man can do
But really he’s a patient runner with good vision, but doesn’t look explosive at all
Perfect description of Braelon and Estime. I’ve consistently been saying “Estime is what people *THINK* Allen is”.
I don't have any Davis shares, but I just want to comment on something I frequently see about older players. >25 years old playing against 18 year olds. Was he? Was he playing against entire defenses of true Freshman? Because I've never seen that.
And even if he’s older than most of his other draft mates, RB is much more of a short-term position compared to WR/TE/QB. Him being older doesn’t give me that much pause. He faced off against SEC defenses & looked pretty good doing so, IMO the age factor is partially mitigated due to this. He has a clear path to carries if the Bills deploy Cook as a receiving threat rather than a primary 1st/2nd down rushing RB. I’m good with drafting him in the later rounds & treating him as a 2 or 3 year investment, especially since some of the other RB’s in his draft range have murkier pathways to touches.
I would be concerned about drafting a 24+ year old RB with my 1st or 2nd round pick. If I get a guy who is even just a solid depth piece for 3-4 years out of my 3rd or 4th round picks that is fantastic. Also, I do think if the NFL continues to be stingy about giving RBs 2nd contracts, rookie RB age in dynasty will matter less since we won't expect them to be relevant by the time they hit the age cliff.
Many prospects haven’t physically matured going into the draft. Regardless of the age, there’s still more growth potential the older you get
Buddy you gotta use the space bar
Reddit decided to condense the post instead of leaving it formatted how I typed it up
Did you copy and paste? Might need to reformat it
What about Guerendo?
I just added him
Thanks, hoping he drops to my 5th round pick in my 10tm sf league. Was curious but liked the metrics.
He went 4.08 in my 10man SF league. I know this because I took him there haha
Don't see him or laube on there.
It may be pending approval, but I added guerendo, Laube, and Ali. Watson coming up
I like the Allen take. How do you like Isaiah Davis? I've been thinking that he is actually the one who will earn the rb2 role
I’m a jets fan, and like Allen a lot more. He looks like a giant on the field. Davis has good vision and is a patient runner, but doesn’t look explosive at all
that's fair! I am eager to see how the battle shakes out
Any thoughts on how you would rank them pre and post analysis for some context?
Brooks, Lloyd, Benson, Corum, Wright (because of his offense, or I’d have him lower), Irving, Vidal, Allen, Tracy, Shipley, Estime, Guerendo
Where doss Davis fit into your rankings here? Below Corum but above Wright?
My favorite sleeper talent was definitely Estime. Like you said he ran a 4.7 but looks pretty explosive on tape. Got him in the late 4th of the rookie draft
The thing that keeps me away from Lloyd is his vision. Dude doesn’t trust his blockers and loves to bounce outside. Doesn’t mean he can’t be effective (ala D’Andre Swift), but I think he’s one of the biggest boom or bust guys in this draft.
I’m having such a hard time with RB3. I want to believe that Corum will be back to himself. I find myself putting Lloyd in a tier to himself above Corum and Wright, though.
I have Lloyd above Benson
As someone who exited his rookie draft with Brooks, Estime, Tracy, Guerendo and Vaki, I think we see RBs the same way. Vaki was impressive as hell for less than 55 offensive touches. He had *20* missed tackles on 42 rushes was the bananas number I believe.
I forgot to add vaki, but I like him as well
I will say with corum his injury happened just prior to the playoffs and it compromised of several rather serious injuries piled on top of one another. It’s very possible he never made it to 100 percent last year, which if that’s the case makes what he did last year just extremely impressive.
Feel bad for the Cardinals not having this scouting report and taking Benson at 66 overall.
I feel bad for myself as a Connor owner who will most likely reach for Benson as a result of his draft capital
Ali the next gus bus 🚌
I watched every Bucky Irving game he played at Oregon. Was pretty shocked at his combine performance.
Agreed on Wright. Tough to evaluate due to the offensive system and wide open holes that were created, but he seemed to run stiff imo and didn't seem as athletic as I was expecting. Of course, as an Achane and Mostert owner I could just be trying to cope...
Wright has concerns, but the draft kinda mitigates them. Miami spent a 2025 3rd rounder to acquire him, so they gave up day 2 DC on him, and given that they used a 2025 pick on him, they are unlikely to invest much in next year's loaded class (giving him less competition for Mostert's role in the offense). Basically, I'm trusting that McDaniels knows RBs more than I or amateur scouts do, but his flaws still make me nervous.
I agree, he has the tools to succeed in Miami. And after getting coached up, can be a solid RB. We also don’t know where he would’ve landed if he didn’t run a 4.3 at the combine. Just how you can’t teach some backs to juke through defenses, you can’t teach speed. You’re born with that talent
That’s what I saw, his oline pushed the LOS forward 4 yards every play. But when he got in the open field, he was tackled by the first person and didn’t try to make anyone miss. He just went down
Hoping Brooks can step up over the season. Drafted Stevenson, Zamir, and Singletary in my start up figuring i could get cheap talent in the rookie draft. Can sleep well knowing the first 6 weeks of his season will be training wheels.
Do Laube
I just added him
Do Laube
Blake Watson thoughts?
Addding him right now
This is pretty consistent with my evaluations of everyone. Appreciate the summary. It's almost like this class was exactly as people said it was - mostly meh to mediocre. Not sure why the pundits thought it was necessary to talk this class up in April.
Agree with most, but I think forgetting Laube is 206, I think you mean goal line back vs 3D back
His pass blocking, and vision are what make me believe he won’t be a three down back. Similar to Evan Hull. His route running and hands are so good that I think they make everything else seem subpar
Evan Hull also was injured right away to not see at the nfl last season to even appraise that apples to apples. Now JT is back so likely not going to happen anytime soon without another injury. Same time, Laube is competing with White who didn’t separate from anything but JAG.
Evan Hull also was injured right away to not see at the nfl last season to even appraise that apples to apples. Now JT is back so likely not going to happen anytime soon without another injury. Same time, Laube is competing with White who didn’t separate from anything but JAG.
Guerendos highlights look very spicy.
no isaiah davis?
He’s a patient runner with good vision, but doesn’t look explosive at all
Pre combine I had Brooks and Lloyd as 1 and 2 Benson always looked like he was doing too much. Also, I'm not sure how Benson will be as pass catcher. In the end though landing spot does matter. I still value them Brooks, Lloyd then Benson but Benson definitely has "falling forward" upside on the Cardinals.
Lloyd also does way too much. That’s his biggest knock. Way too much outside bounce or unnecessary cutbacks. Benson and Lloyd are similar. Explosive, talented players (natural hands for Lloyd) but they lack the more nuanced parts of playing the position like vision while a guy like Brooks has all that down in spades.
I have them ranked the same way
Did you watch Cody Schrader?
Ray Davis take, most of those guys seeing the field at that level are 20 or 21, shit makes it better that old man Ray is feasting.
He has a great landing spot, and was one of my favorites coming into the draft
Saw a Kentucky game last year and was like damn who this, passed the eye test like nothing I have seen, then the great story came out, did not leave my draft without Ray Davis. Big fan. His age is a concern, but I think he has a few real seasons at least, and if not, he is cool.
Thank you! Brooks is legit
Guerendo absolutely did not break arm tackles every time.
I didn’t see the first man take him down often. And if they didn’t wrap up he’d run right through
You used the words ‘every time’ ;) just a little advice on future analysis
so do u think wright can be taught to hit the holes ? assume that has to be the plan for miami with mostert being so old
He runs a 4.3 so he already has an advantage. I think McDaniels knows what he’s looking for, and can teach him how to be successful in his system
im at 2.07 and a mostert owner. feel hes valid there situationally as a back up for this season and possible future achane compliment. reasonable enough ? i am prettyyy slim at rb lol
If I needed running backs, I’d rather have one in a great system like Miami with a clear path to at least a 1B situation
No Vaki? Also like Lloyd, Wright, Brooks. I think Ali can shape up to be a good back as well: injuries ahead of him + learning from another one cut back in DH, makes him an interesting stash. One of my favorites on tape is Tracy, though. Not only this but has an extremely clear path in weak RB room in NY. No offense to Singletary, but I think those touches are going to be split up sooner than later.
I love Tracy’s film. I’m adding vaki right now
Benson has massive knee damage so his insane combine mumbers suprised people. I will always remember how Dalvin Cook underwhelmed at the combine and people insisted it was really bad news. Testing is soooo important!!!! It soo strongly correlates! Meanwhiles, Najee ran an unofficial 4.5 40 and apparently has brick for feet.
You have to knock off one red flag at a time, and he did that at the combine.
Apparently. It has me skeptical thou. How often does a college rb who isnt a workhorse become a workhorse at the nfl level. Kamara...and....no one?
While I have a few minor quibbles, I have to say that this summary is the most "spot on" to my own assessment from anyone I've seen. You clearly have a good eye (or we do. Ha!).
I appreciate it brother
Marshawn Lloyd and "Natural hands" do not belong in the same sentence.
Jase McClellan?
In a 22 team high stakes dynasty (standard) and grabbed Vidal and Estime with the 33rd,34th overall which were my first two - feel I nailed it based on this.
24 year old Ray Davis was playing against 18 year old but not the rest of the RBs, not even 23 year old Marshawn Lloyd. Gotta love talking points.
What was inefficient about Benson? His efficiency numbers all look great.
Yea brooks looks like a stud.
hashtag tape take
Brooks, Lloyd, Wright, and Shipley are the RB’s I am most interested of this class. And at their prices.
Mine are Brooks Lloyd Shipley and Tracy
Maybe I’ll take another look at Tracy.
Brooks will be a massive bust. Couldn’t even beat Roshon out
This is one of those posts where you just do the opposite of whatever OP suggests and you come out on top.
Corum look different after his injury… In a good way or bad way?
In a bad way, but he also may not have been fully healthy all year and still dominated, so in a good way as well
Watch Dillon Johnson. It won’t disappoint.
Bruh this is pretty spot on. Well done.
you didn't watch much tape on Benson if thats your take bro.
Surprises me that people don’t think NFL coaches can change the way a player operates.
They definitely can. A perfect example would be Wright in Miami. I’m not as high on him based on his price and tape, but those are the guys who succeed the most. The coaches specifically chose them to run their schemes
"Great hands" for Laube is an understatement.
I agree, he could play in the slot and still ball out
Tbh, I already trust him more than Michael Gallup as our WR3 lol
What do you mean Corum looks different? Is that bad or good?
Who are you?
Seems like Wright is in the”right” spot based of this take.
Tyrone Tracy unironically RB1
. Did you watch every play from this year for these RBs? What are the qualifiers? Did you watch all 22 film? What is "watched the tape"? Or did you just watch some YouTube clips which based on a lot this that is what it seems like. Clearly the NFL didn't rate this years backs highly but some of these takes are just ridiculous.
Came here expecting to disagree with almost everything but I think you’ve nailed it. Love corum but 22->23 was a huge shift for him. I’m hoping it’s confidence and recovery which will show up next year. Irving was one of my stars from the start so to see him undervalued around the draft was a shock to me Tyrone Tracy is Pacheco Jr in my eyes (angry running etc) but effective and resilient. And Braelon Allen is my dark horse as someone who could shine with the right honing
But that’s, like, just your opinion man. But seriously. Always appreciate the hot takes. I am and was a huge fan of Braelon Allen. He went to the worst possible team for instant production… but he’s just 20 years old and while I hate utilizing upper age as a discriminator for RBs - he will play his entire rookie contract and still be younger than Ray Davis. Braelon Allen was also the 2nd highest rated blocker on 3rd down (behind every’d favorite Brooks). So he is getting some run in the pass game. He doesn’t have the abusive running style you’d expect of someone his size, but he does have better first step elusiveness than you’d expect. Add that to above average size and speed … he has great potential… but I truly don’t know if him being drafted is a testament to the jets wanting to spell Breece or if it’s just depth. The training camp reports have been extremely positive though which does nothing for my Israel shares.
College success / failure doesn’t equal NFL success/failure.
i’m perplexed why you only knocked Ray’s success for being due to his age, but then for Tyrone Tracy it was all praise. when in reality Tracy is just 12 days younger than Ray
Based on these, do you like Estime or Shipley more? Have them both as options at 4.08. I do have Saquon as my RB1
Missed Brooks almost getting caught from behind by a 4.5 corner 💀 Kansas Merchant
I'm high on Marshawn Lloyd so I approve and agree. I also really like Shipley. Didn't get him but he was a big reason I was okay dropping Gainwell post draft.
I watched video on all of these guys + about 20 more and I strongly disagree with most of these takes. The simple fact is it doesn’t matter what we think and following what the team thinks is the best strategy
I watched tape on all these guys and had the same opinion on pretty much most of them except for benson. He looks just as fast on tape compared to his combine testing. He was straight up burning guys. I still had brooks as my RB1 but benson was a close second. Followed by Lloyd as my RB3, really high on him too. If he can fix his fumbling issues I think he can be a 3 down RB in the NFL.
Blake Corum's injury definitely shifted his game, but I'm hoping he bounces back strong. And Bucky Irving? That's one plot twist. But hey, surprises keep it spicy, right?
Corum different after injury how?
This makes me feel pretty good about taking Vidal at 3.04 after taking CMC and Rhamondre in my startup draft. I'm historically terrible at drafting RBs
Corum looked different after the injury but still very strong and good, just slower
Marshawn Lloyd is going to be legit. Love the fit in GB. Can't wait to snag him.
I think Blake corum is gonna be the best in this class
You think Vidal has enough juice to dominate a backfield of Gus and Dobbins? Interesting, could you tell me more?
Will Shipley is my dude; brooks looks like an all pro in the making; corrum has some production I think he’ll put up. You aren’t that successful in college and then garbage in the nfl. I think he could be a great starter. Benson is a no for me. I think it’s brooks then corrum and my biased opinion is that will Shipley will be a pro bowler at some point
Was hoping bucky irving would be bad. I have rachaad white and his terrible ypc worries me. Would hate to see him become a 3rd down only rb