Mike's Second Take on the RB position ...
Who's stock has risen and why?
Kenneth Gainwell, Memphis (5-8, 201 lbs.) - Gainwell may be poised to run it back again out of Memphis.
Gainwell didn't play in 2020, but in 2019 he lined up at running back and where you'd normally expect to find wide receivers and excelled at both running and catching the football. The numbers were attention-getting: 231 carries for 1,459 yards, a 6.3 average per carry and 13 touchdowns on the ground, and 51 catches for 610 receiving yards and three receiving TDs.
Gainwell played in 2019 at Memphis with another running back/wide receiver hybrid, Antonio Gibson.
Gibson had 1,104 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns.
Gainwell had 2,069 yards from scrimmage and 16 TDs.
Gibson became an NFL running back last season as a third-round draft pick of the Washington Football team and produced on the ground (795 yards, a 4.7 average per carry and 11 rushing TDs) and through the air (36 receptions for 247 yards).
Is Gainwell next?
NFL Network analyst Charles Davis suggested Gainwell might be a running back that becomes slot receiver in the NFL, a reverse of the path that delivered Gibson.
"This guy's dynamic in the open field," Davis maintained of Gainwell.
Memphis has previously sent Darrell Henderson (third round, Rams, 2019), Tony Pollard (fourth round, Cowboys, 2019) and DeAngelo Williams (first round, Panthers, 2006), among others, to the NFL.
Other Notes: Buffalo's Jaret Patterson (5-6, 195 lbs.) has generated some attention among analysts as a "sleeper" at running back. If production means anything, he'll snooze his way into the late rounds. Patterson rushed for over 1,000 yards in three straight seasons at Buffalo, including 1,072 in six games in 2020 that included a 301-yard game against Bowling Green and a 409-yard effort against Kent State. Patterson scored 52 career rushing touchdowns (19 last season) … Oklahoma State's Chuba Hubbard (6-0, 210 lbs.) is another running back who was characterized as a "sleeper." "He's gonna be a really good pro," Jeremiah maintained. "His game translates well." Hubbard rushed for 2,094 yards and 21 touchdowns in 13 games in 2019 and 625 yards and five scores in seven games in 2020. His average per carry fell from 6.4 to 4.7.
Mike's First Take on the RB position ...
#5 - Rhamondre Stevenson, Oklahoma (6-0, 229 lbs.) - What you see is what you get, "a traditional, between-the-tackles, downhill runner," according to ESPN analyst Mike Tannenbaum, a former general manager of the Jets and a former executive vice president of football operations for the Dolphins. "He has a really well-built lower body. From a build standpoint he's clearly the most physical running back (at the Senior Bowl)." Added ESPN's Louis Riddick: "He's shown that he can pass protect." Riddick also cited Stevenson's jump-cut and his "ability to get lateral and get vertical, hit the gaps quick." Stevenson rushed for 665 yards in 2020, including 186 against Florida in the Gator Bowl.
#4 - Javonte Williams, North Carolina (5-10, 220 lbs.) - Williams was recognized as the lead back in the opinion of some in what became UNC's "Dynamic Duo" at the position. His junior year saw Williams improve his sophomore totals in rushing yards (933 to 1,140), average per carry (5.6 to 7.3), rushing touchdowns (five to 19) receiving yards (176 to 305) and receiving TDs (one to three). He projects as a potential workhorse back who can break tackles. Consistency was a bit of an issue during his breakout 2020 season. Williams had 28 yards and averaged 2.5 per carry against Notre Dame but exploded for 236, a 10.3 average and three touchdowns against Miami. He skipped the Orange Bowl and the Senior Bowl.
#3 - Michael Carter, North Carolina (5-9 1/2, 199 lbs.) - The other half of the Tar Heels two-headed monster at running back. ESPN's Todd McShay could hardly have been more impressed watching Carter put on a show during Senior Bowl practices. "He runs low to the ground," McShay gushed. "He gets in and out of cuts. And you watch him in pass protection, he actually cares. He was so important in their catch game (at North Carolina), he averaged 8 yards per carry and I just think he's a special player. Military family, he is disciplined, loves the game. He's the highest-character player that you would ever want at the running back position." Tannenbaum isn't concerned about Carter's relative lack of size. "There's a difference between being short and small," Tannenbaum said. "He is not small. He has an NFL lower body."
#2 - Travis Etienne, Clemson (5-10 1/8, 212 lbs.) - Etienne rushed for over 1,600 yards in 2018 and again in 2019 and for 914 in the 2020 pandemic campaign. He registered career-high totals in receptions (48) and receiving yards (588) in 2020. And he rushed for at least 13 touchdowns in all four seasons at Clemson (70 total, 24 in 2018). His signatures are acceleration and big-play capability in space. Most evaluators have Etienne at least No. 2 at running back heading into the draft. The consistency and productivity he displayed at Clemson and the NFL-style he exhibits at running back have everything to do with that.
#1 - Najee Harris, Alabama (6-1 3/4, 232 lbs.) - Harris is McShay's No. 22 player available overall. Harris is a three-down back and was the second-best player in the CFP National Championship game after Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith, according to Tannenbaum. NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah, like seemingly everyone else, is also impressed. "He's a complete back," Jeremiah maintained. "The only question is just that pure top speed. But you don't have any questions about his competitiveness when you watch him on tape with how he finishes runs." Jeremiah's NFL comparison for Harris was Bears 2008 second-round pick Matt Forte (big, athletic frame and can catch).
"triple" - Google News
April 28, 2021 at 05:18PM
https://ift.tt/2R2Exuw
The Triple Take: RBs Take Two - Steelers.com - Steelers.com
"triple" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3dc0blF
https://ift.tt/2WoIFUS
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "The Triple Take: RBs Take Two - Steelers.com - Steelers.com"
Post a Comment