Posted by Rafael at Sunday, March 31, 2013
This week's draft chat with Cowboys Nation's analyst TD looks at big running backs who could factor into Dallas thinking, starting in the 3rd to 4th rounds.
Cowboys Nation: Let's begin at the running back position. Names of the Cowboys' 30 invitees for a team visit are starting to leak. They gave a private workout this week to Michigan State's Le'Veon Bell. He's a big back.
I reviewed our chats from a month ago, when you last discussed running backs and you said there's a big clump of players in that 3rd to 4th round area, and that draft order will depend on the individual player's fit with a team's scheme. It looks like Dallas wants a big back, in that Marion Barber workhorse mold.
Who are some running backs rated in that 3rd to 4th round area, who are good at all things, if they're not necessarily great at everything? Looking at Tashard Choice and Barber, it seems Dallas will forgive lack to elite speed if you can catch, block and have some wiggle in the hole, and can make tacklers miss.
TD: Le'Veon Bell... I've talked to a few scouts about him. They compare him to Anthony Dixon, who's with the 49ers now. I was a big fan of Dixon coming out and I think he may be a little better than Bell. But they've got so much talent on their team that he's only getting a couple of carries a game there.
Even when you're a bigger back you still need to have some burst to your game. My favorite is still Stepfan Taylor and I know he's falling down draft boards now, because people think he's a 4.7 guy, because his stopwatch times were not great. I don't care. I think if you could get him in the 3rd or especially the 4th round he would be a very good NFL running back. I think he would be a prime target for the Cowboys in that area.
Christine Michael is another interesting back because he can play like a smaller back but he's 5'10", 220. If he gets it together, I think he can be one of those players who you look back on and say, "how did this guy last so long?" Because he has the talent to be a starter for a team.
Knile Davis, Spencer Ware, two SEC products. Both are over 225. Knile Davis ran really well. I think he was timed in the sub 4.4s. They're both a little more linear but they both have nitty-gritty running styles similar to Stevan Ridley, who's now the the Patriots.
CN: I want to circle back to your opening comment. If Stepfan Taylor is sliding, he could make a lot of readers happy, based on comments I've read. The presumption has always been that he'll go somewhere in the 2nd or 3rd rounds.
Why is he dropping? Is he in fact dropping?
TD: Yeah. Well, he didn't run overly well. Some people timed him in the 4.7 range. As you know, running back is a stop-watch position. It doesn't determine how a guy is going to play in the NFL but it has a great effect on where he's selected. Especially with other backs running good 40 times it's going to cause other backs to jump over Stepfan Taylor. Guys like Andre Ellington, Joseph Randle, Johnathan Franklin from UCLA, even Montee Ball. They all ran better, so I'd say right now I'd say with Stepfan Taylor the 3rd round is as high as he goes and I would not be surprised if he lasted until Saturday and goes early in the 4th round.
This week's draft chat with Cowboys Nation's analyst TD looks at big running backs who could factor into Dallas thinking, starting in the 3rd to 4th rounds.
Cowboys Nation: Let's begin at the running back position. Names of the Cowboys' 30 invitees for a team visit are starting to leak. They gave a private workout this week to Michigan State's Le'Veon Bell. He's a big back.
I reviewed our chats from a month ago, when you last discussed running backs and you said there's a big clump of players in that 3rd to 4th round area, and that draft order will depend on the individual player's fit with a team's scheme. It looks like Dallas wants a big back, in that Marion Barber workhorse mold.
Who are some running backs rated in that 3rd to 4th round area, who are good at all things, if they're not necessarily great at everything? Looking at Tashard Choice and Barber, it seems Dallas will forgive lack to elite speed if you can catch, block and have some wiggle in the hole, and can make tacklers miss.
TD: Le'Veon Bell... I've talked to a few scouts about him. They compare him to Anthony Dixon, who's with the 49ers now. I was a big fan of Dixon coming out and I think he may be a little better than Bell. But they've got so much talent on their team that he's only getting a couple of carries a game there.
Even when you're a bigger back you still need to have some burst to your game. My favorite is still Stepfan Taylor and I know he's falling down draft boards now, because people think he's a 4.7 guy, because his stopwatch times were not great. I don't care. I think if you could get him in the 3rd or especially the 4th round he would be a very good NFL running back. I think he would be a prime target for the Cowboys in that area.
Christine Michael is another interesting back because he can play like a smaller back but he's 5'10", 220. If he gets it together, I think he can be one of those players who you look back on and say, "how did this guy last so long?" Because he has the talent to be a starter for a team.
Knile Davis, Spencer Ware, two SEC products. Both are over 225. Knile Davis ran really well. I think he was timed in the sub 4.4s. They're both a little more linear but they both have nitty-gritty running styles similar to Stevan Ridley, who's now the the Patriots.
CN: I want to circle back to your opening comment. If Stepfan Taylor is sliding, he could make a lot of readers happy, based on comments I've read. The presumption has always been that he'll go somewhere in the 2nd or 3rd rounds.
Why is he dropping? Is he in fact dropping?
TD: Yeah. Well, he didn't run overly well. Some people timed him in the 4.7 range. As you know, running back is a stop-watch position. It doesn't determine how a guy is going to play in the NFL but it has a great effect on where he's selected. Especially with other backs running good 40 times it's going to cause other backs to jump over Stepfan Taylor. Guys like Andre Ellington, Joseph Randle, Johnathan Franklin from UCLA, even Montee Ball. They all ran better, so I'd say right now I'd say with Stepfan Taylor the 3rd round is as high as he goes and I would not be surprised if he lasted until Saturday and goes early in the 4th round.
