Running Back?

[bmarsh15]

Have we ever had a 1st round pick running back? We always get backs later in the rounds I think that we need to spend a first round pick on a runningback. The earliest that we picked a back was Clinton Portis in the 2nd round and looked what happened with him, so imagine what can happen with a first round pick runningback, we need an elite back just look at the chargers without LT they don't have a good offense imagine what an elite back would do to our already good offense I get goosebumps our offense would be scary and or defense with a scheme they understand would step up also.

[BOSSHOGG30]

I wouldn't be upset with Darren McFadden, Jonathon Stewart, or Jamaal Charles (2nd round too probably), but it matters what we do in free agency. It sucks that we have too many question marks heading into the off season, and we can't focus on just a few positions.

[aberdien]

I would love to get Jonathan Stewart at some point in the draft.

[BOSSHOGG30]

I would love to get Jonathan Stewart at some point in the draft.

If he declares he is the 2nd best back easily, some teams may even have him higher than McFadden, so he will be a 1st round pick.

[aberdien]

If he declares he is the 2nd best back easily, some teams may even have him higher than McFadden, so he will be a 1st round pick.

Well I guess that isn't happening, unless someone is dumb enough to trade a 1st rounder for Javon Walker.

[Lonestar]

RB is not the weak spot on this team and regardless of who we pick unless we fix the other spots first RB would be a waste of time..

Would we score a few more points perhaps if it is from outside the redzone..

LT would not be able to run behind this OLINE in the redzone..

We scored 20 per game this year.. #21 median for the league was 21.6 top 5 is 16.4

We gave up 25.6.. #28 median for the league was 21.8 top 5 is 17.8

[Broncolingus]

RB is not the weak spot on this team and regardless of who we pick unless we fix the other spots first RB would be a waste of time..

Would we score a few more points perhaps if it is from outside the redzone..

LT would not be able to run behind this OLINE in the redzone..

We scored 20 per game this year.. #21 median for the league was 21.6 top 5 is 16.4

We gave up 25.6.. #28 median for the league was 21.8 top 5 is 17.8

Excellent post...well said.

[WARHORSE]

If he declares he is the 2nd best back easily, some teams may even have him higher than McFadden, so he will be a 1st round pick.


Honestly, I would take Stewart over McFadden. McFadden if he pans out will be awesome. But I dont like his attitude from what I know about him and he doesnt seem to project to the pros in my ugly opinion as well as Stewart does.

He doesnt look strong enough.

I dont want a Reggie Bush at RB on my team.

Wonder if the Cowboys are going to sign J. Jones and Barber back. If not, Ill take Barber.

[WARHORSE]

RB is not the weak spot on this team and regardless of who we pick unless we fix the other spots first RB would be a waste of time..

Would we score a few more points perhaps if it is from outside the redzone..

LT would not be able to run behind this OLINE in the redzone..

We scored 20 per game this year.. #21 median for the league was 21.6 top 5 is 16.4

We gave up 25.6.. #28 median for the league was 21.8 top 5 is 17.8


I disagree. He wouldnt be able to run as well as behind the line hes on now, but LT is a very, very good RB on the goaline. He can simply run outside, or he will run with his facemask two inches off the ground and only his toes touching........an exaggeration of course, but he knows how to get low and find the seam like no other.

Not as effective, but he could run behind our line. My opinion of course.;)

[Skinny]

Have we ever had a 1st round pick running back? If you count the 'Supplemental Draft' ... Bobby Humphrey.

[Skinny]

Denver finished 9th in the League in Rushing Offense after the regular Season finally while finishing 13th in Passing Offense. Both are'nt bad but it's obvious which one we need to improve upon.

I'm just not high on Drafting a R.B. over a W.R. at this point with this team now and if Mikey decides to go Offensive with the first or second pick. We have one threat at the W.R. postion in BMarsh ... Javon is/was injured and not 100%. While Stokley had his moments ... he's not near Marshall's caliber at this stage in his career. There were times during the Season when it seemed like BMarsh was the only W.R. on the feild.

We need to take advantage of Cutler's talent ... give him another weapon at the W.R. position.

We've been very successful at the 'plug-n-go' when it comes to R.B.s in the ZBS ... we have'nt however been very successful with that at the W.R. position.

With Javon's knee injury and the not knowing, or his future in Denver for that fact, and Stokley's age (32 in June) ... this is an area on Offense, right up there with the O-line, that needs to be addressed over R.B. IMO.

[Lonestar]

I disagree. He wouldnt be able to run as well as behind the line hes on now, but LT is a very, very good RB on the goaline. He can simply run outside, or he will run with his facemask two inches off the ground and only his toes touching........an exaggeration of course, but he knows how to get low and find the seam like no other.

Not as effective, but he could run behind our line. My opinion of course.;)


What I was saying he would not be LT in DEN behind this pathetic OLINE.. He'd be just another 1100-1300 yard back. He would get alot of screen and flat passes..

I would not kick him off the field but he would not be anything special here, regardless of his talent. IMO

[Lonestar]

Denver finished 9th in the League in Rushing Offense after the regular Season finally while finishing 13th in Passing Offense. Both are'nt bad but it's obvious which one we need to improve upon.

I'm just not high on Drafting a R.B. over a W.R. at this point with this team now and if Mikey decides to go Offensive with the first or second pick. We have one threat at the W.R. postion in BMarsh ... Javon is/was injured and not 100%. While Stokley had his moments ... he's not near Marshall's caliber at this stage in his career. There were times during the Season when it seemed like BMarsh was the only W.R. on the feild.

We need to take advantage of Cutler's talent ... give him another weapon at the W.R. position.

We've been very successful at the 'plug-n-go' when it comes to R.B.s in the ZBS ... we have'nt however been very successful with that at the W.R. position.

With Javon's knee injury and the not knowing, or his future in Denver for that fact, and Stokley's age (32 in June) ... this is an area on Offense, right up there with the O-line, that needs to be addressed over R.B. IMO.

The problem with your thoughts are misleading we had all sorts of offense between the 20's and we scored OK but when we needed couple of yards on 3rd and 2 or inside the 5 we flat could not get them. Their is a reason Elam won 3-4 games for us this year it is the complete and utter lack of getting the tough yards inside the red zone.

mikey has this offense designed for trickery and smoke. Outside the redzone the defense has a lot of turf to defend inside the RZ it all compacts in s small space.. When the D knows you can't run it effectively close in they pretty much ignore the run and thus shut down the short passing game also..

Stokely age is not an issue he is not taking the pounding that a OLINE guy does EVERY PLAY. Rod a a gazillion years old could have played into his 40 had the hip not been trashed..

RB and WR are not a HUGE issue on this team.. Scheffler can be moved outside, Nate can do like wise.. They can get Graham more involved in the passing game..

Our problem is and has been for years getting bigger (10-15 pounds across the board) on the OLINE and DL much of this was addressed last year.. BUT the DT position still sucks with only Thomas being viable in 2-3 years.

Fix the OLINE and DLINE and almost everything else falls into place..

[BOSSHOGG30]

Holland was arguably our best offensive lineman in 2007 and he is one big mother... I think we would be better off if we got bigger up front as well.

[G_Money]

What I was saying he would not be LT in DEN behind this pathetic OLINE.. He'd be just another 1100-1300 yard back. He would get alot of screen and flat passes..

I would not kick him off the field but he would not be anything special here, regardless of his talent. IMO

Okay. :confused:

You know we averaged more total YPG, more yards per carry and had just 82 fewer total yards on the ground than San Diego, right? That Jay Cutler and his 1 receiver had far more 200+ yard passing game than Philip Rivers did?

San Diego has two first-class, starting-caliber running backs and a worse passing game than we had and they couldn't even muster 100 more yards on the ground than we did. LT was their 2nd leading receiver with 60 receptions, which would have given us another passing threat as well.

LT had 4.7 ypc for his nearly 1500 yards. Selvin Young had 5.2 ypc and Andre Hall had 4.9. Together they had nearly 1000 yards, so it's not exactly a small sample size either. If you put LT's carries into their ypc you get 1600+ yards. Maybe you think LT wouldn't have been as successful here...but Travis Henry's abominable 4.1 ypc would have netted him 1300 yards with LT's # of carries (which were not excessive thanks to Michael Turner). And I'm pretty sure LT would have been better than Travis Henry was this year.

We had two problems this year in the ground game: an inability to score and to sustain drives in by getting the necessary 1st down in short yards. It just wasn't consistent in close and crucial situations.

If you give us LT, I guarantee you a vastly improved team in both the red-zone and short-yardage situations and several more wins based on this year’s ineptitude in that area, all without any OL upgrades whatsoever.

For all that I believe our OL desperately needs an overhaul, LT would have made a huge difference this year.

~G

[BOSSHOGG30]

Okay. :confused:

You know we averaged more total YPG, more yards per carry and had just 82 fewer total yards on the ground than San Diego, right? That Jay Cutler and his 1 receiver had far more 200+ yard passing game than Philip Rivers did?

San Diego has two first-class, starting-caliber running backs and a worse passing game than we had and they couldn't even muster 100 more yards on the ground than we did. LT was their 2nd leading receiver with 60 receptions, which would have given us another passing threat as well.

LT had 4.7 ypc for his nearly 1500 yards. Selvin Young had 5.2 ypc and Andre Hall had 4.9. Together they had nearly 1000 yards, so it's not exactly a small sample size either. If you put LT's carries into their ypc you get 1600+ yards.

We had two problems this year in the ground game: an inability to score and to sustain drives in by getting the necessary 1st down in short yards. It just wasn't consistent in close and crucial situations.

If you give us LT, I guarantee you a vastly improved team in both the red-zone and short-yardage situations and several more wins based on this year’s ineptitude in that area, all without any OL upgrades whatsoever.

For all that I believe our OL desperately needs an overhaul, LT would have made a huge difference this year.

~G

No way we need an overhaul, but if Hamilton doesn't come back and we are currenlty one injury away from being really screwed. We still need O-line depth and like you said a veteran or better starting left tackle than the one we have now.

[G_Money]

I'd think 3 positions qualifies as an overhaul.

Because right now we look like:

LT - nobody qualified on the team, MUST draft stud LT or get a good one in FA
G - Kuper, who may move to RT, Hamilton if Nalen is back at C
C - Nalen or Hamilton, backed up by Myers
G - Holland, very strong guy who should have a better grasp on the system next year
RT - Unknown, w/ Harris and Kuper as front-runners to move Pears to backup

Needs:

- New LT
- New or shifted RT (Harris or Kuper over Pears at the VERY least)
- New backup center/center of the future (because Hamilton is the backup if Nalen can't recover from his injury)
- I wouldn't turn down a FA guard like Faneca if we could squeeze him into the budget either.

And for all that we still amassed almost 2000 yards on the ground and had a QB with 3500 passing yards. It really is a good system - just need some better, younger guys to run it.

~G

[Lonestar]

Okay. :confused:

You know we averaged more total YPG, more yards per carry and had just 82 fewer total yards on the ground than San Diego, right? That Jay Cutler and his 1 receiver had far more 200+ yard passing game than Philip Rivers did?

San Diego has two first-class, starting-caliber running backs and a worse passing game than we had and they couldn't even muster 100 more yards on the ground than we did. LT was their 2nd leading receiver with 60 receptions, which would have given us another passing threat as well.

LT had 4.7 YPC for his nearly 1500 yards. Selvin Young had 5.2 YPC and Andre Hall had 4.9. Together they had nearly 1000 yards, so it's not exactly a small sample size either. If you put Lt's carries into their YPC you get 1600+ yards. Maybe you think LT wouldn't have been as successful here...but Travis Henry's abominable 4.1 YPC would have netted him 1300 yards with Lt's # of carries (which were not excessive thanks to Michael Turner). And I'm pretty sure LT would have been better than Travis Henry was this year.

We had two problems this year in the ground game: an inability to score and to sustain drives in by getting the necessary 1st down in short yards. It just wasn't consistent in close and crucial situations.

If you give us LT, I guarantee you a vastly improved team in both the red-zone and short-yardage situations and several more wins based on this year’s ineptitude in that area, all without any OL upgrades whatsoever.

For all that I believe our OL desperately needs an overhaul, LT would have made a huge difference this year.

~G


Good thoughts but for the money I certainly will not advocate LT with this OLINE..

Just curious who on the team you would want to cut to maintain Lt's salary?

Player**** Base Salary Sign Bonus Other Bonus Total Salary Cap Value
Tomlinson, L$ 5,000,000 $ 12,400,000 $ 1,200 $ 5,001,200 $ 7,067,866
VS.
Henry, Travis $ 595,000 $ 6,000,000 $ 100,000 $ 6,695,000 $ 1,895,000

or from NFLPA

Tomlinson, LaDainian
View Stats at Players Inc Site
Player Info
Draft Info

RB (#)
Year: 2001

San Diego Chargers
Round: 1

Poway, CA
Position: 5

Salary History

2001 500000.00
2002 1250000.00
2003 1500000.00
2004 455000.00
2005 540000.00
2006 4250000.00
2007 5000000.00
2008 5750000.00
2009 6725000.00
2010 8000000.00
2011 9275000.00


Signing bonus to be spread over the life on the contract

[Lonestar]

I'd think 3 positions qualifies as an overhaul.

Because right now we look like:

LT - nobody qualified on the team, MUST draft stud LT or get a good one in FA
G - Kuper, who may move to RT, Hamilton if Nalen is back at C
C - Nalen or Hamilton, backed up by Myers
G - Holland, very strong guy who should have a better grasp on the system next year
RT - Unknown, w/ Harris and Kuper as front-runners to move Pears to backup

Needs:

- New LT
- New or shifted RT (Harris or Kuper over Pears at the VERY least)
- New backup center/center of the future (because Hamilton is the backup if Nalen can't recover from his injury)
- I wouldn't turn down a FA guard like Faneca if we could squeeze him into the budget either.

And for all that we still amassed almost 2000 yards on the ground and had a QB with 3500 passing yards. It really is a good system - just need some better, younger guys to run it.

~G


Pretty good post BUT

What we really need is a OLINE that can muscle it out inside the redzone.. Right now we do not have it and have not for almost a decade.

I think foster was supposed to be the start to a larger line until he proved to be a total loser. Then mikey got gun shy and went back to getting castoffs and nobody's..

Sure we have been a great team moving the ball between the 20's but inside both 20's we have not done so well. and getting 3rd or even more so this year 4th and short when we have to GUT CHECKIT. We more often than not can't get it by running the ball..

[G_Money]

Well yeah, we could argue about whether it's worth it to pay LT or not ;) - my original point was referencing the thread starter's question about adding a 1st round pick at RB
and your assertion that even LT wouldn't be a hyper-productive back with our current OL.

I believe he would be, and a 1st round back at our draft slot would only cost ~$2 mil against the cap IIRC, not the $7 mil that LT currently costs.

A great back would help mask our OL deficiencies. He wouldn't be a 2000 yard back until we finished our OL rebuild, but we'd win more games immediately with a guy who can actually get into the end-zone from the 1 yard line, or get a 1st down on 3rd-and-two.

I wouldn't go that way, because there are 2nd round backs (or 3rd round backs, and maybe even 4th round backs) who can do those things for us, while there aren't likely to be 3rd round safeties who are Pro-Bowlers, but a better back would mean a better Broncos team, wherever we happen to pick one up.

~G

[G_Money]

Pretty good post BUT

What we really need is a OLINE that can muscle it out inside the redzone.. Right now we do not have it and have not for almost a decade.

I think foster was supposed to be the start to a larger line until he proved to be a total loser. Then mikey got gun shy and went back to getting castoffs and nobody's..

Sure we have been a great team moving the ball between the 20's but inside both 20's we have not done so well. and getting 3rd or even more so this year 4th and short when we have to GUT CHECKIT. We more often than not can't get it by running the ball..

Right, but we also don't have any short-yardage backs. Mike Anderson was the last one we had - the last really tough runner on the team.

I was hoping Henry was gonna be, but that hope was ended in October.

We can get a larger line, but we can't go with a behemoth line unless we change our scheme. Still, offensive linemen are getting bigger and quicker every year - the size guys that were needed to run the ZB scheme in years past aren't as small now. Clady would be a great 1st round pickup and he's bigger than Lepsis by FAR. The centers I like for second day pickups are all 20+ pounds heavier than Nalen.

We can get bigger and still keep our scheme. The days of 280 pound OL should be over for us, though.

~G

[Lonestar]

Right, but we also don't have any short-yardage backs. Mike Anderson was the last one we had - the last really tough runner on the team.

I was hoping Henry was gonna be, but that hope was ended in October.

We can get a larger line, but we can't go with a behemoth line unless we change our scheme. Still, offensive linemen are getting bigger and quicker every year - the size guys that were needed to run the ZBS scheme in years past aren't as small now. Clady would be a great 1st round pickup and he's bigger than Lepsis by FAR. The centers I like for second day pickups are all 20+ pounds heavier than Nalen.

We can get bigger and still keep our scheme. The days of 280 pound OL should be over for us, though.

~G


I'm not looking for 340 pounders just more than 295 OT's

I think if we can add 10-15 across the board and still stay with the ZBS we should be set for a few more years till the DLINES outgrow us again..

Once we get down into the deep redzone the field just contracts up to where the safeties do not have to worry deep and the CB can jam you at the LOS the LB are within 2 yards of the LOS we just do not have the LARD to out muscle the good teams.

[Lonestar]

Well yeah, we could argue about whether it's worth it to pay LT or not ;) - my original point was referencing the thread starter's question about adding a 1st round pick at RB
and your assertion that even LT wouldn't be a hyper-productive back with our current OL.

I believe he would be, and a 1st round back at our draft slot would only cost ~$2 mil against the cap IIRC, not the $7 mil that LT currently costs.

A great back would help mask our OL deficiencies. He wouldn't be a 2000 yard back until we finished our OL rebuild, but we'd win more games immediately with a guy who can actually get into the end-zone from the 1 yard line, or get a 1st down on 3rd-and-two.

I wouldn't go that way, because there are 2nd round backs (or 3rd round backs, and maybe even 4th round backs) who can do those things for us, while there aren't likely to be 3rd round safeties who are Pro-Bowlers, but a better back would mean a better Broncos team, wherever we happen to pick one up.

~G

I was overall being sarcastic when I mentioned LT could not help this pathetic OLINE.. I'm not so sure that even LT could help us consistently inside the 5. The guy is the best but he also has some horse power in front of him.. I would also guess that his FB makes a HUGE difference there and even more so they score more inside the 10 but outside the 5.

But I will maintain that as it stands RB is far down my list of priorities.

[G_Money]

I'm not looking for 340 pounders just more than 295 OT's

I think if we can add 10-15 across the board and still stay with the ZBS we should be set for a few more years till the DLINES outgrow us again..

Once we get down into the deep redzone the field just contracts up to where the safeties do not have to worry deep and the CB can jam you at the LOS the LB are within 2 yards of the LOS we just do not have the LARD to out muscle the good teams.

Then you and I are in perfect agreement. :D

Our current line parts (before Lepsis retired):

T Lepsis - 6'4" 290 lbs
G/C Hamilton - 6'4" 290 lbs
G/T Kuper 6'4" 302 lbs
C Nalen 6'3" 286 lbs
C Myers 6'4" 295 lbs
G Holland - 6'2" 322 lbs
T Pears - 6'8" 305 lbs

Prospects I like in the draft:

Tackle:
Ryan Clady: 6'6" 317 lbs
Jake Long: 6'7" 309 lbs
Gosder Cherilus: 6'6" 312 lbs
Mike Oher: 6'5" 323 lbs

Center:
Kory Lichtensteiger: 6'2" 309 lbs
Wayne Legursky: 6'2" 325lbs
Fernando Velasco: 6'2" 315 lbs
Adam Spieker: 6'2" 306 lbs

We'd get bigger if we add any of the guys I like. *crosses fingers*

~G

[G_Money]

I was overall being sarcastic when I mentioned LT could not help this pathetic OLINE.. I'm not so sure that even LT could help us consistently inside the 5. The guy is the best but he also has some horse power in front of him.. I would also guess that his FB makes a HUGE difference there and even more so they score more inside the 10 but outside the 5.

But I will maintain that as it stands RB is far down my list of priorities.

I would kill for a real fullback - and us actually using him.

Watching Owen Schmitt maul people in the WVU game was bliss. I rewound half-a-dozen plays just to show my wife what a real fullback looks like in action.

"See how he blows this guy 5 yards out of the play?"

"See how he takes out two guys coming through the hole?"

Man, I miss Griffith. And yes, using a real fullback would make our RB look better too.

There are options for improving the critical parts of our ground game - we just need to implement one (or more) of them. Better OL, better RB, real FB...whatever.

Just start doing it already.

~G

[lex]

If he declares he is the 2nd best back easily, some teams may even have him higher than McFadden, so he will be a 1st round pick.


He's not better than McFadden. Its questionable whether he is even better than Mendenhall. Mendenhall is faster, has better feet and better vision and is also over 220.

[Lonestar]

Then you and I are in perfect agreement. :D

Our current line parts (before Lepsis retired):

T Lepsis - 6'4" 290 lbs
G/C Hamilton - 6'4" 290 lbs
G/T Kuper 6'4" 302 lbs
C Nalen 6'3" 286 lbs
C Myers 6'4" 295 lbs
G Holland - 6'2" 322 lbs
T Pears - 6'8" 305 lbs

Prospects I like in the draft:

Tackle:
Ryan Clady: 6'6" 317 lbs
Jake Long: 6'7" 309 lbs
Gosder Cherilus: 6'6" 312 lbs
Mike Oher: 6'5" 323 lbs

Center:
Kory Lichtensteiger: 6'2" 309 lbs
Wayne Legursky: 6'2" 325lbs
Fernando Velasco: 6'2" 315 lbs
Adam Spieker: 6'2" 306 lbs

We'd get bigger if we add any of the guys I like. *crosses fingers*

~G

lets not hold out breath on this.. as long as mikey is GM not gonna happen, he blew it big time on foster and is major gun shy now..

[lex]

lets not hold out breath on this.. as long as mikey is GM not gonna happen, he blew it big time on foster and is major gun shy now..

He also watched Cutler get killed and is smart enough to realize its not going to get any better on its own. Harris' has a bad injury that is often recurring...such is the back.

[BOSSHOGG30]

He's not better than McFadden. Its questionable whether he is even better than Mendenhall. Mendenhall is faster, has better feet and better vision and is also over 220.

You must know something the rest of us don't know because I have access to scouting info and Stewart has a offically timed forty of 4.45 and averages about a 4.5, which isn't bad at all for a 233 pound runningback.

Rashard Mendenhall fasted offically timed forty is 4.52 and averages around 4.55 and he only weighs 225 pounds.

Also most rankings have Mendenhall as the 4th best back in the draft some have him as the 5th best back in the draft... all behind McFadden and Stewart.

Oh and Jamaal Charles might be the best back of all of them. He has a offically timed forty of 4.37 and averages about a 4.40

[Lonestar]

He also watched Cutler get killed and is smart enough to realize its not going to get any better on its own. Harris' has a bad injury that is often recurring...such is the back.

might be true but I still would not hold my breath waiting for him to DAFT one on DAY one.. Even if he did the chances of him starting day one are really slim and none..

[lex]

You must know something the rest of us don't know because I have access to scouting info and Stewart has a offically timed forty of 4.45 and averages about a 4.5, which isn't bad at all for a 233 pound runningback.

Rashard Mendenhall fasted offically timed forty is 4.52 and averages around 4.55 and he only weighs 225 pounds.

Also most rankings have Mendenhall as the 4th best back in the draft some have him as the 5th best back in the draft... all behind McFadden and Stewart.

Oh and Jamaal Charles might be the best back of all of them. He has a offically timed forty of 4.37 and averages about a 4.40

Rashard Mendenhall has also run a 10.6 in the 100 m. Just to give you some idea, Reggie Bush ran around a 10.4. Besides, Ive seen postings of Mendenhall at a 4.4. A lot of timse by these scouting sites are estimated. Why would these guys be sending a staff person to every college to clock every potential pro prospect...and then on top of that, why would those prosepects run 40s for the various sites when the combine is what matters to them? Im sure they run it on their teams but those times are apples and oranges.

Draftscout has Mendenhall in the 4.4s and Stewart in the 4.5s.
http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/players.php?genpos=RB&draftyear=2009&sortorder=tsxpos&order=ASC

Here is another one:

http://walterfootball.com/draft2009RB.php

[BOSSHOGG30]

Rashard Mendenhall has also run a 10.6 in the 100 m. Just to give you some idea, Reggie Bush ran around a 10.4. Besides, Ive seen postings of Mendenhall at a 4.4. A lot of timse by these scouting sites are estimated. Why would these guys be sending a staff person to every college to clock every potential pro prospect...and then on top of that, why would those prosepects run 40s for the various sites when the combine is what matters to them? Im sure they run it on their teams but those times are apples and oranges.

Draftscout has Mendenhall in the 4.4s and Stewart in the 4.5s.
http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/players.php?genpos=RB&draftyear=2009&sortorder=tsxpos&order=ASC

Here is another one:

http://walterfootball.com/draft2009RB.php

The websites you provided also have Stewart over your Mendenhall. And the first one has Mendenhall listed at 210 pounds. Sounds really accurate if you ask me (sarcasim)

[lex]

The websites you provided also have Stewart over your Mendenhall. And the first one has Mendenhall listed at 210 pounds. Sounds really accurate if you ask me (sarcasim)

Like I said, theyre all estimates. But the fastest 100 m time I was able to find for Stewart was an 11.17 while, again, Mendenhall has run a 10.6. Bush ran around a 10.4. Believe what you want but the 100 meter times are a matter of record and run under similar circumstances, unlike 40 times. BTW, youre full of it, they have Mendenhall as faster than Stewart. I provided the info to give you an idea that different sites say difffernt things and also that theyre estimates...which is why they vary. If you want to criticize the sites I provided and then use them to bolster your case in making a claim that Stewart is better thats fine...thats trying to have it both ways.

[BOSSHOGG30]

Rashard Mendenhall
RB | (5'11", 225, 4.55) | ILLINOIS

Jonathan Stewart
RB | (5'11", 233, 4.5) | OREGON

10 pounds heavier and faster according to Scouts Inc

http://www.newsok.com/article/2847053/
Article written by Scott Wright stating that Stewart has 4.4 speed

http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/stories/041107aag.html
Another article written by Chris Huston

http://fresnostate.scout.com/2/678998.html
Article written by Mario Gomez also stats that Stewart ran a sub 4.4

http://rivals100.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=880&CID=285800
Rivals.com says he runs a 4.4


Guess we will have to wait till the NFL combine to see who is faster, if they both come out.

[lex]

Rashard Mendenhall
RB | (5'11", 225, 4.55) | ILLINOIS

Jonathan Stewart
RB | (5'11", 233, 4.5) | OREGON

10 pounds heavier and faster according to Scouts Inc

http://www.newsok.com/article/2847053/
Article written by Scott Wright stating that Stewart has 4.4 speed

http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/stories/041107aag.html
Another article written by Chris Huston

http://fresnostate.scout.com/2/678998.html
Article written by Mario Gomez also stats that Stewart ran a sub 4.4

http://rivals100.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=880&CID=285800
Rivals.com says he runs a 4.4


Guess we will have to wait till the NFL combine to see who is faster, if they both come out.

Like I said, theyre all estimates and the only thing thats apples to apples at this point is 100 m times.

[BOSSHOGG30]

Like I said, theyre all estimates. But the fastest 100 m time I was able to find for Stewart was an 11.17 while, again, Mendenhall has run a 10.6. Bush ran around a 10.4. Believe what you want but the 100 meter times are a matter of record and run under similar circumstances, unlike 40 times. BTW, youre full of it, they have Mendenhall as faster than Stewart. I provided the info to give you an idea that different sites say difffernt things and also that theyre estimates...which is why they vary. If you want to criticize the sites I provided and then use them to bolster your case in making a claim that Stewart is better thats fine...thats trying to have it both ways.

How about an article from the USA Today?

Running back

If the 2004 recruiting season was known as the year of the quarterback, 2005 will be remembered for its running backs.

The are nine RBs who are so close in athletic ability, size, speed and production that it is very difficult to determine who actually is the best.

In a photo finish, I'll go with Jonathan Stewart, a Bo Jackson clone from Lacey, Washington. The 5-11 220 pounder can bench press 360 pounds and run a 10.5 100 meters.


http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/recruiting/2004-08-26-lemming-top-players_x.htm

[BOSSHOGG30]

Even if they are around the same speed... Wouldn't you have to give Stewart the nod since he is bigger? It is pretty amazing who fast the kid is considering how big he is.

[BOSSHOGG30]

And Reggie Bush ran the 100 meters in 10.42 back in 2002. He ran a 4.33 forty at the combine.

[BOSSHOGG30]

Here is some interesting 100meter times for you....

Reggie Bush 10.42
Ted Ginn Jr. 10.5
James Stewart 10.5
Jamaal Charles 10.1

[Jwalk - JayCutty6Goes - CasinoRoyal]

Charles is the back i want, Other than Boyd

[EMB6903]

Have we ever had a 1st round pick running back? We always get backs later in the rounds I think that we need to spend a first round pick on a runningback. The earliest that we picked a back was Clinton Portis in the 2nd round and looked what happened with him, so imagine what can happen with a first round pick runningback, we need an elite back just look at the chargers without LT they don't have a good offense imagine what an elite back would do to our already good offense I get goosebumps our offense would be scary and or defense with a scheme they understand would step up also.

what other worthy 1st round picks are there besides Mcfadden? Im not sold on Stewart... I'd like to make a run at Jamaal charles or James Davis in the
2nd round though depending on how we make a run at free agency because we clearly have bigger needs.

[BOSSHOGG30]

If Denver wants to build a young promising offense for many years to come they should target Jamaal Charles.

Imagine:
Jay Culter
Jamaal Charles
Brandon Marshall
Tony Scheffler

WOW!

[BOSSHOGG30]

Buzzmaster: Ray will be here in a few minutes, so keep sending in your questions!

Ray Rice: Thank you everyone for joining us today. I appreciate all the support from those who are backing my decision!




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Jack: Who was your favorite RB growing up?

Ray Rice: My favorite RB was Emmitt Smith. I idolized him because he was a smaller back, and he reminded me a lot of myself. And he was a hard-nosed runner who could get in the open field.


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Bee (Providence, RI): do you think that you will be a 1st round pick because of your school stats?

Ray Rice: I have to do well at the combine. It is supply and demand in this league. So I will do what I can in the combine and see what happens from there.


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Ron (Hoboken NJ): Ray, how do you think the Rutgers offense will respond next year without you?

Ray Rice: They will be fine, they have plenty of great players there, and a lot of great backs. Coach Schiano will keep recruiting great players and the program will keep running.


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Jason (Indiana): What was your favorite part about college football?

Ray Rice: I just enjoyed every moment and winning and being part of a tesam. That was really special. Those relationships you develop with your teammates in college are very special and last forever.


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Sam (Chicago): Whic current NFL player do you feel is the most similar to your running style?

Ray Rice: Maurice Jones-Drew.


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Chris (Toronto): How did you and your teammates enjoy your trip to Toronto this past weekend?

Ray Rice: Toronto was great; and winning was even better. It is like a mini-New York City. There was plenty to do.


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Martin (New Rochelle): What makes you the most excited about joining the NFL?

Ray Rice: I dreamed of it as a kid, and now my dream is about to come true. It took a lot of hard work and dedication. I just cannot wait to be there now.


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Clint: (Tyler, Texas): Ray, congratulations on going pro. Hope you have a great career. How would you like to spend it with a star on your helmet? I would sure love to see it.

Ray Rice: Hey that's where Emmitt played so I would not mind playing in Dallas!


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SprungOnSports (Long Island): Ray, what made you come out this year and what do you think you can bring to an NFL team right away?

Ray Rice: I can bring hard work and passion to the game. The team that picks me up will see that.


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Jason (Indiana): As you maybe saw this year but the Chicago Bears need some running game help, Would you like to play in Chicago?

Ray Rice: Wherever I get picked I will be very happy.


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Ron (Hoboken NJ): Ray, Did you talk to Brian Leonard prior to making your decision?

Ray Rice: No, I did not speak with him, but he was one of the first guys who called me after I made the decision.


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Mike(Charlotte): Do you think Rutgers will be more of a passing team without you? Britt, Underwood and Brown are 3 good WR's

Ray Rice: I think they will still have a running game, because of all the great players they have. It is never good to be one dimensional. The passing game helps the running game and vice versa.


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SprungOnSports (Long Island): Ray, what do you think of the two back system that a lot of teams in the NFL employ right now?

Ray Rice: It's great. But a lot of it is based on who is productive at the time. But I think it is a great system to have.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Martin (New Rochelle): Are their any past or present players you would especially like to meet?

Ray Rice: I have not met Emmitt Smith and I would love to meet him and get some advice, and just talk some football.

Ray Rice: Thanks for having me and I look forward to hearing from you guys again throughout my NFL career!

[claymore]

Ray Rice Mix.................
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck_5prAxNVY&feature=related

[BOSSHOGG30]

There is so many good backs.... I don't know what to do... It will be a shame if Denver doesn't draft one.

[claymore]

There is so many good backs.... I don't know what to do... It will be a shame if Denver doesn't draft one.
I agree, just from your scouting alone. The thing I will say about Ray Rice is that he goes down way to easy in the secondary. I will heavily concede I do not know near as much as you or others, but Rice gets the 5-15 yard easy, but once he is touched on the second level its like he gives up.

[BOSSHOGG30]

I agree, just from your scouting alone. The thing I will say about Ray Rice is that he goes down way to easy in the secondary. I will heavily concede I do not know near as much as you or others, but Rice gets the 5-15 yard easy, but once he is touched on the second level its like he gives up.

Yeah, I don't like Rice as much as some people... He does have heart though. Another thing I don't like is the mileage he has on him, similar to Mike Hart as well.

[claymore]

Yeah, I don't like Rice as much as some people... He does have heart though. Another thing I don't like is the mileage he has on him, similar to Mike Hart as well.
I like Hart allot more. Tough, heart etc. Gets hit keeps chugging. We need to find a stud that was overshadowed by a bigger named running back. Any suggestions?

[BOSSHOGG30]

I like Hart allot more. Tough, heart etc. Gets hit keeps chugging. We need to find a stud that was overshadowed by a bigger named running back. Any suggestions?

James Davis... He had to share carries with Spiller. A lot of people like Spiller because he is the home run threat type back, but Davis is a lot like the Davis we all know here in Denver. Seriously too, good power, decent speed, tough as nails, and always falls forward.