Why The Giants Will Not Take a Running Back in the First Round

[Allstarjim]

The only thing I will say about this is that I don't have a problem going in another direction at 32, but I do think RB is a huge need on this team and we have to get a good one in this draft or find someone that can be a patch in free agency at the position for 2012. Someone like a Tim Hightower or Maurice Morris.

 

If no RB is taken in round 1, I'd really like the Giants to get Isaiah Pead at the end of the 2nd. I think by the end of the third round you are picking at the scraps of the position. But like you said, Bleedin', Cyrus Gray does have some strong attributes and he would be a candidate around that spot. For me the biggest drop-off in talent at RB happens after Pead and Chris Polk are taken, though.

 

My rankings on the RBs:

 

Doug Martin

Trent Richardson

David Wilson

Lamar Miller

Isaiah Pead

Chris Polk

 

Then the rest of the field. You might put LaMichael James at the end of that list but he's not going to be much of a blocker at all and is unlikely to be a 3 down RB in the NFL.

[Herc]

i agree that we need a rb. i am not a big fan of ware at all. i was hoping for bush or tolbert but i will gladly take a rb with a mid or late round pick.

 

i think the fact that the giants dont want to give a tolbert the 4 years 8 mil he got from carolina is pretty indicative of how they view spending a 1st round pick on a rb these days. but that's just how i interpret it.

[Treehugger]

The only thing I will say about this is that I don't have a problem going in another direction at 32, but I do think RB is a huge need on this team and we have to get a good one in this draft or find someone that can be a patch in free agency at the position for 2012. Someone like a Tim Hightower or Maurice Morris.

 

If no RB is taken in round 1, I'd really like the Giants to get Isaiah Pead at the end of the 2nd. I think by the end of the third round you are picking at the scraps of the position. But like you said, Bleedin', Cyrus Gray does have some strong attributes and he would be a candidate around that spot. For me the biggest drop-off in talent at RB happens after Pead and Chris Polk are taken, though.

 

My rankings on the RBs:

 

Doug Martin

Trent Richardson

David Wilson

Lamar Miller

Isaiah Pead

Chris Polk

 

Then the rest of the field. You might put LaMichael James at the end of that list but he's not going to be much of a blocker at all and is unlikely to be a 3 down RB in the NFL.

 

You don't think Richardson is the "game-changing" top-5 RB everyone else has already inked him in as?

[CrazedDogs]

You don't think Richardson is the "game-changing" top-5 RB everyone else has already inked him in as?

 

I think he has Lawrence Phillips written all over him.

[Allstarjim]

You don't think Richardson is the "game-changing" top-5 RB everyone else has already inked him in as?

 

I think Richardson at 4 is a major reach. I think he will be taken by the Browns, though, regardless.

 

I think Richardson is a chain mover, will be a good player, but not a guy that is anything close to Adrian Peterson, which is who he is being compared to. I don't see it at all. You look at the runs that AP has and you don't see that at Alabama.

 

Richardson is a physical back, ran behind an enormous O-line. I think he compares to very good RB's in the NFL such as Rashard Mendenhall and Michael Turner. But Adrian Peterson he is not. I think Doug Martin is going to be a better player because I believe Martin has a touch more explosiveness/somewhat more of a homerun threat, and has a touch more receiving ability, while being very close to Richardson in terms of being able to break some tackles and stay in and pass protect.

 

I remember last year another RB that was touted as the class of the draft at RB and a team that traded up to get him, another RB from Alabama... Mark Ingram. Last year I said I thought Ingram was behind four or five other RB's. My favorite was Mikel Leshoure and I had Ryan Williams and Demarco Murray ahead of him, too. In particular, I was blown away by Murray and wanted him bad in the 3rd round to get to the Giants. We didn't get to see anything from Leshoure and Williams in year 1 but Murray looked like he was the game changing running back I thought he was, and Ingram failed to stand out among New Orleans' other RB's among Sproles and Pierre Thomas.

 

I do think Richardson is a better prospect than Ingram, but I think Richardson should be going at the back end of the first or early second, around where Doug Martin is.

 

In the beginning of this process I liked Miller, then Wilson ahead of everyone. As I've done a lot more research I have it as Doug Martin, then Richardson, then Wilson and Miller, who are very, very close together.

 

I am tempted to put Miller ahead of Wilson simply because of the history of Miami RB's in the NFL... Frank Gore, Willis McGahee, Clinton Portis, Edgerrin James. But in the end, I think you have to evaluate them individually, and Wilson was more consistent, production-wise, than Miller. But I do think Miller's best football is ahead of him and he may have the higher ceiling than Wilson.

[BlueInCanada]

Nope.avi

[Storm]

 

We will MOST DEFINITELY be picking the 10th best offensive lineman on the board over a top 3 running back!

 

[BleedinBlue]

I stand corrected - WE WILL TAKE A RB IN THE FIRST ROUND.

 

I am shocked and I am admitting that I was really, really wrong.......

[Chuck Wagon]

I stand corrected - WE WILL TAKE A RB IN THE FIRST ROUND.

 

I am shocked and I am admitting that I was really, really wrong.......

 

Bleeding.....you did make a very good case though....was this Need or Best Player available....I thought for sure they'd talke that Stanford TE.

 

C.W agon

[BIGBLUE01]

I see RB, TE, WR, or DE. You won't see a lineman picked first. If you do, I'll admit defeat.

 

Winna winna chicken dinna!!!!

[BleedinBlue]

Bleeding.....you did make a very good case though....was this Need or Best Player available....I thought for sure they'd talke that Stanford TE.

 

C.W agon

 

I think it was a little of both. The Giants apparantly had him rated very high on their board and RB is definitely also a need.

 

I'm really surprised at the pick though. I actually believed my own propaganda!

 

Just like every year, I start out disappointed then start to warm up to the pick as time goes on. I've been reading everything I can get my hands on about this guy and two things really stick out to me. First, he had 1324 yds (with an average of 22 yds) returning kick offs and punt returns so he fills a needs on special teams and apparantly is "electric" in the open field in the return game. I like that a lot. Secondly, he apparantly has great hands and will be able to catch the ball on screen plays to bail out Eli if the line breaks down.

 

And he's only 20 years old so he has a lot of miles left on the chassis and will bulk up some once the Giants put him on a conditioning program.

 

edit: Oh yeah....and he had over 1700 yds rushing last year which is insane

[Lughead]

I think it was a little of both. The Giants apparantly had him rated very high on their board and RB is definitely also a need.

 

I'm really surprised at the pick though. I actually believed my own propaganda!

 

Just like every year, I start out disappointed then start to warm up to the pick as time goes on. I've been reading everything I can get my hands on about this guy and two things really stick out to me. First, he had 1324 yds (with an average of 22 yds) returning kick offs and punt returns so he fills a needs on special teams and apparantly is "electric" in the open field in the return game. I like that a lot. Secondly, he apparantly has great hands and will be able to catch the ball on screen plays to bail out Eli if the line breaks down.

 

And he's only 20 years old so he has a lot of miles left on the chassis and will bulk up some once the Giants put him on a conditioning program.

 

edit: Oh yeah....and he had over 1700 yds rushing last year which is insane

How do we add all of that into the "Mathamatical equation"?

[BleedinBlue]

How do we add all of that into the "Mathamatical equation"?

I'm not sure how math can deduce real potential. The biggest mystery is "heart" and "football brain".....and you can't put a number on that.

 

I was reading TC's and Reese's comments about him and they like those two immeasurables.

 

TC:

 

"This young man was attractive to us for many reasons. Obviously his speed, you have a 4.4 running back. You have a guy who’s the ACC Player of the Year, 1700 yards rushing, kickoff returns for a career over a thousand yards, 1300-plus yards, caught the ball out of the backfield. Needs some work in some of the other areas. You know, pass protection and that kind of thing, as do a lot of these young guys. And also the question comes up about ball security and we’ll remind him of that right away. But I think every team has done that with him and he’s very, very much aware of that. He has great energy when you speak to him. He is knowledgeable. He presents himself very, very well. You’re probably well aware of that. But he’s the kind of guy that we felt would add very much to our present situation in terms of the big play potential. He’s one of the guys that has the speed and maneuverability to make the big play and that’s what was very important to us at this time. We were fortunate in that the players that we had set aside were all of need, need positions, and this guy was the highest rated."

 

Reese:

 

"Terrific football player. This guy loves to play football. We like all of that stuff about him. He’s fast. He’s productive. He can do anything you want him to do. He can catch the ball. He can return kicks. I think he was overall ACC Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year there. He’s an early-out junior. Terrific football player. He’s a good piece to put in our running back stable along with some of the other backs that we have and we’re happy to have a player of his caliber.

 

Q: Is it fair to say he was the second running back on your board?

A: I think it’s probably pretty fair to say that.

 

Q: Will Ahmad Bradshaw’s role change to that of a bigger back with this guy?

A: This kid’s a hard-nosed player. He can run inside. He can run outside. I don’t think Ahmad’s role is going to change. He’s going to be our lead dog and again, this guy is going to be a nice piece in our running back stable. It’s up to the coaches how they want to use him.

 

Q: You haven’t picked a running back this high in a while.

A: The only reason that hasn’t happened is because there hasn’t been a running back at the time [that was] the highest player on our board. We’re not afraid to pick a running back high. We’ll pick any player high that’s the highest player on our board. It just hasn’t happened that way. It’s been other players at that spot.

 

Q: Seems like a colorful guy.

A: He’s an enthusiastic player. The guy loves to play football. He’s going to bring a lot of personality. You guys will like him. He’s wound tight."

 

Marc Ross (Giants Dir. of Scouting):

 

Q: An easy pick?

A: Yeah, very. Very easy.

 

Q: Why?

A: In the draft there are certain players that you evaluate when you go through the process that despite differences on what you think his speed or toughness or this and that is, you come away at the end of your report saying this guy’s a good football player. There are only a handful of those guys in the draft every year and in our meeting this was one of those players where everybody, despite what you may have thought, came away at the end of the report and said this guy’s a good football player. That’s very intriguing.

 

Q: At what point did you say, ‘If he’s there, we need to pick him.’

A: When the reports come in in the fall about the guy and the grades are coming and then once we start meeting and then everything merges together and we start stacking the board, then it becomes more clear about the pecking order between all of the positions about who is going to go higher and how you like them.

 

Q: He’ll be an elite running back in the NFL?

A: I think so, yeah. I think so. He’s done it [at Virginia Tech]. Every game he’s [putting up] 100 yards. He is their offense and I think he can do the same thing here.

 

Q: In terms of off-the-field, what type of reports did you get?

A: Tremendous. Tremendous. ‘The best I’ve ever coached’ kind of reports. ‘Best worker in here.’ ‘Pound for pound strongest.’ ‘Loves the game.’ When you get those types of accolades from coaches, trainers, equipment people, whoever deals with the kid, and blend it together with a great football player you can’t go wrong.

 

So....math aside, the kid sounds like he has those intangibles - the heart and football sense - that make a good football player. Some of the things I was reading about other players I liked (J. Martin, Stephen Hill, Fleener, etc.) sometimes questioned their heart and sometimes took plays off or tried to "finesse" plays at times. There is no room for finesse in football. You have to get down and dirty and punish your opponent for trying to stop you or beat you.

[Lughead]

If you go read the "Welcome" thread then you will see why ask such a question.

[Nas]

The one thing that struck me about this guy is his speed... how his legs are always moving... It seems every clip I saw of him the tape was rolling at fast-forward... No one compares to Barry Sanders but this guy is faster and has those shifty moves. I cursed the Bucs when the picked Martin but hey... football is a team sport and a RB is mainly as good as the guys blocking for him. I do think NE had the best draft ever... they got potential game changers in both picks.

[Lughead]

The one thing that struck me about this guy is his speed... how his legs are always moving... It seems every clip I saw of him the tape was rolling at fast-forward... No one compares to Barry Sanders but this guy is faster and has those shifty moves. I cursed the Bucs when the picked Martin but hey... football is a team sport and a RB is mainly as good as the guys blocking for him. I do think NE had the best draft ever... they got potential game changers in both picks.

I didnt want to be the guy to state that about the Sanders/ Wilson comparison lastnight Nas so ita all on you now, ......... man he does have moves mid stride and he knows how to make tacklers miss with little body movements.

[Nas]

Haha... Bleedin (sorry couldn't resist)

 

[BleedinBlue]

Haha... Bleedin (sorry couldn't resist)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCrqy5S-H_A

 

Okay....you got me....I needed a good laugh and that got me one!

 

I couldn't have been more wrong about the Giants taking a RB in the 1st. I was convinced I was spot on. But I was spot off!

 

My lunch break is over and I have to go back to work and all I want to do is talk football. Oh well....I'll be back tonight and can't wait for the next round.

[Storm]

Winna winna chicken dinna!!!!

 

 

If they got TE in the second, I will be stoked