2008 Draft Running Backs

If you were the Steeler GM and all these running backs were still available would you still take Mendenhall? I probably take Chris Johnson IMO


Darren McFadden
Johnathan Stewart
Felix Jones
Rashad Mendanhall
Chris Johnson

2nd round

Overall Matt Forte
Overall Ray Rice...

 

Re: 2008 Draft Running Backs revisited

I was hoping for Ray Rice, but I like Stewart too.

 

Re: 2008 Draft Running Backs revisited

Are "do overs" allowed? Even up for Rice if they are.

 

Darren McFadden was gone at #4, he wouldn't have been there. Jonathan Stewart was gone at #13, Felix Jones was gone at 22, we picked 23rd, so the question is ridiculous.

So the question is really, Mendenhall, Johnson, Forte or Rice?

I still likely would have picked Mendenhall. All those other guys came from tiny schools, and I'd suspect it's much harder to evaluate their talent levels when they have only played against inferior competition.

 

Well if we want we can have a do over in a year when many of these guys become UFAs. Stewart is who I wanted at the time based on style of running. That being said, at this point, I am not sure it matters. We don't have an identity running the ball. That isn't to say we don't turn and hand if off any more, only that we don't do it for any purpose. We do it only to "keep teams honest" so we can throw the ball down the field, which is what we really want to do. Of course when we throw it down the field we go empty backfield and don't take advantage of play action. We don't run the ball with the purpose of controlling the game. We don't keep going to the well until they prove they can stop it. It is just something we do, not something we feel like we should do. At that point, we might as well hand off to Redman, Clay, Spann, or Moore as Mendenhall because at least they would be cheap. We basically have 2 running plays don't we. Tell me I'm wrong, and give me examples. We pull LG to the hole and run right probably about 85% of the time. We pull RG to the hole and run left the rest, and then we get yardage from Ben. What else do we run? Someone please prove I'm wrong.

 

Don't forget Jamaal Charles, who missed this year with a knee injury. I'd take him over Johnson any day and possibly Rice.

The question is, would any of those guys be more successful than Mendenhall if we'd drafted one of them instead? I doubt it. Everyone agrees that Mendenhall has all the talent he needs but it just isn't resulting in the yards that it should "for some reason." I think that reason is the Steelers' philosophy and blocking.

 

Ray Rice is a beast and would have been perfect in Black and Gold.

It's a no brainer.

The funny thing is, if we had selected ANYONE else at pick #1-23, then we very well might have picked Ray Rice with our 2nd round pick instead of Limas Sweed. Running back was arguably a bigger need position.

Maybe we should have gone CB (Flowers or Cason) and come back with Rice in the 2nd round? That might have been interesting.

That's re-writing history though. I remember being very happy with our day-1 draft that night and thought Mendenhall and Sweed were going to be very good Steelers in our system. Didn't quite work out that way.

 

If I were the Steeler GM here's what I'd tell you.

Darren McFadden - not in the playoffs
Johnathan Stewart - not in the playoffs
Felix Jones - not in the playoffs
Rashard Mendenhall - in the playoffs
Chris Johnson - not in the playoffs

2nd round

Overall Matt Forte - not in the playoffs
Overall Ray Rice - in the playoffs and if he were here we'd be not running the football with Ray Rice instead of Rashard Mendenhall

 

There was no one else to select. It was still a good pick.

 

Bingo. Rice is the center of their offense. If they'd somehow gotten Mendenhall, he'd be the star and Rice would be the talented one that underproduces.

My gosh, half of Rice's whole thing is what a good receiver and pass protector he is. Mendenhall is also excellent at those parts of the game, we just never get to see it.

 

McFadden is the best player on that list. I think he's in a class with Adrian Peterson and Arian Foster that nobody else is in. Possibly put McCoy there. I think DeMarco Murray has a chance to be in that class.
Rice and Forte are in the next, very good class. Last year Mendenhall looked like he had a chance to be at this level. When I saw him play last year at times I thought "really talented." Mostly this year I just thought "ordinary." I feel he was underused as a receiver.
Chris Johnson looks to me like he runs scared now. Not sure what happened there.
I'm not sure what happened to Jonathan Stewart this year, but I every time I saw a Carolina back make a play it was DeAngelo Williams.
Felix Jones is just a bum.

 

I feel very confident that if we would have taken any other back that was still on the board in that draft, they would be not as productive in our system as they are at their current team, and Mendenhall would be much more productive elsewhere. There would probably be posts like this one with people wishing we would have picked Mendenhall vice whoever we had picked.

 

this x10

 

I guess chris johnson wouldnt have been too bad of a pick

 

No one willing to show that we run more than 2 different running plays with any regularity?

 

One thing we have to realize is that Mendenhall is as good as he is ever going to get.

 

this is dumb ALOT of players get better! im sure Rams fans said the same thing bout Bettis he is never going to get better he is done ect ect