Rashad Jennings

[PlaygroundLegend]

This guy has all the tools,

-Height: 6"2

-Weight: 235lbs

-40yd dash: 4.45

-Excellent Vision

-Great Hands!

Only downside, he comes from a small school, He has a very high ranking on Scout.com and looks to going in the 4th round of the draft.

We have to pick him before Cincy or Philly does, theyre currently looking at him, picture him next to Harrison

 

Check out this highlight video

 

It gets better as it goes

 

[PlaygroundLegend]

I think Im gonna e-mail this to Phil Savage, maybe I'll get a better response than the last guy.

[Fooleeze]

I think he got tackled a few too many times for someone playing such 'small-school' defenses.

 

 

 

 

[JewDago]

small-school guys are ok. as an RB, it's likely a plus because he hasn't taken the pounding that he would playing in a major conference.

 

i could see him going in the third, though, with a good combine, which he'll likely have.

 

it looks like he doesn't let people get big hits on him and he runs through arm tackles. i'd like to see him be either more powerful or more elusive, but he looks like a decent prospect. i know aloysius has some info on him, too.

[PlaygroundLegend]

Actually, my only critism, of th guy is that he needs to lower his pad level a bit, He runs like Purple Jesus (Adrian Peterson), if he lowers the shoulders (as he did on one play in that vid) he can really pound it.

[Guest Aloysius]

nfldraftscout compares him to Larry Johnson, projects he'll be drafted in Round 2.

 

Not sure he has 4.45 speed, though. He looks good in the clip, but he's outrunning guys from Presbyterian, not Penn State.

 

[JewDago]

the second? dammit. we've got far more pressing needs to address.

[Guest Aloysius]

the second? dammit. we've got far more pressing needs to address.

I agree. Unless we get an additional 2nd for Winslow, I'd prefer we use our Day One picks on defense (unless Alex Mack is available in Round 2).

[JewDago]

this thread reminded me of something i was thinking about yesterday: a common thread in all the new browns teams is that we've never had a stud RB. might a high-impact RB improve our entire team and, thus, be worth 2nd-round status or FA money?

[WPB Dawg Fan]

Jennings looks nice....but I like a guy who is from a bigger school and produced when asked to:

 

Marlon Lucky

Position: RB

School & Year/Status: Nebraska - Senior

Height & Weight: 6'0 - 215 lbs.

 

2009 NFL Draft Prospect Scouting Report:

person

Marlon Lucky, RB, Nebraska

Marlon Lucky has seen a lot of change during his time at Nebraska; nevertheless he has been a steadying influence on the offense. He has spent most of his career splitting carries with other backs, but the 2007 season was his time to shine. And shine he did. Lucky rushed for over 1,000 yards and reached the end zone nine times on the ground.

 

But it is not just the ground game that makes Lucky so dangerous; he is a superb pass catcher out of the backfield. During the 2007 season, he led the team with 75 receptions. Those 75 receptions resulted in 705 yards and three trips to the end zone. There are not many 215 pound backs that can be that productive in the passing game. If his senior season goes like his junior season, Lucky will end up ranking in the top five in rushing, receptions, receiving yards and all-purpose yards in Nebraska history.

 

One concern is the fact that Lucky is going from the main rusher in 2007 to sharing the load in 2008. It is not due to Lucky performing poorly, but there is too much talent in the Huskers backfield to leave on the sidelines. In the NFL, Lucky's versatility could make him fit in just about any offense out there. In this day and age of multiple running backs, having a wide bodied guy who can block, pick up the tough yards and catch passes out of the backfield is not a bad thing.

 

Check out the youtube video

 

I love the size...he is a little faster than Jennings...seems to have better cutback ability...has GREAT HANDS...and is fresh as he shared the backfield as a senior (his JR year was huge).

[PlaygroundLegend]

Wow, that lucky guy looks nice! he has VERY good hands, e was looking like a WR on a few of those plays, plus the touchdown pass he threw was nice.

 

But, he runs like Jerome Harrison and he's only and inch taller and 10lbs heavier and it doesent look like he sheds the arm tackles like my boy Jennings up there (he also looks a little.... vanilla compared to Jennings). But he looks like a possible option nonetheless

[JewDago]

gotta consider the competition, playground.

 

looks like a great receiving option out of the backfield with decent vision. like jennings, i'd like to see him either be more elusive or break more tackles. i don't think he has it in him to gain agility, but i think he can put on weight as a pro and be a power back without hurting his speed too much. another possibility.

[Guest mz.]

I've been enamored with James Davis and CJ Spiller from Clemson for awhile now, but they aren't really "in-the-rough" as it were...

 

Alo, if we're looking for a real "diamond-in-the-rough" kinda RB, look no further than Syracuse's own Curtis Brinkley.

 

Brinkley became the second running back in school history to rush for 100 yards in five straight games, and the first one to do it in a single season. Joe Morris had a five-game stretch spanning two seasons in his career, but no Syracuse back — not Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Floyd Little or Larry Csonka — ever had a streak like Brinkley's.

 

And I'm pretty sure guys like Brown, Csonka, Davis, Little, Joe Morris, etc., played on much better teams.

[Guest Aloysius]

this thread reminded me of something i was thinking about yesterday: a common thread in all the new browns teams is that we've never had a stud RB. might a high-impact RB improve our entire team and, thus, be worth 2nd-round status or FA money?

It may be. Unfortunately, last year would have been the time to do that; I count 9-10 good backs who were selected in last year's draft.

 

I don't see the same value in a Round 2 RB this year. Right now, Shonn Greene's the only one I'd be comfortable with. And even he's a little bit iffy (only started for one season).

 

Of the FA's, Derrick Ward's the one I find most intriguing, but he's only a year younger than Jamal.

[Guest Aloysius]

I'll have to check out Brinkley.

 

Actually, I first noticed my "diamond in the rough" when he was tearing through Syracuse's D, Pitt's LaRod Stephens-Howling. He's really tiny (5'7", 180), but he's a great at blitz pickup, makes a lot of tackles on specials, and his QB likes to go to him in the passing game (especially on 3rd down).

 

He's the kind of player that coaches love:

 

RB LaRod Stephens-Howling has proved to be crucial to the Pitt team in more than just running the ball as LeSean "Shady" McCoy's backup. "I cannot say enough good things about LaRod Stephens," said Coach Dave Wannstedt. "He made three special team tackles last week. He's covering kickoffs and punts. If ever there was an example of a team player, not getting caught in personal accolades and recognition, it's LaRod Stephens. I love him as a person and a player. He's probably the most underrated player in the Big East."

With a year or two bulking up on the p-squad, Howling could be our own Kevin Faulk.

[JewDago]

with a surge like that, brinkley's bound to attract attention. i like his size/weight/speed combo, though. kinda reminds me of MJD on the jags, just a little taller and not quite as fast.

 

i think both of the clemson boys have shots at being decent backs, though davis fits as a change of pace compared to harrison while spiller's a similar back.

 

@ aloysius: ward's got considerably less wear and tear on him, though. dude's got 290 career carries. jamal's easily exceeded that in every season he's played.

[Guest mz.]

With a year or two bulking up on the p-squad, Howling could be our own Kevin Faulk.

 

Howling's probably going undrafted...right? LeSean McCoy pretty much stole his gig at Pitt for the last couple of seasons, but I remember him (Howling) killing us a few seasons ago (who hasn't though, really).

 

[Guest Aloysius]

@ aloysius: ward's got considerably less wear and tear on him, though. dude's got 290 career carries. jamal's easily exceeded that in every season he's played.

True. But he's also a guy who's had Stallworth-like injury problems. Just in the past couple years, he's fractured his foot, broken his leg, and dealt with nagging ankle & groin injuries.

[JewDago]

and, again, cross another guy off the list. building an NFL team around brittle players is a recipe for having your fourth-stringers out there all the time.

 

he's been okay as the third rotational guy, but that's all he can be. we're not even rotating two right now.

[Guest Aloysius]

Howling's probably going undrafted...right? LeSean McCoy pretty much stole his gig at Pitt for the last couple of seasons, but I remember him (Howling) killing us a few seasons ago (who hasn't though, really).

 

Yeah, Howling should be a UDFA. I was watching Pitt to look at McCoy and one of their LB's (Scott McKillop), and Howling was the guy who impressed me the most.

 

On one play near the goal line, he stopped a blitzing ILB by just throwing his entire body at the guy, completely neutralizing him. It reminded me of when

, only Howling's hit was more gutsy.

 

You could tell that the coaching staff was impressed, as they gave Howling the ball on the following play.

[Guest mz.]

building an NFL team around brittle players is a recipe for having your fourth-stringers out there all the time.

 

Plus, he's (Ward's) not going to come cheap.

 

[Herman M]

We need a Wide Receiver not another RB!

 

get rid of Stallworth he is a BUST!

[PlaygroundLegend]

We need to post an official Draft Thread and have it stickeyed at the top

[JewDago]

i suggested that to WPBDawg yesterday in a PM. no response so far, tho.

[WPB Dawg Fan]

i suggested that to WPBDawg yesterday in a PM. no response so far, tho.

It's up there now

[JewDago]

awesome, dude. thanks a ton.

 

also, i stand corrected.

[Guest Aloysius]

Alo, if we're looking for a real "diamond-in-the-rough" kinda RB, look no further than Syracuse's own Curtis Brinkley.

Just watched some of the Syracuse-USF game from earlier this year, and I was really impressed by Brinkley. He seems to have great vision & looked good as a receiving option out of the backfield.

 

The major knocks against him seem to be size (5'9", 205 lbs.) and long speed (he may be a mid-4.5's guy).

 

nfldraftscout projects that he won't be drafted. If that ends up being the case, I'd love for us to bring him in as a UDFA. In many ways, he's a similar type of player to Jerome Harrison (though Harrison's a little faster & Brinkley has a tougher running style).

[Guest mz.]

At 5'9", 205 lbs. and in the 4.5's, there's no way he's getting drafted.

 

Do you remember a fellow SU RB named James Mungro? He was roughly the same size as Brinkley, and was a pretty decent #3 RB (behind James/Rhodes) and short-yardage/goal line guy for the Colts for a couple of years, despite his size. They (Brinkley and Mungro) strike me as very similar backs.

[Guest Aloysius]

Yeah, I like that comparison better than Harrison. The comparison I thought of making before Harrison was Tony Temple, but I didn't want to compare Brinkley to someone who couldn't make it onto an NFL roster.

 

From the little that I've seen, Brinkley definitely seems like the kind of guy who could carve out a Mungro-like niche for himself in the NFL.

 

If we sign LaRod Stephens-Howling or Brinkley after the draft, I'll be very pleased.

[Guest mz.]

I'm with you...there is generally value to be had with these UDFA and late-round RB's. They can generally play the 3rd RB role very, very nicely.

 

Thing is, we need a STUD as well, with Lewis being shot and Wright/Harrison (though I like Harrison as a complimentary/Sproles type) not fitting the profile.