Here is a breakdown of the Top 10 running backs available in the 2009 NFL Draft ...
1. Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
Ht: 5-10.5 Wt: 217 40-Yard: 4.59 Year: 3-So.
Scouting Report: Moreno is a terrific ball carrier who produces as a runner, pass catcher and blocker. He offers a good amount of upside for the next level, and he should quickly break into a starting lineup and then eventually develop into a top back for the team that drafts him.
Grade: First Round
2. Chris Wells, Ohio State
Ht: 6-1 Wt: 237 40-Yard: 4.52 Year: Jr.
Scouting Report: Wells is a grind-it-out runner on the inside with terrific power and ball carrying skills. He's not a breakaway threat, rather a featured back who can consistently handle the ball 25 carries per game. Wells is not a running back for every system, yet he should be and an effective featured back for a ball control offense.
Grade: First Round
3. LeSean McCoy, Pittsburgh
Ht: 5-10.5 Wt: 205 40-Yard: 4.51 Year:3-So.
Scouting Report: McCoy is a skilled ball handler with the ability to beat defenders around the outside or create his own yardage on the inside. He displays a complete game, offers a lot of upside for the next level, and he could be very productive as a rookie.
Grade: First or Second Round
4. Donald Brown, UConn
Ht: 5-10.5 Wt: 211 40-Yard: 4.50 Year: 4-Jr.
Scouting Report:Brown has been very productive in college showing steady progress and an all-around game. He can be used in a variety of systems at the next level and his versatility makes it difficult to characterize him as a specific type of ball carrier. He may start his career as a rotational running back yet could quickly grow into a teams primary ball carrier.
Grade: Second Round
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| Georgia's Knowshon Moreno |
5. Rashad Jennings, Liberty
Ht: 6-1 Wt: 231 40-Yard: 4.58 Year: 5-Sr.
Scouting Report: Jennings has been a dominant running back at Liberty and a one-man show who has been impossible to stop. He possesses the size, speed, and skill necessary to be a featured runner at the next level and is a versatile enough to line up in the backfield on passing downs. Jennings will be one of the first senior running backs drafted in April and should quickly produce for an NFL team once he becomes accustomed to this speed of the next level.
Grade: Second Round
6. Javon Ringer, Michigan State
Ht: 5-9 Wt: 205 40-Yard: 4.49 Year:Sr.
Scouting Report: Ringer has been a very productive college ball carrier who shows versatility as a pass catcher. Coming off a terrific senior campaign, he does not project as a featured runner in the NFL, yet he should find a home as a situational back for a team that shuffles skill position players.
Grade: Second or Third Round
7. Shonn Greene, Iowa
Ht: 5-10.5 Wt: 227 40-Yard: 4.59 Year:3-Jr.
Scouting Report: Greene comes off a tremendous campaign where he literally carried the Iowa offense on his shoulders. He possesses outstanding size and ball-carrying strength, yet at the same time, he shows enough playing speed to run away from defenders. Greene's game needs polish, butt he's a running back with very limited mileage on his frame and a prospect who should only get better the more he plays.
Grade:Second or Third Round
8. Andre Brown, North Carolina State
Ht: 6-0 Wt: 225 40-Yard: 4.54 Year: Sr.
Scouting Report: After a sensational freshman campaign, Brown was stamped as a potential early first round pick and featured runner for the next level. He was able to pull it all together as a senior after several injury plagued seasons then really showed off his talents in the post season. He presents himself as a complete back who can carry the ball, catch it out of the backfield, or effectively pick up blocking assignments. Brown will be productive at the next level in a system that rotates ball carriers and makes the most of his versatility.
Grade: Second or Third Round
9. Ian Johnson, Boise State
Ht: 5-11.5 Wt:212 40-Yard: 4.50 Year: 5-Sr.
Scouting Report: Johnson has been a very productive skill player the past three years, and he embraced the role of sharing ball-carrying duties as a senior, proving to NFL scouts he is also a team player. Johnson possess the physical skills to be a featured runner at the next level, and he does so many things well that he should produce as a third-down back/situational ball carrier early in his NFL career.
Grade:Second or Third Round
10. Jeremiah Johnson, Oregon
Ht: 5-9 Wt: 209 40-Yard: 4.68 Year: Sr.
Scouting Report: Johnson had a terrific senior season after moving into the starting lineup on a full-time basis. His ability to create yardage and catch the ball out of the backfield could help him latch onto a roster as a third or fourth running back.
Grade: Second or Third Round
Profiles provided by Tony Pauline, NFL Draft analyst for SI.com and owner of TFYDraft.com
