Don't Overlook Knowshon Moreno, the Other Dawg in NFL Draft

While our star quarterback is garnering all the attention and is currently sitting pretty at the No. 1 spot in Mel Kiper Jr.’s mock draft, it would be rather unwise to overlook the fellow from New Jersey.

Knowshon burst onto the scene during the 2007 season, replacing the graduated Danny Ware and Kregg Lumpkin and complementing returning tailback Thomas Brown, now an Atlanta Falcon. He immediately electrified with his breakout runs and impressed mightily with his determination. As the season went on, he got more carries and then used those to justify even more rushes.

He was certainly the star of the team that smashed Hawaii in the 2008 Sugar Bowl: Though just a redshirt freshman, he finished with 1,334 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns on the season. During the 2008 regular season, though the collective eye focused on Stafford, Moreno managed to improve upon those numbers (1,400 rushing yards, 16 TDs), despite carrying the ball just two more times than in 2007.

But that is Knowshon’s past. Now that he has decided to forego his remaining two years of eligibility at Georgia, the question now is how his skills translate to the NFL. Quick answer: Darn well.

Not to toot the SEC’s horn unnecessarily, but by playing at Georgia, Moreno has been competing against some truly tough defenses already. One could certainly argue that recent Florida and LSU teams played as well on that side of ball as many pro clubs. He’s already proven himself against many current and future NFLers simply by being on the Bulldog team: He’s conquered Quentin Groves of the Jacksonville Jaguars (then with Auburn) and Michael Johnson of Georgia Tech (expected to go in the first round this year).

The running style that Moreno typically used—a smash-mouth, between-the-tackles charge—allowed him to prove that he has the necessary power and drive to be a long-term backfield contributor. But the fact that he ran almost exclusively that way tempts some to sell him short on his reverse-running skills and the like.

Well, let me tell you something: Knowshon has all the quickness, open-field speed, and fancy moves (I know you saw him hurdle a defensive back in the Georgia-Central Michigan matchup) to get the ball downfield any way his coach sees fit.

The only thing I see holding Moreno back from being a star running back in the league is his size. His listed height of 5’11” is an exaggeration, though his 208 pounds of muscle is not. Think Maurice Jones-Drew, with an inch or so. I worry that a team might use him as a specialist, which would deny his outstanding motor and unbelievable heart, preventing him from having any more Herculean (or is that Herschel-ean?) efforts as he did in so many of his college games.

But size is not always that great of a setback for rushers; just look at LaDainian Tomlinson. In general, the future looks great for Knowshon (though I might not place him as high as Kiper has) at 16th overall to the San Diego Chargers. The Chicago Bears, picking 18th, should definitely give him a look, and he won’t slip past the Detroit Lions, who might just get both dawgs with the first and 20th picks.