NFL Sophomore Slumps and Jumps: Running Back

Let’s face it. For better or worse, much of an NFL player’s career is colored by his rookie season. In this age of instant gratification, we want results, and we want them now.

But not everyone can come straight out of college and be a Matt Ryan or Mark Sanchez. Sometimes it takes time to learn the pro system and to adjust to the higher level of competition. The opposition is, after all, suddenly bigger, faster, and smarter than anything they’ve ever encountered on a football field.

These may be valid considerations, but we don’t want excuses. If you don’t impress as a rookie, then we’ll give our attention to the first-year players that do. Then next year, regardless of whether you’ve progressed or not, you may be lost in the shuffle as the hype cycle begins anew with the next incoming draft class.

This study is dedicated to those forgotten players, the guys who just needed a little more time to make their presence felt on the pro field.

Now, without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the sophomore slumps and jumps from the 2008 NFL draft class.

Today’s position: Running back.

Sophomore Rank No. 11: Darren McFadden (OAK)

Drafted Rank: No. 1

Rookie Rank: No. 6

Rookie Stat Line: 499 rushing yards, four touchdowns, 4.4 YPC; 29 catches, 285 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 456 rushing yards, three touchdowns, 3.1 YPC; 22 catches, 166 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns.

Commentary: There’s still an aura of expectancy in Oakland regarding “Run DMC.” Everyone remembers his stellar college career, so it’s easy to give him a pass despite the fact that he’s clearly failed to live up to expectations in the pros thus far.

The way I see it, there are two things standing in the way of his becoming a consistent thousand-yard back in this league: injuries and JaMarcus Russell. That being said, even if teams are stacking the line to stop you, a paltry 3.1 yards-per-carry average isn’t going to cut it at any level.

Sophomore Status: Slump

Sophomore Rank No. 10: Felix Jones (DAL)

Drafted Rank: No. 3

Rookie Rank: No. 10

Rookie Stat Line: 266 rushing yards, three touchdowns, 8.9 YPC; two catches, 10 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 663 rushing yards, nine touchdowns, 10.1 YPC; three catches, 63 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns.

Commentary: McFadden’s old Arkansas buddy has found himself in a similar predicament at the pro level. Although he’s already proven to be one of the game’s most explosive backs, the “Cat” has to find a way to stay on the field, as injuries have limited him considerably in both seasons.

Yet, as evidenced by his insane yards-per-carry average, if he’s ever able to stay healthy for a full season, he could put up some unbelievable numbers.

Sophomore Status: Jump

Sophomore Rank No. 9: Jonathan Stewart (CAR)

Drafted Rank: No. 2

Rookie Rank: No. 5

Rookie Stat Line: 836 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns, 4.5 YPC; eight catches, 47 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 552 rushing yards, four touchdowns, 4.2 YPC; 32 catches, 276 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns.

Commentary: The former Duck had a strong rookie season behind the suddenly resurgent DeAngelo Williams, but his contribution has been limited by injuries this year. On the plus side, he’s become a much more viable receiving option out of the backfield than he was a season ago (where he was hardly used at all).

Sophomore Status: Slump

Sophomore Rank No. 8: Tashard Choice (DAL)

Drafted Rank: No. 10

Rookie Rank: No. 8

Rookie Stat Line: 472 rushing yards, two touchdowns, 5.1 YPC; 21 catches, 185 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 703 rushing yards, six touchdowns, 5.1 YPC; 38 catches, 288 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns.

Commentary: Why does it seem like Choice is the only back who can stay healthy in Big D? For two straight seasons, the Georgia Tech alum has started out third on the depth chart—only to eventually be thrust into the starting position due to injuries to both Marion Barber and Felix Jones.

Fortunately for Cowboys fans, Choice has consistently looked every bit as good as his more hyped counterparts.

Sophomore Status: Jump

Sophomore Rank No. 7: Rashard Mendenhall (PIT)

Drafted Rank: No. 4

Rookie Rank: No. 11

Rookie Stat Line: 58 rushing yards, 0 touchdowns, 3.1 YPC; two catches, 17 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 897 rushing yards, nine touchdowns, 5.6 YPC; 16 catches, 172 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns.

Commentary: After having easily the most disappointing rookie season of this bunch, the former Illini looks poised to have a terrific comeback year. With Willie Parker struggling through injuries, Mendenhall has seized the starting reins with a couple of breakout games in the last few weeks.

The job should be his to lose going forward, and it would come as no surprise if he goes on to rush for over a thousand yards this season.

Sophomore Status: Jump

Sophomore Rank No. 6: Steve Slaton (HOU)

Drafted Rank: No. 9

Rookie Rank: No. 2

Rookie Stat Line: 1,282 rushing yards, nine touchdowns, 4.8 YPC; 50 catches, 377 receiving yards, one touchdown.

Sophomore Projection: 722 rushing yards, three touchdowns, 3.2 YPC; 53 catches, 563 receiving yards, three touchdowns.

Commentary: Last year, Slaton defied expectations and had a breakout rookie year in Houston by rushing for over a thousand yards. This year, however, he seems to be hitting the holes with a little less burst. It’s unclear what has caused this regression, but the team has taken on an even more pass-friendly approach as a result.

If the Texans are going to have any kind of shot at finally making the playoffs this year, they’ll need Slaton to come out of his funk and produce better than his current 3.2 yards-per-carry average.

Sophomore Status: Slump

Sophomore Rank No. 5: Tim Hightower (ARZ)

Drafted Rank: No. 11

Rookie Rank: No. 9

Rookie Stat Line: 399 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns, 2.8 YPC; 34 catches, 237 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 504 rushing yards, eight touchdowns, 3.3 YPC; 100 catches, 808 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns.

Commentary: Going into this season, no one would have guessed that Hightower’s yard-per-carry average would be higher than that of both Darren McFadden and Steve Slaton. That being said, a 3.3 average isn’t exactly a great accomplishment.

So why is the former Spider ranked so high on this list? Because he’s currently on pace to make 100 catches this season, which would be just one short of Larry Centers' record for a running back. Needless to say, it looks like Hightower is carving out a niche for himself in Arizona.

Sophomore Status: Jump

Sophomore Rank No. 4: Kevin Smith (DET)

Drafted Rank: No. 8

Rookie Rank: No. 4

Rookie Stat Line: 976 rushing yards, eight touchdowns, 4.1 YPC; 39 catches, 286 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 897 rushing yards, six touchdowns, 3.1 YPC; 59 catches, 447 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns.

Commentary: Much like Stewart and Hightower, Smith has been used a lot more in his team’s passing game this season than he was as a rookie. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that Smith is on pace to decline in just about every rushing category. The biggest cause for alarm is his awful 3.1 yards-per-carry average that (I feel obligated to point out) is also less than Hightower’s. Ouch.

Sophomore Status: Even

Sophomore Rank No. 3: Matt Forte (CHI)

Drafted Rank: No. 6

Rookie Rank: No. 1

Rookie Stat Line: 1,238 rushing yards, eight touchdowns, 3.9 YPC; 63 catches, 477 receiving yards, four touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 1,084 rushing yards, four touchdowns, 3.8 YPC; 52 catches, 368 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns.

Commentary: It’s hard to fault a guy who is on pace to break a thousand yards for the second time in his two-year career, but it’s also hard to ignore the fact that his numbers are down across the board.

With the acquisition of Jay Cutler, it makes sense that Forte would be asked to carry less of the offensive load, but the surprising statistic is that he’s even being used less in the receiving game. Perhaps this can be attributed to the fact that Cutler is able to spread the ball around more down the field than Kyle Orton was.

Sophomore Status: Slump

Sophomore Rank No. 2: Ray Rice (BAL)

Drafted Rank: No. 7

Rookie Rank: No. 7

Rookie Stat Line: 454 rushing yards, 0 touchdowns, 4.2 YPC; 33 catches, 273 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns.

Sophomore Projection: 1,138 rushing yards, three touchdowns, 5.8 YPC; 72 catches, 650 receiving yards, three touchdowns.

Commentary: The former Scarlet Knight has thrived in his increased role this season. As dangerous as he is as a rushing threat, he’s every bit as dangerous as a receiver out of the backfield.

Entering the season, the Ravens’ running game figured to be a three-headed monster with Willis McGahee, Le’Ron McClain, and Rice splitting carries, but it’s become increasingly clear that Rice is just too good to keep off the field. He’s currently on pace for nearly 2,000 total yards this season.

Sophomore Status: Jump

Sophomore Rank No. 1: Chris Johnson (TEN)

Drafted Rank: No. 5

Rookie Rank: No. 3

Rookie Stat Line: 1,228 rushing yards, nine touchdowns, 4.9 YPC; 43 catches, 260 receiving yards, one touchdown.

Sophomore Projection: 1,463 rushing yards, six touchdowns, 6.0 YPC; 50 catches, 394 receiving yards, three touchdowns.

Commentary: The former ECU Pirate has followed up his breakout rookie year with an even more impressive encore performance. Currently trailing only Adrian Peterson and Cedric Benson in total rushing yards on the season, Johnson is a legit threat to take it to the house every time he touches the football.

Despite the Titans’ early struggles this year, look for Johnson to continue to make SportsCenter-caliber highlights throughout the rest of the season.

Sophomore Status: Jump

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