2012 Senior Bowl: What Draft Experts Are Saying on Doug Martin and Other RBs

The race to unscramble the running back class behind Alabama's Trent Richardson was on display this week at the 2012 Senior Bowl, and several running backs, including Boise State's Doug Martin, made their claim to be among the top backs off the board. 

Let's take a look at how draft experts from Sports Illustrated, Sporting News, National Football Post and Pro Football Weekly weighed in on Martin and several other running back prospects in Mobile, Ala.

Doug Martin, Boise State

From Tony Pauline of Sports Illustrated:

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RB Doug Martin of Boise State continues to impress scouts with his versatility. Beside displaying a variety of skils [sic] carrying the ball he looked good returning kicks during special teams practice.

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Also from Pauline:

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RB Doug Martin of Boise State has looked terrific thus far. He runs with great quickness and shows a burst through the hole. Martin is also very patient and does a nice job side-stepping defenders to create yardage.

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From Wes Bunting of National Football Post:

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[Martin] showcased a good first step; natural forward lean and can quickly decipher information at the line of scrimmage and change directions. He’s a fluid kid with a thick build and his initial quickness really stood out for a back his size. Looks like a future starting caliber running back at the next level. 

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From Pro Football Weekly:

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Boise State RB Doug Martin again showed a great burst, htiting [sic] the holes hard.

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Chris Polk, Washington

From Pauline of Sports Illustrated:

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RB Chris Polk of Washington display terrific straigh [sic] ahead speed and power yet shows little in the way of creativity or the ability to elude defenders.

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From Bunting (Tuesday):

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[Polk] hasn’t been real impressive up to this point. He doesn’t display much of a first step, there is no real explosive quality to his game and he struggled in pass protection. Overall, he doesn’t look like a top three running back prospect to me in the class.

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From Michael Schottey:

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I've written and tweeted nothing but nice things about Chris Polk (RB Washington), but he's having a tough week in Mobile. A lot of us expected him to weigh-in and be one of the more chiseled physiques, he wasn't. A lot expected him to dominate these practices, and he hasn't. 

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Chris Rainey, Florida

From Pauline (Tuesday): 

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RB Chris Rainey of Florida has shown impressive downfield speed and hands in receiver drills. He just beat former Gator teammate Janoris Jenkins for a long gainer on two separate instances.

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From Bunting of National Football Post:

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[Rainey] looks like the most explosive skill guy down here. He’s run by opposing corners a number of times this week and has a “plus” natural burst to his game. Now, he is a bit inconsistent catching the football and is a developing route runner. However, this is a guy who can make plays with the football in space and certainly warrants a draft pick as a potential dynamic sub-package option.

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From Pro Football Weekly:

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Florida's Chris Rainey caught my eye throughout the South's practice — how could he not, considering his blazing speed? Rainey had great cuts on his routes in the running backs vs. linebackers drill and then lined up in the slot later on in 7-on-7 drills. Rainey also caught a long pass down the sideline, which was one of the longest plays of the day. Rainey could get some looks as a change-of-pace back, especially if he keeps having success as a receiver.

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Dan Herron, Ohio State

From Pauline:

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RB Dan Herron of Ohio State showed surprising foot quickness today. After being stuffed on the inside for a few handoffs, Herron suddenly displayed the ability to bounce around the outside and avoid defenders and piles.

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Isaiah Pead, Cincinnati 

From Pauline:

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Isaiah Pead, the running back from Cincinnati, has been returning punts for the North this morning and doing a good job. Several scouts have commented that Pead's quickness and short burst of speed are the skills needed for a punt returner in the NFL. Something else to keep an eye on Saturday. 

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Lennon Creer, Louisiana Tech

From Russ Lande of Sporting News:

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After a good week at the East-West Shrine game, Creer was brought in to replace injured Clemson fullback Chad Diehl. He showed a great burst and can get to the edge. He has a good wiggle with solid lateral agility and has shown that he is not afraid to initiate contact. During 7-on-7 drills, he looked natural as a receiver as he ran crisp routes and got upfield quickly after the catch.

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Terrance Ganaway, Baylor

From Lande (Tuesday):

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Despite having a big physique, Ganaway struggled to distinguish himself athletically. He didn’t show any burst or acceleration and also lacked the vision to find the cutback lane. He also does not lower his shoulders before contact to make himself more difficult to tackle.

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