NFL Draft Projections: Toby Gerhart...Hey Scouts, Remember, He's Good!

Sometimes I wonder if NFL teams are better off not going through the combines and all the analyzing of the prospects they are scouting to draft. At times, a clear football player can be made out to look like he's never been a good player at all, and Stanford running back Toby Gerhart seems like this year's victim of the system.

Early this week I heard rumors that Gerhart would be considered as being more of a full back in the NFL than a running back if his forty time was around 4.6 or lower at the combine.

Then today I see that teams are already holding his injury history (mainly his torn ACL from 2007) against him, and that his value will drop because of this.

Some even cite that because the guy played baseball (played in the outfield) at Stanford, that also builds on his wear and tear. As far as I can freaking remember, Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders never had problems doing both at the pro level, and now suddenly it's a problem for Gerhart in college?

With all the poking and prodding that NFL scouts do in today’s game, it’s clear that some players will never live up to the standards on paper. Yet, at the same time, they continue to produce on the football field.

Success In 2010

As much as I like Gerhart, I’m not so sure he’s the type of player that will last as a strong runner for the next 10 years. On the other hand, many running backs aren’t like that and especially power running backs like Gerhart.

If the press doesn’t go crazy with ripping this running back for minor imperfections, Gerhart should be selected in the second round of the draft.

At that selection, he would make for a clear runner to help a team right away and could make for a perfect fit in an organization like Houston or San Diego. Both those teams need a player like Gerhart that is ready to start right now and take the load every week.

This tailback could be the best rookie fantasy football running back if he is, in fact, allowed to carry the football regularly.

NFL fantasy football player rankings writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com