2011 NFL Draft: Ranking the Top 5 Running Backs With Their NFL Counterpart
In football, it seems like the most glorified position is running back. Despite being easily replaced, once a team finds a good running back, they will soon become one of the most important players on the team.
There's no explanation to why running backs are so loved. It just comes down to how exciting it is to see running backs dominant opposing defenses by using their arsenal of jukes, spins, stiff arms and just straight up power.
While this year's draft doesn't seem to have a clear front runner amongst the running backs, it still is a great class.
A few notable names coming out for this year's draft include Mark Ingram, Kendall Hunter, Jacquizz Rodgers and Mikel Leshoure. A very impressive class indeed.
In this article, I will be ranking the top five running backs that are in this upcoming draft while comparing them to their NFL counterpart. Let's get started, shall we?
1. Mark Ingram: Alabama
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I don't think there's any question here. Alabama's Mark Ingram has proven himself to be the best running back in the nation.
Ingram's career started off to an early start when he rushed for over 700 yards as a freshman while playing behind Glen Coffee. When he was handed the limelight, he took advantage and never looked back.
As a sophomore, Ingram was one of the most explosive players in all of college football as he rushed for almost 1660 yards and 17 touchdowns, all while leading the Crimson Tide to the National Championship, past teams such as Texas and Florida.
Not only did he win the Offensive MVP in the National Championship, his success led him to win the Heisman Award, becoming the third ever sophomore to win the award.
Ingram was injured early in his junior year, but came back with a vengeance by rushing for over 300 yards in his first two games back. He ended the season with 875 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Ingram is an all-around great player. While he doesn't have blazing speed, he has enough to make defenders miss. If he's incapable of making defenders miss, he has the brute strength to push defenders off without a problem. He has amazing lower body strength and requires more than one defender to bring him down.
He also adds another dimension by providing quarterbacks with a safety valve in the passing game. He has good hands, can find the weaknesses in the pass defense and is capable of breaking it off for a touchdown every time he catches the ball.
Mark Ingram Comparison: Thomas Jones
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Thomas Jones and Mark Ingram are eerily similar players. Both are 5'10" and their weight are within three pounds of each other.
However, that isn't the only similarity they have. Neither player has outstanding speed, but both players have great lower body power that requires more than one tackler to bring down. They aren't home run players, but consistent runners that teams can rely on to tire out the defense.
In addition to their power running game, both are capable of catching the ball when coming out the backfield. Ingram averaged about over 220 receiving yards per year, while Thomas Jones averaged about 180 receiving yards per year.
They are both also successful in protecting the ball. While Jones has coughed up the ball a lot more than Ingram, he never gave up the rock more than three times in a season. Seeing Ingram fumble the ball, however, is as likely as seeing the Lions and Bills play in the Superbowl.
In his career, Jones has rushed for over 10,000 yards, 68 rushing touchdowns and nearly 2000 receiving yards. Ingram is definitely capable of putting up similar numbers, putting up 3261 rushing yards, 42 rushing touchdowns and 670 receiving yards.
2. Ryan Williams: Virginia Tech
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Ryan Williams did not have to wait long for his opportunity to play football. He was red-shirted as a freshman, taking time to sit back and watch Darren Evans take control of the run game.
As a redshirt freshman, Williams saw his responsibility skyrocket when Darren Evans, a player who ran for over 1200 yards while Williams was red-shirted, went down with a season ending ACL injury.
Anyone with common sense would say Williams was able to step up and fill in Evans' shoes very well. As a redshirt freshman, Williams rushed for 1655 yards and 21 touchdowns, fifth in the nation and first in all of the ACC.
Not only did Williams dominant opposing defenses, he broke numerous records such as most rushing yards by a Hokie, most 100-yard games by a Hokie running back, most rushing touchdowns by a freshman for Virginia Tech and most rushing touchdowns by an ACC rusher.
Unfortunately, Williams suffered a similar destiny as Darren Evans, getting injured after a great freshman year. Unlike Evans, Williams was able to come back, rushing for 477 yards on 110 carries.
Williams is a different player from Ingram. He isn't as strong as Ingram, but possesses elusiveness and is able to make the first defender miss. Like Ingram, Williams doesn't have amazing speed, but he does have the ability to make each run a big one.
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Ryan Williams Comparison: DeAngelo Williams
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Not only do Ryan and DeAngelo share the same last name and number, they have the same style of play.
Neither have the eye-popping speed that Chris Johnson has, but both are fast enough to make defenses worry. They both possess patience at the line, but when they hit the hole, they hit it with a huge burst of force. The force that they hit the hole with really helps them both run through the weak arm tackles.
Another huge similarity they both have in common is their impressive vision. Both are capable of seeing the whole field and knowing where the holes are open and where they're closed. The entire nation watched in awe as Ryan Williams would take a run with plugged gaps and completely reverse it the other way for a big run.
He has great east-west speed and can break containment with ease. DeAngelo is another player that could break containment by using his vision to find the open lane for the big run. Throughout his career, DeAngelo has been capable of getting big runs, running wild with a 5.1 career rushing average through five seasons.
3. Mikel Leshoure: Illinois
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Truthfully, I didn't know much about Leshoure during the season. Upon my research, I watched plenty of his highlight videos and was very impressed at his running ability.
Perhaps Leshoure's most dangerous weapon is his quickness. With incredibly fast feet, Leshoure has no problem making defenders miss when coming on a straight line towards him. The way he dances around, making people miss, is truly a sight to see.
Not only does Leshoure have amazing agility, his power is stunning. Weighing at 230 lbs, Leshoure has a lot of muscle and is capable of knocking defenders on their butts, dazed after being hit by the train they call Leshoure.
Leshoure had an amazing season, rushing for nearly 1,700 yards, eclipsing the 100-yard mark in nine games total and rushing for over 300 yards against Northwestern.
Trust me, Leshoure is not a one-year wonder either. While he had a slow freshman year, Leshoure was able to pick it up as a sophomore, rushing for over 700 yards and averaging 6.8 yards per carry.
If it wasn't good enough, Leshoure can also catch the ball. An outstanding runner after the catch, Leshoure has over 400 receiving yards, five touchdowns and has averaged over 11 yards per catch in every single year he played.
Mikel Leshoure Comparison: Frank Gore
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As I said, Leshoure's ability to make defender's miss is amazing. Frank Gore possesses the same abilities.
As a Bay Area Raiders' fan, I watch all of the 49ers game to see what's wrong with them so that I can smack talk every time they lose. Someone I cannot smack talk about, no matter what, is Frank Gore.
For someone that strong, he has amazing abilities to get small and make people look like fools trying to tackle him.
A lot of Leshoure's style of play reminds me of Gore. For one, he is big, strong and possesses the strength to knock people on their butts, very similar to Gore. As I have stressed, they both are very quick and agile, using cuts and jukes very well. Neither has breakaway speed, but have the vision to find the open lane to get the most yardage possible.
The only difference I can think of is that Gore is a little easier to bottle up. However, this may be due to the poor line play of the 49ers. Time after time, the 49ers' linemen leave it to Gore to do all of the work, which is why most of his runs are up the middle for two to three yards. When given the opportunity, Gore can break off a big one and look like one of the greatest in the league.
4. Daniel Thomas: Kansas State
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Daniel Thomas is a project player. However, I think he has the most upside out of all of the running backs in this draft.
Many analysts have Thomas low on their boards for a number of reasons. The biggest reason I could see why is because of his speed. While none of the running backs mentioned so far have spectacular speed, Thomas is expected to run around the high 4.5, which is sure to affect his draft stock.
Another reason why I see him being low on the radar is the way he runs. Standing at 6'2", Thomas uses every inch of his body when he runs. He needs to learn how to get lower behind his pads. Despite not getting low, he is still capable of bowling through defenders that aren't going to take him seriously.
A true workhouse, Thomas has carried the ball almost 550 times in the last two years, rushing for almost 3,000 yards total. Those stats are definitely too good for him to be flying under the radar as he has been.
Of all running backs mentioned, Thomas might be the best receiving back. In his two seasons as a starter, he's caught 52 passes for 428 yards, showing that he can be a three-down back in the NFL.
Thomas' speed, power, elusiveness, vision and moves remind me a lot of Raiders great Marcus Allen. Teams should be licking their chops when scouting Thomas, a modern day Marcus Allen. However, it's not Allen who I'm going to be comparing Thomas to.
Daniel Thomas Comparison: Adrian Peterson
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What? The fourth best running back in the draft being compared to the best running back in the league? That doesn't make any sense.
Like I said, I believe Thomas has the most upside out of all the running back draftees, which I'm ranking them by; their talent right now.
Peterson and Thomas are very similar. The two have the same running style; a hard-nosed run game that takes it to defenders, seeing if they're brave enough to step up and make the tackle, or hold on long enough for back up to arrive.
While Thomas does not possess the speed Peterson has, he has the same type of power and elusiveness. He doesn't have the agility that Leshoure has, but it's enough to make defenders miss in the open field.
They both have good vision as well. They hit the hole with a lot of force and can make a measly run up the middle into a 10 to 15 yard run easily. They can both be relied on to do this to wear out the defense as well, seeing as both were near the top of their respective leagues in attempts.
5. Jordan Todman: Connecticutt
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There's something about Todman that screams out "feisty!" whenever I see him play. He seems to play with a lot of energy and that's exciting to see.
He has good fundamentals when he plays. He plays low and behind his pads, allowing him to run through tacklers at times. Playing low also gives him the ability of being more agile.
Todman might be the fastest of the group, having good down field speed. He has quick feet, allowing him to run fast, but also letting him make the one or two cuts he needs to get past a defender for a huge touchdown run.
A big playmaker, Todman never averaged less than five yards per carry in college, averaging 5.1 both of his sophomore and junior year. He showed his ability to be a workhorse by carrying the load 334 total times in his junior year.
He also caught 19 passes and returned two kicks. This was all after he became the starter for the Huskies. Before he had became the clear cut starter, Todman returned 20 kickoffs in his sophomore year and 15 in his freshman year, returning for over 850 yards and averaging nearly 25 yards per return.
Jordan Todman Comparison: Ray Rice
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I see a lot of Ray Rice in Jordan Todman, and it's not because the two are tiny players who can make you cry by running full speed into you.
The two are very similar because they have a low center of gravity, allowing them to make quick cuts. They both run behind their pads and can hurt you when they run right into you, causing problems for defensive players who aren't as skilled in tackling.
Both have been heavily relied on, both carrying the ball 300 times each, not to mention catches and returning.
Ray Rice is used as an every down back due to his catching and running after the catch skills. Todman is capable of evolving into a player such as this. He was used in the passing game 40 times in his last two seasons at Connecticut, but showed his explosiveness, especially in his sophomore year, when he averaged 8.8 yards per catch.
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