Who Ya Got: Adrian Peterson or Darren McFadden?

Now that the 2007 NFL season has officially come to a close, it's time for everybody's favorite part of the offseason: the draft!

It is fast approaching, and there are decisions to make. Bill Parcells' first pick as Dolphins Executive Vice President of Football Operations will be No. 1 overall.

Will Matt Ryan, the signal-caller from Boston College, get the call? Or will it be LSU's dominant defensive tackle, Glenn Dorsey?

The Patriots hold the 49ers selection at No. 7. They could use a spry young linebacker. But All-Pros Randy Moss and Asante Samuel are free agents, and New England may decide that they can't afford to pay top price for a high draft-pick. What will they do with their pick?

Who will Matt Millen choose for the Lions? That's always interesting (and often hilarious).

But the question I most ponder is another one—one that I'm sure will elicit heated debate in the comment box:

Is Arkansas stud junior tailback Darren McFadden (Heisman runner-up the last two seasons) a better player than current Vikings superstar runningback Adrian Peterson (1,925 yards, Heisman runner-up his freshman year) when he entered the draft last year?

Not is McFadden a better prospect; that is almost certainly a yes. As gifted as Peterson was/is, his penchant for injury in college had to have been a major concern for any team interested in his services.

He missed eight games altogether and parts of three others in his three years at Oklahoma—which is a lot. D-Mac has no such issues. The question is, is McFadden a better pure football player?

For what they're worth, the numbers look like this:

Peterson (2004-06)

30 games, 747 carries, 4048 yards, 41 rushing touchdowns, 24 receptions, 198 yards, one receiving touchdown.

McFadden (2005-07)

38 games, 785 carries, 4590 yards, 41 rushing touchdowns, 46 receptions, 365 yards, two receiving touchdowns.

Now, I'm usually not a big stats guy, because there's just too much that they can't expain or don't take into account. The numbers do NOT speak for themselves, in many cases.

But in this instance, I think they do.

I think it's awfully close, and I think the Purple Jesus wins an initial eyeball contest; he has faster game speed than McFadden and he's the more breathtaking player to watch. But McFadden had a higher yards per carry average at Arkansas and he was more durable.

Maybe he's not quite as talented (I know that sounds crazy, because the guy is ridiculously blessed) but he was a better and more productive player in college. That's MY answer to my own question.

But this isn't about me. This is about you guys. What do you think?

Should Darren McFadden be considered a better player than Adrian Peterson was coming out of college?

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