Video: Uehara Tries to Speed Up Victorino’s Trip to the DL
|
Rain Delay Doesn’t Stop Sox in 8-1 Win Over Cleveland
|
Francona Wins Big in Return to Fenway
|
Connelly’s Top Ten: Rask Falls on Face |
Patriots 2011 Draft Report: RB Rankings
On Tuesday, we showed you our positional rankings for the quarterbacks in the draft, which is somehow less than two weeks away! Now, let’s take a look at the running backs, led by Alabama’s Mark Ingram.
One thing to note is our “Patriots Interest Scale.” Using our best judgment we have placed a ranking, 0-10, on whether or not the Patriots appear to have interest in the prospect.
- 0 = the lowest level of interest.
- 10 = the highest level of interest.
The player that has his name bolded is the prospect we have highlighted under the rankings. The player with an asterisk is seen in the image.
Running Back Rankings
| Ranking | Name | College | Height | Weight | Patriots Interest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mark Ingram* | Alabama | 5-9 | 215 | 8 |
| 2. | Ryan Williams | Virginia Tech | 5-9 | 212 | 3 |
| 3. | Mikel Leshoure | Illinois | 5-11 | 227 | 3 |
| 4. | DeMarco Murray | Oklahoma | 5-11 | 213 | 5 |
| 5. | Jordan Todman | Connecticut | 5-8 | 203 | 3 |
| 6. | Kendall Hunter | Oklahoma State | 5-7 | 199 | 1 |
| 7. | Taiwan Jones | Eastern Washington | 5-11 | 194 | 1 |
| 8. | Dion Lewis | Pittsburgh | 5-6 | 193 | 1 |
| 9. | Daniel Thomas | Kansas State | 6-0 | 230 | 3 |
| 10. | Delone Carter | Syracuse | 5-8 | 222 | 1 |
Ryan Williams has an interesting story. During his redshirt freshman season, Williams rushed for 1,655 yards and 21 touchdowns as he was one of the most effective running backs in all of college football. 2010 was a different story. Williams missed four games due to a lingering knee and hamstring injury, and rushed for only 477 yards.
It was a complete 180 for Williams and it’s uncertain what Ryan Williams will show up in the NFL. Williams draws a lot of comparison to Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew. Like Drew, Williams is low to ground, but has the ability to knock over any defender. The two can also catch the ball out of the backfield very well.
Williams’ draft status will vary. Some teams may grade Williams as a first or second prospect, while others might have him on the ‘do not draft list.’ Inevitably, time will tell with Williams. We could be looking at another Maurice Jones-Drew or a Chris Henry (Arizona RB drafted by the Titans).
–
Follow me on Twitter: M_Marcantonio
About Matthew Marcantonio - My Twitter
Matthew Marcantonio is the Patriots and college football editor at Sports of Boston. Marcantonio has contributed for two newspapers; the Sentinel & Enterprise (Leominster, Mass) and The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La) and held internships with The Bleacher Report and Sports Illustrated.
Tags: 2011 NFL Draft, Mark Ingram, New England Patriots, Ryan Williams
Discussion
One comment for “Patriots 2011 Draft Report: RB Rankings”
Post a comment
Recent Comments
- El PResidente on Connelly’s Top Ten: Rask Falls on Face
- Orange Julius on Connelly’s Top Ten: Bruins Up 2-0
- Jeffrey West on Connelly’s Top Ten: Bruins Up 2-0
- Bob T. on Connelly’s Top Ten: Bruins Up 2-0
- Series Preview: Boston Red Sox @ Tampa Bay Rays | The Nosebleeds on Tampa Bay Rays Cut Prices on Red Sox Games at Tropicana Field
Featured
Blogroll
- BC All Access
- BlogCatalog
- BoSox Injection
- Boston Sports Nation
- Boston Sports Pulse
- Bringing Heat – Red Sox
- Bullpen Brian
- CelticsBlog
- Eat, Drink and Sleep Baseball
- Eat, Drink and Sleep Football
- Green Bandwagon
- Hit The Boards
- KCChiefsFootball.com
- Over The Monster
- Patriots Daily
- Patriots Gab
- Perk is a Beast
- Red’s Army
- Shaver Sports
- Sports of New York
- SportsBlogs.org
- The Bottom Line
- Wicked Pissa Dude Radio
Leshoure will be the the pick here, he is the best back in the draft and the Patriots know it. Murray will be the second best back if he can stay healthy..