20. Pierre Thomas: Thomas is one of the most unappreciated running backs in the NFL. His recent slue of injuries is concerning, but the guy has produced at a very high level every time he has been on the field. He looks like the player that should have been taken second overall, while Reggie Bush looks like the guy who went undrafted (in case you didn’t follow that, the exactly opposite is true).
19. Marshawn Lynch: After pulling off one of the best runs in a playoff game of all time, Lynch has catapulted himself back into the minds of NFL fans and personnel. He has a ton of potential to be an every down back, but he needs to keep focused on playing football in order to get back to playing at the Pro Bowl level (Lynch went to the Pro Bowl in 2008 with the Bills).
18. DeAngelo Williams: Why this guy is ranked in the top 15 on NFL.com makes no sense to me. He has a ton of potential, but he simply cannot stay healthy. He put up crazy numbers at the end of the 2008 season, but he has been inconsistent at best since. Once he and Jonathan Stewart went down with injuries, no name running backs Mike Goodson and Tyrell Sutton playing better than both of them behind a great offensive line. Williams need a new start out of Carolina and maybe he can find some of his old magic and stay healthy.
17. LeGarrette Blount: It is not often to hear this said, but the Bucs would have won about half as many games last season if it were not for this undrafted rookie. The Bucs have been looking for a solid, durable running back since Cadillac Williams first injury years ago. Blount ran for over 1000 yards in just seven starts. He does not have potential on third downs, but he is still a beast between the tackles. He lacks top end speed because of his size, but he has rare quickness and agility that makes him explosive. He runs a lot like Brandon Jacobs in his prime.
16. Cedric Benson: After being a huge disappointment in Chicago, Benson has put together a solid resume. He surprisingly puts up his biggest numbers against the better run defenses in the NFL. He is an underrated pass catcher, but his main skill is pounding the ball up the middle and tiring out defenses. The Bengals HAVE to retain him once free agency begins if they have any hope of Andy Dalton progressing in his rookie season.
15. Ahmad Bradshaw: What people seem to forget is that Bradshaw lead the NFC in rushing for a long time last season. He was very explosive both running the ball and as a receiver. He played through some injuries, which slowed him towards the end of the season. He is still young and inexperienced and his best football is ahead of him. If he can stay healthy and cut back on the fumbles, he has the potential to be elite.
14. Darren McFadden: McFadden is the most baffling running back in the NFL. The guy has unbelievable potential, but his injuries have held back his career. When he was healthy last season, there were few players better than him. However, he was banged up for a lot of last season and only really played well against really bad defenses. I know he can dominate terrible run defenses, but until he can prove he can play well against top competition, I cannot put him higher on this list.
13. LeSean McCoy: I was not as big of a fan of him coming out of college as most people were. I thought he was too small and did not have the top end speed to be an every down back. I was wrong. He put on a few extra pounds without losing any speed and had a great season in 2010. Despite battling through injuries, he caught more passes than any other running back in the NFL last season (78) and averaged 5.2 yards per carry. He was not great in most of the games without Vick last season, so I still have questions about his potential, but there is no doubt he is a top 13 running back and should be even better in 2011 than 2012.
12. Matt Forte: His lack of elite speed and big play ability has him rated lower on most people’s boards than he deserves. He is an all around running back who does not have any glaring flaws in his game. If the Bears offensive line improves in 2011, he could be thought of as an elite running back once again.
11. Rashard Mendenhall: Despite my critical words about him in my article on his tweets about Osama bin Laden and 9/11 (http://tinyurl.com/3p4qx5f), he is an incredible player. He is not a threat as a receiver, but he is one of the toughest runners in the NFL and gets every yard he can. NFL.com has him all the way down at 20, which I cannot understand at all. He played behind one of the worst offensive lines in pro football and he still scored 13 touchdowns in his first season as the Steelers full time starter. Oh, and he helped his team go to a Super Bowl. He destroyed the Jets’ defense’s confidence in the AFC Championship game by simply running over defenders.
Top 10 will be out tomorrow! Get ready.
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