I dont know why you guys are even considering picking anyone with the 15th pick... There's no doubt in my mind that we trade down for more picks since we're thin
I would really dislike this pick. This position, probably more than any other, I don't like drafting in the Top 20. Running back is the most easily filled and has the shortest shelf life. You can get good to great backs later on, history has consistently proven that. Now if we're talking about a Stephen Jackson there at 15, sign me up. Jackson is the best, most complete back in the NFL. Ingram ain't Jackson. Or Adrian Peterson. Or Jamaal Charles. Or Chris Johnson. Or Ray Rice. He just doesn't wow me. You can get steady all day long at that position. But I want more than that in the Top 15.
Almost every year we are in a logical position to trade down, and yet we almost never do. Trades don't happen as much as we all seem to think they should. So I wouldn't feign certainty about it four months before the draft. I think this is a fair enough criticism. But there have been plenty of RBs that didn't necessarily "wow" people, who were just good all around backs, taken early, who turned into Hall of Famers. Ingram is not Steven Jackson. He is a different kind of runner. But I think his skill set is not something that you can easily replicate in later rounds. There's a reason why he was one of the best backs in college football for two years in a row while playing in the toughest conference, particularly defensively, in the nation.
Look at this year's Top 10 rushers. Arian Foster - UDFA Jamaal Charles - (73rd overall) Michael Turner - (154th overall) Chris Johnson - (24th overall) Pocket Hercules - (60th overall) Adrian Peterson - (7th overall) Rashard Mendenhall - (23rd overall) Stephen Jackson - (24th overall) Ahmad Bradshaw - (250th overall) Ray Rice - (55th overall) You don't need to spend the premium pick on a RB.
Heck with that, if we aren't bold and don't trade up for a franchise QB in the front of this draft it will be a waste. I'd give the whole freakin' draft for a real franchise Qb!
You're describing the great Emmitt Smith, whom Ingram gets compared to. And even he was a 2nd round pick. That's my point. You can hit a home run at this position outside the Top 15. Rare talents are rare talents, and you take them wherever they are because they're worth it. Barry Sanders sure was. But he had the build and you could easily see the electricity flowing thru his veins. But short of the once-in-an-era guy, you address it later (IMHO). I like Ingram. But I will be surprised if Ingram goes Top 15.
I was like Pocket Hercules? Foster isn't a rookie, not sure if that's what you meant. And I agree you don't need to spend a 1st rounder on a RB, and I would hesitate to use a top 20 pick on a RB but I think Ingram can be a special player (I'm not for taking him at 15, but I wouldn't be upset; I'd prefer a trade-down). I do think it's in your best interest to use a premium pick (top 3 rounds) on a RB however when there is a talented guy whom you like and fits what you look for.
Thanks, I edited now. I have no problem drafting a RB after the 20th pick. But inside of that, he'd better be a rare guy.
Thanks for the in depth analysis! ;-) As I pointed out, this year was a bit of an anomaly, with less than half of the top ten backs coming from the first round. In most years, it's at least 50% if not higher. That's a pretty good ROI, so to speak, if you ask me. Nobody thought the Titans were getting a "once-in-an-era guy" when they drafted Chris Johnson.
