Off The Grid

5th in a Series

Good Morning, Ladies and Gents...

I humbly and quietly offer this Thread ~ the 5th of many, as I'll be circumnavigating the entire Roster ~ to my Fellow Patriots Fans ~ KoolAid Soaked Homers + Bile Soaked Haters, alike!! ~ as a Gathering Place ~ a common reference ~ for Running Back Prospects.

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HB Trent Richardson of Alabama ~ 5.11/225



Even last year, when Mark Ingram was, far and away, the consensus first Tail Back expected to be drafted...

Those who who knew what was going on said he wasn't even the best Tail Back on the team.

Trent Richardson is, indeed, The Complete Package.

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Between the Tackles, he is a devastating, demolishing, WRECKING Ball.

Outside the Tackles, he is an elusive, explosive BEAST.

He is a savage, vicious, MAULING Blocker.

And he is a deadly threat as a Receiver.

I simply don't know who I can compare him to.

I only know that he is destined for Greatness.

Super Beast!!

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HB Doug Martin of Boise State ~ 5.09/210



Doug Martin brings an intoxicating fusion of Core Strength, Explosiveness, and Agility to the table.

He can absolutely blast it between the Tackles, and he can also be effective OutSide.

Most importantly of all, he's got the Core Strength, the Core Flexibility, the Fluidity, and the Lateral Agility to consistently be a threat to go through you or around you.

That is powerfull.

He's a usefull Receiver.

But he's an awful Blocker.

However, all agree he's got tremendous Work Ethic, and those guys can always learn how to Block.

All in all, Martin's an outstanding Runner, a solid Receiver, and should develop into a decent Blocker. His Market Value seems to be about the 3rd Round or so, and I'd consider that to be a damned good investment.

Stud Horse!!

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HB Isaiah Pead of Cincinnati ~ 5.11/200



Isaiah Pead doesn't have the greatest Core Strength in the world, so he's definitely not going to be your Hard Yard Masher or Pile Mover. He brings sufficient Fluidity and Lateral Agility to the table, but nothing special.

But he does command exceptional Long Speed, and can get to the Edge in an hurry.

He could use some improvement as a Blocker.

But he's effective in the Passing Game as a Receiver.

All in all, Pead's an O Back with some Talent and some weaknesses, and should give you your money's worth at his 3rd or 4th Round Market Value.

Role Player!!

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HB Cyrus Gray of Texas A&M ~ 5.10/200



Cyrus Gray is simply an outstanding O Back Prospect.

He brings excellent Core Strength and Core Flexibility to the table, and employs exceptional Lateral Agility, Fluidity, and Ricochet to consistently hit the holes that are there, and to create, when they aren't.

He commands superior Diagnostic Acuity and Processing Speed, and the Patience to work with his Linemen and wait for the Blocks to develop.

He's a ferocious, motivated Blocker, and a good one.

He also gets good grades as an emerging Receiving threat.

His best attribute is his attitude, however, as all agree his is an awesome, team-first team mate with a tremendous Work Ethic...and yet his Market Value is floating somewhere around the 4th Round or so!!

Sleeper Stud Horse!!

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HB Daniel Herron of Ohio State ~ 5.10/208



Dan Herron is a solid, tough Runner who employs superior Core Strength and sufficient Lateral Agility and Fluidity to make his fair share of Tacklers miss.

He gets good grades for improving Processing Speed and Diagnostic Acuity, showing increasing Patience to let his Linemen develop their Blocks.

He does get divergent grades on Blocking, which speaks to inconsistency.

And he gets decent grades as a Receiver.

All told, Dan Herron looks like a good Back to have, one who'll pretty reliably Move the Chains.

His Market Value looks like the 4th - 5th Round range, currently, and that looks about right to me.

Role Player!!

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Notes

1 ~ In my opinion, we have the greatest Depth of Talent in our BackField in Patriots History...And I was there for those extraordinary BackFields of the late 70's and mid 80's...Even so, circumstances could change, and in any case: there's no harm in looking!!

2 ~ It's no secret that Trent Richardson is an exceptional Prospect, but I consider him absolutely PHENOMENAL: The best looking Back out of college since Adrian Peterson...and for MY money, I'll take Richardson.

3 ~ Gotta love Cyrus Gray, too.

4 ~ The reason there are so few Backs at the outset of this Thread is that most of the best ones are Juniors, which means there isn't sufficient reporting on them, as yet, to triangulate my position.

5 ~ A few names of interest to me, at this early juncture, are Cyrus Gray, Andre Ellington, Jeff Demps, and Christopher Rainey.

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patsfaninpa

Not official. But, Lamar Miller has said he'll leave Miami Fla. if given a 1st or 2nd round grade. He's a redshirt soph. So, he's eligible to leave. With coming sanctions at Miami. My guess he's gone and could be a 1st rounder.

Miami Hurricanes: Miami Hurricanes running back Lamar Miller undecided on future - Sun Sentinel

Off The Grid

I agree, on all accounts: likely to leave, and for my money a CLEAR 1st Rounder.

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Ochmed Jones

Historically the single most important thing that BB has cared about in RB's is ball security.

Given that I was a bit shocked that BB took two RBs in the last draft that were known to put the ball on the turf.

However I do like Ridley and Vereen a lot and if they can give Green Ellis a chance to heal up over these next five weeks, so much the better, because we will need a healthy Green Ellis running very hard in the playoffs.

patfanken

Thanks for the usual great effort OTG, but if the Pats are even CONSIDERING a running back this draft I know I'll be pissed. He have a very nice stable of promising young RBs all UNDER 30, in BJGE, Woody, Vareen, and Ridley. If Bill thinks we need a 5th RB to replace Faulk, then I'd much rather he find him in FA. I'm sure there will be more than a dozen serviceable veteran RBs who can come in and adequately fill the role of a 5th RB.

That being said, if we do add another RB, he's someone who can line up at FB, preferable someone over 240, and with soft hands. Find me one of those OTG....but find him in FA

Off The Grid

You clearly didn't read my Notes, Brother Ken.

But thanks for the kind words.

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MP-Logick

Never hurts to shore up depth with a possible late round RB pick.

I like Chris Polk from Washington. Not sure if he fits NE's system but every time I watch him he's always breaking tackles and running over players.

I'm also wondering where LaMichael James from Oregon is going to go...people think he's too small to withstand the rigors of the NFL but I'm sure someone will take a flyer on him.

Defsoul

My favorite RB is David Wilson from Virginia Tech. Great speed and very hard to tackle. He doesn't look that big in pads, but he is tough and won't go down easy. Not sure he is the most instinctive runner though. He's also a very good kickoff returner.

NinjaZX6R

"Boom" Herron is basically your BJGE type player but slightly faster.

But I still hate him. So. No.

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Fake FB toss 65 QB dive.

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Off The Grid

Good eye, my good man.

Polk may be a bit too gourmet ~ to employ Brother Snake's rather crafty term!! ~ for your taste, as I believe his Market Value is the 2nd to 3rd Round range, though I could always be wrong...

I like James a great deal!! Very intriguing skill set...Looking like a 3rd or 4th Rounder at this early stage...

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