Who will be the best rookie runningback this year?

Question

i think chris johnson of the titans will surprise this season and have the best rookie RB year

what do you think?

Answer 1

It's hard to tell...I'd say either McFadden or Slaton, but judging by the preseason games, none of them are very impressive.  

Answer 2

Jacob Hester (San Diego Chargers) formerly of LSU.

Answer 3

Mendenhall in Pittsburgh. He's got it all, as long as he remembers to bring the ball with him.

Answer 4

Darren McFadden

Answer 5

Just because a guy was drafted in the 1st round, doesn't mean he'll turn out to be a good player(examples: Rashaan Salaam, Curtis Enis, Ki-Jana Carter). I would go with Kevin Smith of the Detroit Lions, because he's got a guy who knows something about football, being that he's a former player(Sam Gash) as his position coach.

Answer 6

First of all DustinT gets my vote for best answer,

I'll go with Stewart

Answer 7

Lots of people are gonna say mcfadden but i dont think so he is overrated, Its gonna be Steve Slaton with the Texans.

Answer 8

Johnathan Stewart

Answer 9

top 3

1. Chris Johnson

2. McFadden

3. Johnathan Stewart

of course if chris does take the top spot i doubt it will be much of a surprise. He's deadly fast and can go from 0-10000 in the blink of an eye

Answer 10

Great question! There are actually a ton of good rookie RB's out there to pick from. Here is my list of top 5 for 2008:

1) Matt Forte, Bears, from Tulane: This is a surprise pick I know. But this kid can run the ball. He has the exact running type for the Bears and he will produce. The two main reasons I picked him though, were because he is one of the only clear cut rookie starters, and his team has a terrible passing game meaning he will get the ball a lot.

2) Chris Johnson, Titans, from East Carolina: Now this kid can flat out run. He ran a 4.28 in the combine, and still looks that fast in pads. The best part about Chris is that he is on a team who is run happy, and needs a speedster to run alongside the hefty LenDale White. Well, they found the right guy and he will definitely show his talent this year.

3) Kevin Smith, Lions, from UCF: One of the more all-around runners in the 2008 draft. He has speed, vision, knowledge, and can lower his 211 lb frame to crush someone. He is another starter as well, so look for some good numbers outta him.

4) Darren McFadden, Raiders, from Arkansas: I don't have to say anything about McFadden, we all know who he is and what he does. However, I do want to add that I think he will have trouble breaking tackles due to his lanky frame. Even in college he struggled with people just tapping his ankles and tripping him up. We shall see, but he will still be an electrifying player, even on Sundays.

5) Jonathan Stewart, Panthers, from Oregon: I really like this RB. He is amazingly in shape, has the speed, has the burst, and is a smart player. He is one of my favorites out of the draft this year, and I think he will show it on the field. However, he has DeAngelo Williams in front of him on the depth chart and he can't really counter balance anything that Williams can do. So we will see how much playing time he gets.

Honorable Mentions:

Felix Jones, Cowboys, from Arkansas: Felix is my favorite runner of the bunch. He averaged over 8 yards per carry in college and put up monster numbers all around. Unfortunately he had a guy named McFadden on the same team that kind of overshadowed him. However, he will play his own game in the NFL. He does have Marion Barber in front of him right now which sucks, but when he is able to start, it will be fun. I think he has the potential to be the best future RB out of all of the 2008 drafted RB's.

Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers, from Illinois: Complete runner here. He brings more power than any of the rookies, and that is a recipe for excellence in the NFL. He will be the most successful RB from this draft in the next 5 years production wise. Parker will cloud him for the next year or two, but after that, Rashard will be the man!