RB Profiles

Darren McFadden - Arkansas



Height:6’1
Weight: 211 lbs
40 time: 4.33

Pros:
-Dominant
-Strength
-Speed
-Versatility

Cons:
-Off Field Issues
-Too upright
-Ball Security
-Thin lower body

McFadden is unquestionably the top back in this draft class. He has an incredible blend of size and speed, which he
uses to his advantage. He sees cutback lanes as they develop, and changes direction very well. He has the ability to make defenders miss both in the hole and in the open field. The only real draw back to Darren McFadden is his off the field
concerns; he broke his toe two years ago in a fight, and has been detained by police this off season. He better get his
head on straight before joining Roger Goodell’s new NFL. A lot of his problems stem from his family though, not him. He has 2 brothers who are gang bangers and have gotten him in trouble because he has backed them up. He has a serious fumbling problem though, which needs to be addressed soon. He resembles AD a bit, but is not as powerful, and a tad bit faster in the 40. Though he is not as fast in the game as his 40 suggests, he almost got chased down from behind by an LSU linebacker, Ali Highsmith I believe, and DMac had a 15 yard head start. He is also very versatile, he ran the crazy Arkansas offense where he lined up at QB and Felix Jones lined up at RB about half the time, so he can be used in some trick plays.

Projection: Top 5 Pick

Stats
Year - G - Car - Yards - TD - YPC - Cat - Yards - TD - YPC - TotYards - Total TD’s
2005 - 11 - 176 - 1113 - 11 - 6.2 - 14 - 52 - 0 - 3.7 - 1165 - 11
2006 - 14 - 284 - 1647 - 14 - 5.8 - 11 - 149 - 1 - 13.5 - 1796 - 15
2007 - 13 - 325 - 1830 - 16 - 5.6 - 21 - 164 - 1 - 7.8 - 1994 - 17
TOTAL - 38 - 785 - 4590 - 41 - 5.8 - 46 - 365 - 2 - 7.9 - 4955 - 43

Rashard Mendenhall - Illinois



Height:5'10"
Weight: 225 lbs
40 time: 4.41

Pros:
-Build
-Runs Low
-Patient
-Hard Worker

Cons:
-Top End Speed
-Ball Security
-One Year Starter
-Prefers Open Field to Being in
Traffic

Mendenhall may not be the biggest name in this class at RB, but he may be the hardest worker. He may not have the
top end speed of some of the other backs, but he is very capable in all facets of the game. He is an extremely physical
blocker, and can catch the ball out of the backfield. Mendenhall is patient in the backfield, and waits for his blocks to
open up. He must continue to learn how to better secure the ball, and show coaches that he’s not just a one year
wonder. If he does prove that he is not a 1 year wonder, it will be good that he only started one year in college, he will have less wear and tear on his body. He could be seen as the best RB in the draft a few years down the road, but he could also be a bust.

Projection: 1st round

Stats
Year - G - Car - Yards - TD - YPC - Cat - Yards - TD - YPC - TotYards - Total TD’s
2005 - 10 - 48 - 218 - 0 - 4.5 - 13 - 82 - 2 - 6.3 - 300 - 2
2006 - 12 - 78 - 640 - 5 - 8.2 - 12 - 164 - 1 - 13.7 - 804 - 6
2007 - 13 - 262 - 1681 - 17 - 6.4 - 34 - 318 - 2 - 9.4 - 1999 - 19
TOTAL - 35 - 388 - 2539 - 22 - 6.5 - 59 - 564 - 5 - 9.6 - 3103 - 27

Jonathan Stewart - Oregon



Height:5’10"
Weight: 235 lbs
40 time: 4.46

Pros:
-Strong
-North-South Runner
-Legs Never Stop
-Receiving Ability

Cons:
-Blocking
-Too willing to take on contact
-Durability
-Elusiveness

Stewart may not have the top end speed, but once he gets going, he can break away from defenders. Stewart is one of
the most physical runners in this class; he uses his willingness to deliver a hit on every run. He will absolutely blow up
any unsuspecting defender who does not get low on him. Stewart’s legs never stop churning, which helps him to earn
an extra 3-4 yards after initial contact. For a runner who loves contact, Stewart needs to improve his blocking, and must
learn when it’s ok to just go down or go out of bounds. His durability will concern some teams, but if he learns when to
avoid contact, those worries will go out the window. Plowing through defenders all the time, while might look great at the time, could really hurt over the long run. Stewart is pretty good out of the back field too, he should be able to make an impact in the passing game as well.

Projection: 1st round

Stats
Year - G - Car - Yards - TD - YPC - Cat - Yards - TD - YPC - TotYards - Total TD’s
2005 - 10 - 53 - 188 - 6 - 3.5 - 7 - 45 - 1 - 6.4 - 233 - 7
2006 - 13 - 183 - 981 - 10 - 5.4 - 20 - 144 - 1 - 7.2 - 1125 - 11
2007 - 13 - 280 - 1722 - 11 - 6.2 - 22 - 145 - 2 - 6.6 - 1867 - 13
TOTAL - 36 - 516 - 2891 - 27 - 5.6 - 49 - 334 4 - 6.8 - 3225 - 31

Jamaal Charles - Texas



Height:5’11"
Weight: 200 lbs
40 time: 4.38

Pros:
-Speed
-Vision
-Agility
-Patience

Cons:
-Outside Runner
-Blocking
-Ball Security
-Power

Jamaal Charles is a back who made huge strides in his first year as the true #1 back. He has incredible speed off the
edge, and if he turns a corner on you, I don’t care who you are, he’s gone. He has good vision and agility, which allows
him to move towards the holes as they open and bust through them. He needs to develop a knack for a cutback lane,
especially when asked to run between the tackles. Jamaal would have benefited from another year of college play to
bulk up and to prove to the pros that he’s an every down back. As of now, some teams question his ability to take 25-30
carries a game between the tackles. They may question it, but if you look at stats, he was the most productive back in the 4th quarter in the country. He is very quick in and out of cuts, can go get to top speed immediately. He could get better in the passing game, but he is not horrible in that department. Would be a great change of pace back for a while, and split carries with someone and eventually take over #1.

Projection: 2nd round

Stats
Year - G - Car - Yards - TD - YPC - Cat - Yards - TD - YPC - TotYards - Total TD’s
2005 - 13 - 119 - 878 - 11 - 7.4 - 14 - 157 - 2 - 11.2 - 1035 - 13
2006 - 12 - 156 - 831 - 7 - 5.3 - 18 - 183 - 1 - 15.3 - 1014 - 8
2007 - 13 - 258 - 1619 - 18 - 6.3 - 17 - 199 - 0 - 15.3 - 1818 - 18
TOTAL - 38 - 533 - 3328 - 36 - 6.2 - 49 - 539 - 3 - 11.0 - 3867 - 39

Chris Johnson - East Carolina



Height:5’11"
Weight: 197 lbs
40 time: 4.24

Pros:
-Speed
-Agility
-Receiving Ability
-Explosive

Cons:
-Small
-Durability
-Blocking
-Avoids Contact

The burner of the class is Chris Johnson out of ECU. This kid can absolutely fly, and I think he’s maybe the fastest
player in the entire draft. Johnson is another game breaking guy who can take the pitch, turn the corner, and go; or flare
out for a screen, catch the ball, and take off. He’s also a good returner. Johnson will not likely be an every down back,
however. He tries to avoid contact whenever he can, he can’t run between the tackles, and he has a neck injury history.
Johnson is in the same mold as Jerious Norwood, Maurice Jones-Drew, and Marion Barber III. They are the perfect
compliment backs, who can still be extremely productive in the ever changing NFL game. Johnson has serious home
run potential, and any team playing against him will have to game plan for that. I would classify him as a "poor man's" Reggie Bush. He could be used as a WR if needed and can be used in many different ways to get him the ball. If he can consistently get the ball in the open field, he will put up good numbers.

Projection: 2nd round

Stats
Year - G - Car - Yards - TD - YPC - Cat - Yards - TD - YPC - TotYards - Total TD’s
2004 - 11 - 134 - 561 - 5 - 4.2 - 32 - 236 - 2 - 7.4 - 797 - 7
2005 - 11 - 176 - 684 - 6 - 3.9 - 35 - 356 - 2 - 10.2 - 1040 - 8
2006 - 12 - 78 - 314 - 4 - 4.0 - 21 - 176 - 0 - 8.4 - 490 - 4
2007 - 13 - 236 - 1423 - 17 - 6.0 - 37 - 528 - 6 - 14.3 - 1951 - 23
TOTAL - 47 - 624 - 2982 - 32 - 4.8 - 125 - 1296 - 10 - 10.4 - 4278 - 42