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Class of 2012 running well

  • http://247sports.com/Article/Running-backs-from-the-2012-class-are-impacting-college-football-99740

    Who knew that the Class of 2012 was so loaded at running back?

    E-mail: jc@247Sports.com/Twitter: @jcshurburtt/Instagram jcshurburtt

    JC Shurburtt ●

  • Freshman All-American candidates here? Have to think Duke Johnson, Todd Gurley (likely a shoo-in), T.J. Yeldon maybe.

    E-mail: jc@247Sports.com/Twitter: @jcshurburtt/Instagram jcshurburtt

    JC Shurburtt ●

  • Good stuff there JC

    Seeing that trend of bigger backs too with this class

    Rusty Mansell ●

  • Rusty Mansell said...

    Good stuff there JC

    Seeing that trend of bigger backs too with this class

    Yes. Guys that are physically ready to come in. Duke Johnson is an underrated runner between the tackles, even though he's not terribly big. Keith Marshall also has good size to be a speed back.

    E-mail: jc@247Sports.com/Twitter: @jcshurburtt/Instagram jcshurburtt

    JC Shurburtt ●

  • I think Duke and Todd Gurley are doing Well but TJ Yeldon is so Special has some of the best feet I have seen in a long time and his cuts are Unbelieveable.

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    Redzulu ●

  • J Hill is suprisingly quick for being such a big back.. he's got good vision, and pretty quick feet for his size. He is going to challenge Yeldon for the best back in the sec down the road

    bayoubengalfan4

  • Pretty good hit ratio on these guys rankings wise. Every one of them was a 4star or better with the exception of Jela Duncan who was a high 3star.

    Barton Simmons | 247Sports | National Recruiting Analyst | Twitter: @bartonsimmons

    Barton S ●

  • As a high school back Hill always had awesome feet at his size and good ability to catch The ball out of the backfield. Since high school he's really changed his mentality to become a more downhill guy.

    Barton Simmons | 247Sports | National Recruiting Analyst | Twitter: @bartonsimmons

    Barton S ●

  • Alabama = running back U

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    All I need is a lil RTR!

    LaChupacobra ●

  • I'll be interested to see how Akeel Lynch compares to some of these guys after his RS year.

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    psubills62

  • Gurley is definitely a beast....Heisman winner next year....you heard it here first!

    cyrax11 ●

  • Redzulu said...

    I think Duke and Todd Gurley are doing Well but TJ Yeldon is so Special has some of the best feet I have seen in a long time and his cuts are Unbelieveable.

    Yeah I agree. Barton Simmons, one of our analysts, made a great call on him.

    E-mail: jc@247Sports.com/Twitter: @jcshurburtt/Instagram jcshurburtt

    JC Shurburtt ●

  • bayoubengalfan4 said...

    J Hill is suprisingly quick for being such a big back.. he's got good vision, and pretty quick feet for his size. He is going to challenge Yeldon for the best back in the sec down the road

    Yes and Gurley, too. Three studs.

    E-mail: jc@247Sports.com/Twitter: @jcshurburtt/Instagram jcshurburtt

    JC Shurburtt ●

  • psubills62 said...

    I'll be interested to see how Akeel Lynch compares to some of these guys after his RS year.

    Yeah he's going to be one I am personally interested to follow.

    E-mail: jc@247Sports.com/Twitter: @jcshurburtt/Instagram jcshurburtt

    JC Shurburtt ●

  • LaChupacobra said...

    Alabama = running back U

    Pump the breaks Bama....Miami is RBU. You know this. Edgerrin James, James Jackson, Clinton Portis, Willis McGahee, Najeh Davenport, Frank Gore, Javarris James(in league), Lamar Miller. Your best RB is third on the depth chart at NO. Trent and Yeldon look special though. Shaun Alexander was a pimp.

    Envy the past, Fear the future

    Brannen55

  • Wow...the NFL might get back to a running league in 3 years.. of course I'm a Tj fan but all of them are special!! Could not go wrong with any of them..

    act13

  • Wes Brown is a stud. He has fumbled a couples times, which was worrisome, but the talent is there. For a RB his size he's awfully shifty. Stefon Diggs, and Wes Brown. Both Good Counsel products and might have a chance to bring Maryland back to (ACC) relevance.

    oriolekid ●

  • oriolekid said...

    Wes Brown is a stud. He has fumbled a couples times, which was worrisome, but the talent is there. For a RB his size he's awfully shifty. Stefon Diggs, and Wes Brown. Both Good Counsel products and might have a chance to bring Maryland back to (ACC) relevance.

    I agree. Very high on Brown and Diggs. Maryland would have been a bowl team this year had it not been for the injuries at quarterback.

    E-mail: jc@247Sports.com/Twitter: @jcshurburtt/Instagram jcshurburtt

    JC Shurburtt ●

  • rolBAMAballs said...

    I'm a fan of shorter thicker backs and figured this was a fluke, but the taller guys are continuing to play well

    -I'm with you here.....especially when it comes to long-term durability. Not a coincidence that the top 3 NFL Rushers of all-time were in the 5'8"-5'10", 200-215 pound range. While I consider the "freakiest" guys all-time to be Herschel Walker, Bo Jackson, and Marcus Dupree. Neither were durable enough to be NFL Top 10 All-Time rushers.

    -Really like what Doug "The Muscle Hamster" Martin is doing at Tampa Bay and Trent Richardson at Cleveland.....both guys measured 5'9" at the 2012 NFL Combine

    -Look for this mold of RB to be the top RB selected in the 2013 NFL Draft with Giovani Bernard probably being the top RB selected.

    -Taller RBs simply take more punishment over the long-haul due to more surface area to hit and hence they aren't as durable. 2 years ago most would have projected Marcus Lattimore and Knile Davis to have been the top RBs in the 2013 NFL Draft. I think their multiple leg injuries (Lattimore 2 knee injuries and Davis 3 broken ankles) is "party" due to increased surface area due to height. Even Adrian Peterson and Darren McFadden have had durability issues.

    -In college, perhaps height isn't as big of a deal as guys are only playing 3-4 years at a school but if I'm an NFL GM you look at the data and shorter, thicker RBs are much more durable and hence I'd be more inclined to draft a Ray Rice or Doug Martin type. Again, I think Giovani Bernard is the dude in the 2013 Draft.

    This post has been edited 2 times, most recently by BamaBornDukie on 11/7/2012 at 2:31 PM

    Jabrill Peppers...More I watch, the more I'm convinced he is the best player in the 2014 class. Barring injury, he will do special things.

    BamaBornDukie ●

  • BamaBornDukie said...

    -I'm with you here.....especially when it comes to long-term durability. Not a coincidence that the top 3 NFL Rushers of all-time were in the 5'8"-5'10", 200-215 pound range. While I consider the "freakiest" guys all-time to be Herschel Walker, Bo Jackson, and Marcus Dupree. Neither were durable enough to be NFL Top 10 All-Time rushers.

    -Really like what Doug "The Muscle Hamster" Martin is doing at Tampa Bay and Trent Richardson at Cleveland.....both guys measured 5'9" at the 2012 NFL Combine

    -Look for this mold of RB to be the top RB selected in the 2013 NFL Draft with Giovani Bernard probably being the top RB selected.

    -Taller RBs simply take more punishment over the long-haul due to more surface area to hit and hence they aren't as durable. 2 years ago most would have projected Marcus Lattimore and Knile Davis to have been the top RBs in the 2013 NFL Draft. I think their multiple leg injuries (Lattimore 2 knee injuries and Davis 3 broken ankles) is "party" due to increased surface area due to height. Even Adrian Peterson and Darren McFadden have had durability issues.

    -In college, perhaps height isn't as big of a deal as guys are only playing 3-4 years at a school but if I'm an NFL GM you look at the data and shorter, thicker RBs are much more durable and hence I'd be more inclined to draft a Ray Rice or Doug Martin type. Again, I think Giovani Bernard is the dude in the 2013 Draft.

    These are all very good points and true.

    E-mail: jc@247Sports.com/Twitter: @jcshurburtt/Instagram jcshurburtt

    JC Shurburtt ●

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