Eegads Stepfan Taylor 40 time

[Joshecalpoly]

Honestly this is just a bad RB class. Even guys like Lacy and Bernard don't completely measure up with the guys from last year. I think a couple of them will still have at least moderate success in the NFL, but I'd be surprised if we saw many big time performers from this class.

Athletically it definitely seems to be one of the weakest classes we've ever seen. That said a 4.5 40 from a RB is pretty good. Looking at last year even a track star like David Wilson only had a 4.49. And the fastest time was Lamar Miller at 4.4. Also some of the guys this year particularly a guy like Christine Michael fared pretty well in some of the other drills. Unfortunately though none of those guys really boast the collegiate success that the 2012 RB class had. Guys like Michael and Bell really helped their stock here.

All things considered though I don't know that any RB in this draft really looks like a great NFL bet. Lacy's tape looks great, but he also ran behind perhaps one of if not the best college OL ever.

I personally think Bells average of 104 total yards against ranked opponents over his collegiate career is impressive. I do think he has the potential to be a good RB, but yes Ild be shocked if he turned out elite. Where as Michaels 88 average isnt bad either considering how often he played hurt and how rarely he was used in his final year mainly thanks to his mouth.

Still the last top 10 RB to run a 3 cone drill better then Christine Michael was RAY RICE
And the last top 10 RB to run a shuttle better then Christine Michael was EDGERRIN JAMES
(On a side note his vertical is off the charts which is one reason he excels in pass catching)

He is an amazing athlete who average 104 total yards per game against elite talent till this year when his college went in another direction and changed the offense which limited his carries and his attitude which caused him to fall on the depth charts. Yet as Ive said before his durability does worry me, that and he did have some out of the ordinary trouble in pass protection in the shrine game. Not to mention he has been labeled a me first kind of player

[broncos SB2010]

here is a blurb on my pick...Michael...what a knucklehead



NFL.com's Gil Brandt reports Texas A&M RB Christine Michael missed two team interviews at the Combine after oversleeping.
Truly inexplicable. Michael put on a show in Indy, posting a 43-inch vertical leap, 4.54 40-yard dash, 10-foot-5 broad jump and 27 reps on the bench press. But he spent his senior year deep in coach Kevin Sumlin's doghouse, and is sorely lacking in maturity. He has talent worth gambling on, but teams are unlikely to do so before day three.

[Bronco1577]

I liked Taylor coming out of college but good god what are these running backs doing in the off-season to run so slow. No wonder why the offensive lineman are so hyped up this year. They are about as fast as the running backs!

[Captain_23]

I love the knee jerk reactions on both ends

It doesn't mean nothing but it also doesn't mean everything ...have some freakin balance

There's a reason Chris Johnson, CJ Spiller, and Jamaal Charles all had excellent 40 times ...cuz they're blazing fast, (Spiller especially man, that guy plays at a different speed than the rest of the league it seems)

Now, someone can have an off day and run a bad time, someone can be faster on the field (why game film means the most), someone can be a different type of back ...

So again, lol at the kneejerk reactions to kneejerk reactions...it doesn't mean everything, but it does have some value

Someone could argue, well we all knew those guys were fast coming out of college, but 40's can confirm that, or make you doubt it n rewatch film, again, obviously film is most important but 40's do have some value in showing pure flat out speed

They're all also are used to running out of a three point stance as well considering all 3 has track backgrounds. Your not wrong, but sometimes players that are fast are closer to the same speed than the 40 may indicate because you can have two guys with the same straight line speed out of a two point stance, but if one ran track and is used to rolling out of a three point stance, then its obvious that he would have an advantage in an event like this.

[SmokeBassett]

So he's even slower than Knowshon Moreno! Only slightly faster than Rahim Moore! Neither one of them is that good either. Quickness and speed are important at certain positions, but if the player shows remarkable skill in other ways, then I overlook their slowness. How fast is McGahee today? Not very fast, but he knows how to get yards Ronnie Hilman can't get.

[Joshecalpoly]

So he's even slower than Knowshon Moreno! Only slightly faster than Rahim Moore! Neither one of them is that good either. Quickness and speed are important at certain positions, but if the player shows remarkable skill in other ways, then I overlook their slowness. How fast is McGahee today? Not very fast, but he knows how to get yards Ronnie Hilman can't get.

Mcgahee has fast feet to make up for the fact hes not quick to the hole. Most players who dont have straightline speed can at least turn a corner quickly and have the agility to make moves to get them out of trouble. Last year Stanford had an amazing O-line and because of that he benefited from that. Since then he hasnt shown much in being able to get to line of scrimmage before trouble strikes. Hes increased the amount of times hes been taken down behind the line by half.

Anytime a player has that many negative runs with a line change is a red flag, combine that with the fact he showed lousy foot work at the combine and it just screams do not draft to me

[Den615]

So he's even slower than Knowshon Moreno! Only slightly faster than Rahim Moore! Neither one of them is that good either. Quickness and speed are important at certain positions, but if the player shows remarkable skill in other ways, then I overlook their slowness. How fast is McGahee today? Not very fast, but he knows how to get yards Ronnie Hilman can't get.

Moore ran a 4.62
Moreno ran a 4.62
Taylor ran a 4.76


That being said, I would still take Taylor is he is there in the 4th round.

[HDbroncos02]

Here's the thing about Taylor. Stepfan Taylor has game speed. Not work-out speed. Look at Ryan Swope. Swope possesses work-out speed. He doesn't have as much game speed. Taylor has what you call "deceptive" speed. Taylor looks much faster in pads and is a game-breaker with his agility and natural running motor. He has 2nd round talent, and I'll gladly take him in the 3rd or 4th round.

[CTM]

Terrell Davis had a pretty terrible 40 time. 4.69 I think.

Some guys just play fast when the pads are on. I haven't seen much on Taylor but I hear he's pretty sturdy as a runner. We shouldn't discount him because of his 40 time alone.

[dgobronco]

TD's obviously the best back we've ever had. And he was what, a 6th rounder? Tremendous vision and shiftiness in the hole are what made TD great. Tatum Bell was a speedster coming out of college, and if he could get past the line of scrimmage, you could see it. But most of the time he never got past the LOS because he didn't have the vision or the strength to get past initial contact - and that's the problem with most speed backs. It's all or nothing (with nothing being the majority of touches). McGahee probably runs about a 5.0 40 these days, but he's still an effective back because he's strong enough to keep moving forward on contact and can move laterally in the hole to avoid direct hits. Moreno is kind of between a speed back and power back, which I think is why he's struggled. He's not great at either hitting the (right) hole fast or making positive yards after contact.

Point is, we have a speed back in Hillman and a power back in McGahee. Hillman is a situational back only due to his size, and McGahee is older/prone to injury, but really the only guy on the squad capable of being an every down back. That's what we need IMHO - a young power back in the mold of McGahee. Those guys aren't fast in a 40, but they possess tremendous lower body strength, good vision, and enough shiftiness to make hits more of glancing blows than stop-you-in-your-tracks hits. Taylor definitely fits that definition, and I'd be very happy if he fell to us in round 2 or 3.

[broncos SB2010]

TD's obviously the best back we've ever had. And he was what, a 6th rounder? Tremendous vision and shiftiness in the hole are what made TD great. Tatum Bell was a speedster coming out of college, and if he could get past the line of scrimmage, you could see it. But most of the time he never got past the LOS because he didn't have the vision or the strength to get past initial contact - and that's the problem with most speed backs. It's all or nothing (with nothing being the majority of touches). McGahee probably runs about a 5.0 40 these days, but he's still an effective back because he's strong enough to keep moving forward on contact and can move laterally in the hole to avoid direct hits. Moreno is kind of between a speed back and power back, which I think is why he's struggled. He's not great at either hitting the (right) hole fast or making positive yards after contact.

Point is, we have a speed back in Hillman and a power back in McGahee. Hillman is a situational back only due to his size, and McGahee is older/prone to injury, but really the only guy on the squad capable of being an every down back. That's what we need IMHO - a young power back in the mold of McGahee. Those guys aren't fast in a 40, but they possess tremendous lower body strength, good vision, and enough shiftiness to make hits more of glancing blows than stop-you-in-your-tracks hits. Taylor definitely fits that definition, and I'd be very happy if he fell to us in round 2 or 3.

Vision is what makes or breaks RBs. Speed is nice but it it vastly over rated. It doesn't matter how fast you are if don't hit the right hole or can't adjust to the blocks in front of you.

[Al Wilson 4 Mayor]

Mcgahee has fast feet to make up for the fact hes not quick to the hole. Most players who dont have straightline speed can at least turn a corner quickly and have the agility to make moves to get them out of trouble. Last year Stanford had an amazing O-line and because of that he benefited from that. Since then he hasnt shown much in being able to get to line of scrimmage before trouble strikes. Hes increased the amount of times hes been taken down behind the line by half.

Anytime a player has that many negative runs with a line change is a red flag, combine that with the fact he showed lousy foot work at the combine and it just screams do not draft to me

I think it's worth noting that McGahee had 4.3 speed coming out of college.