Running Backs With Warrick Dunn once again wearing the colours of the team that drafted him out of Florida State in 1997, the chance that the Buccaneers will draft a running back probably have decreased to some extent. The backfield once again looks good with local product Earnest Graham’s emergence, glimpses of what Michael Bennett can do late on in the season and Dunn back where he belongs, but then again it’s not without its question marks either. Will Graham be as effective in his second year as a starter is Warrick Dunn close to the back that left for the Falcons in free agency, when will we see Cadillac back on the field and when we do will he be anything like the back that excited the league in his rookie campaign. For these reasons it’s not inconceivable that the Buccaneers will take a running back in the draft. There are three primary names that are very high profile heading towards the draft, Darren McFadden (Arkansas), Jonathan Stewart (Oregon) and Rashad Mendenhall (Illinois). It is generally expected that these three will be gone by the time that the Buccaneers are on the clock that said many of the teams early in the draft have previously invested in a first round back (as we have) and the could be looking at other positions. McFadden, for me is the elite running back prospect in this draft, his combination of speed, vision and balance that makes him truly special, he has had some well documented off the field issues and a worrying ability to fumble the football, that said he is an top level athlete and in my mind a better prospect than Peterson was a year ago, that’s not to say he will match Petersons play in the pro’s but given his skill set and production in the SEC he measures up favourably against last years rookie of the year. Mendenhall is probably the most complete back in the draft his ability as a blocker and receiver makes him an excellent prospect, he has good size and good timed speed, my concerns with Mendenhall are that he ran out of the spread most of the year, has only had one year of production, like McFadden has struggled with ball security and despite having an excellent timed speed he doesn’t show that on the field, therefore hasn’t really showed breakaway speed. Stewart could be the most interesting prospect at running back to me. He his a big back who runs with power and surprising agility for a man his size, has really good vision and despite his size is a big play threat and is very rarely caught from behind. He is another spread based running back who may take some time to adjust to the pro-style attacks of the NFL. Throughout his time at Oregon he has suffered with injuries and as I write this it has been reported that he may need surgery that could keep him out for up to 4 months, this type of news is sure to hurt his draft stock. In reality it’s the second wave of running backs that are more likely to end up in Tampa than the first three. Felix Jones (Arkansas) is usually grouped with the top running backs however I see him as the top of the second group of backs. Jones has top end speed and excellent vision especially down the field but I don’t think at the moment he is big or strong enough to be an every down back in the NFL and unless this changes he will struggle at the next level especially running between the tackles. His big play potential and lack of wear and tear (having backed up McFadden) will probably get him over drafted. From the middle of the second round to the early part of the second day there are a large number of running backs that are ‘draftable’ and could be in the discussion on draft day. Chris Johnson (East Carolina) is probably the fastest running back in the draft who is a top level return man and a threat when in open space, he’s probably not big enough to play the position and looks to bounce most plays to the outside, will more likely be a 3rd down back at the next level but the home run threat makes him a dangerous weapon, he also played some receiver in college. I would categorise Steve Slaton (West Virgnia) as a similar type of back, one with elite speed who is a home run type threat but one that lacks the bulk for the NFL, your just not going to see him breaking many tackles, his production dropped dramatically in his last year in college. Ray Rice (Rutgers), Kevin Smith (UCF) and Matt Forte (Tualne) are all intriguing prospects. Rice is probably the worst prospect of these three, he has been very productive at Rutgers but already has a lot of wear on his tyres, he really isn’t the physical type that the teams are looking for he is slightly undersized, doesn’t have the top end speed to be a breakaway threat and just lacks the physical tools, yet he has been as productive as any other running back in college. Forte on the other hand physically looks like a NFL running back and could have the best hands of any back in the draft, he is an decent blocker but lacks the top speed or elusiveness of an NFL running back, he has competed against a low level of competition and when he went against better teams he struggled, could be used as a hybrid rb/fb in the same way that Brian Leonard is. Kevin Smith is a prospect I like, he’s a strong, tough and disciplined runner, isn’t as quick as some would like but on tape plays quicker than his timed speed, an adequate receiver and blocker who was very productive in college. Didn’t play against the highest level of competition, his lack of big play potential and a large number of carriers in college could be a concern but he is a well rounded back who given time could be a contributor to an NFL backfield. Other names to look out for come draft day would be, Jamaal Charles (Texas) who is a very productive very quick running back, most of his yards came in second halves of games when his offensive line had worn the opposition, Tashard Choice (Georgia Tech) is a very physical tough runner who lacks breakaway speed, Justin Forsett (Cal) who served as Marshawn Lynch’s backup he could have a career as a very good 3rd down back. Mike Hart (Michigan) a small and slow back who was unbelievably productive in college and Allen Patrick (Oklahoma) who is a fast running back with durability concerns he might be worth a look in the late rounds because of his athletic ability. This is such a deep position this year that late in the draft there should be some good value available from the running back position. Full Backs Never the most glamorous of positions but whoever is the full back in Tampa will always have a large Alstott shaped shadow looming over him. There are usually not many full backs that are in demand and it’s again similar this year with only three obvious candidates standing out. Owen Schmitt (West Virginia) is probably the most well known of the full backs, he isn’t much of an offensive threat, although got some use in short yardage situations in college, has an issue with ball security. However when it comes to run blocking he is excellent, a tough lead blocker who is very strong and powerful, his pass blocking is significantly below his run blocking. If it’s a blocking fullback you are looking for then Schmitt is certainly the prospect. The other two full backs Peyton Hills (Arkansas) and Jacob Hester (LSU) are more FB/RB hybrids than a pure fullback, neither can block anywhere near the level of Schmitt. Hills is probably the better blocker of the two but like Hester they both lack the proto-typical size expected of a full- back. Hills has done an excellent job of catching the ball and running routes, where Hester is more of a natural runner. Not sure either have the size to be effective in obvious short yardage situations. From an athletic standpoint Hills has more to offer but the hard working Hester will look good to a lot of NFL coaches very late in the draft.