Some thoughts on the 2020 Rookie Class

[cantguardjake]

Sanders college film was awesome, it’s way better than Akers

Is this the same Swift and Dobbins that we’re being outsnapped by Holyfield and Mike Webber last year?

Sanders only had the 1 year of film. Akers had such a porous OL, it's tough to really compare tape, TBH. I'm not really high on Akers, but watching his tape, is difficult, because he gets hit behind the line so often.

by "film" he must mean youtube highlights. Yes, Akders' highlights are tough because of the bad OL....

I’m sure your aware game cut ups exist on YouTube.

[MEuRaH]

I don't even know what to say right now. This thread has veered off topic in a big way. I don't want to shut it down because users can still provide relevant opinions, but I'm also not sure if we've reached a threshold.

Just FYI: Warnings have been issued. Users are on notice to stay on topic and not veer towards hatred/bigotry. This is not the place for such nonsense. In a perfect world, there would be no place for that at all...

I'd like to see the next post continue with something relevant to the topic. Who dares to make such a post?

More importantly, when do we see the first installment of your RB report on the 2020 class?

I'm not even close. I am coaching some great high school kids in my best ever season and all of my attention has gone to that. The season ends next week so I'll probably have something then.

[Hottoddies]

Got around to some more tape sessions, wanted to post my thoughts on one of my favorite players in this year's draft class:

Clyde Edwards-Helaire - What a baller. He's everything you could want in a RB and fits the modern NFL so perfectly. I think he's the best pass-catching RB in this class, and it isn't even close. He runs legitimate routes out of the backfield, and is an absolute nightmare against LBs, particularly on diamond or option routes. Some might think he's "undersized", but he's built with a thick lower body and his BMI is more than high enough. He actually uses his diminutive stature to his advantage, displaying a ridiculously low center of gravity that allows him to maintain balance through contact. He has enough leg drive & strength to push defenders forward, yet enough lateral agility to make them miss in space. He has a full arsenal of moves, including a nasty spin move and a great jump cut in between the tackles. He moves with suddenness with very little wasted movement. I think his one *weakness* is his long speed. While he has great quickness and acceleration, I think his top-end speed is pretty capped and will be noticeable at the NFL level. He's plenty athletic, I just don't expect him to break away from secondaries and destroy pursuit angles against NFL speed.

Player Comparison: Christian McCaffrey. That's right, I said it. This is more about CMC the prospect coming out of college, as I recognize that he's continued to get bigger, faster, stronger, and better at the next level. I'm not projecting CEH to immediately be a top3 fantasy RB, but I think their games are very similar as surprisingly above-average runners and elite level pass-catchers. Only difference might be CEH's lack of long speed compared to CMC.

I came away from watching his film with the same impression. I now have him in my top 4 RB prospects ahead of Taylor and behind only Swift & Dobbins. He may not have the same top end speed of the other 3 RBs but I don't see that as a major handicap to his success at the next level. Top end speed rarely comes into play for RBs. It's more about short area burst.

I thought I should bump this insightful piece back up to the forefront. I think kmbryant09 was spot on in his assessment of CEH.

[kmbryant09]

Got around to some more tape sessions, wanted to post my thoughts on one of my favorite players in this year's draft class:

Clyde Edwards-Helaire - What a baller. He's everything you could want in a RB and fits the modern NFL so perfectly. I think he's the best pass-catching RB in this class, and it isn't even close. He runs legitimate routes out of the backfield, and is an absolute nightmare against LBs, particularly on diamond or option routes. Some might think he's "undersized", but he's built with a thick lower body and his BMI is more than high enough. He actually uses his diminutive stature to his advantage, displaying a ridiculously low center of gravity that allows him to maintain balance through contact. He has enough leg drive & strength to push defenders forward, yet enough lateral agility to make them miss in space. He has a full arsenal of moves, including a nasty spin move and a great jump cut in between the tackles. He moves with suddenness with very little wasted movement. I think his one *weakness* is his long speed. While he has great quickness and acceleration, I think his top-end speed is pretty capped and will be noticeable at the NFL level. He's plenty athletic, I just don't expect him to break away from secondaries and destroy pursuit angles against NFL speed.

Player Comparison: Christian McCaffrey. That's right, I said it. This is more about CMC the prospect coming out of college, as I recognize that he's continued to get bigger, faster, stronger, and better at the next level. I'm not projecting CEH to immediately be a top3 fantasy RB, but I think their games are very similar as surprisingly above-average runners and elite level pass-catchers. Only difference might be CEH's lack of long speed compared to CMC.

I came away from watching his film with the same impression. I now have him in my top 4 RB prospects ahead of Taylor and behind only Swift & Dobbins. He may not have the same top end speed of the other 3 RBs but I don't see that as a major handicap to his success at the next level. Top end speed rarely comes into play for RBs. It's more about short area burst.

I thought I should bump this insightful piece back up to the forefront. I think kmbryant09 was spot on in his assessment of CEH.

I was told I was crazy for having him rated so highly

Where the haters at now?

The sad thing is I have picks 4 & 5 and would've instantly penciled in CEH as long as he didn't land in such a juicy situation - now he'll almost certainly go 1 or 2 to a team that doesn't even believe in his talents.