Opinion: Travis Etienne is the best RB prospect since Barkley

[Patsfan86]

If I had drafted Etienne I would have to be worried right now

I'm big on draft capital but decent chance Urban isn't even back next year coupled with Robinson lapping his on field production (not Etienne's fault but still--Robinson's becoming harder and harder to push aside)

I would've been concerned right after the injury. Jrob was solid last year and there was no reason to expect he wouldn't get work after ETN went down.

His injury is the biggest factor. It was always going to keep the door open for Jrob though and this doesn't surprise me

This is all totally assuming the door wasnt already opened for Jrob. It probably was and we were probably always going to see a thunder and lightning type of deal. The past two posts have made the point pretty clear, the NFL does not do bellcows anymore and it is totally ok perhaps better to be in a 50/50 split. Our thinking needs to change and reflect this, Arryit made this point so well. 50/50 is the new NFL, yes we still have the Derrick Henrys of the world but he is just a physical freak. Look at the other bellcows, Barkely CMC hurt, Zeke splitting time with Pollard. Mixon has never been a real bellcow. Najee looks good in the role but he is still young lets see what he looks like next year? Aside from that who else is a bell cow? That concept is dead or dying and has been for a few years. So nothing about Jrob would concern me, this doesnt mean im saying he isnt talented because he is.

What does concern me is the injury, can we get an answer to the Lis Franc reocurrence question?

Even Meyer possibly leaving doesnt concern me and this could end up better for Etienne if it happens. What if they get an offensive minded genius in there to work with Lawrence on improving? We also need to remember Etienne and Lawrence were college teammates and the chemistry there will help. Could etienne become a Rashaad Penny? Buried by a more talented UDFA? Sure he could but Etienne is a much more talented back then Penny ever was so i find this unlikely.

[Patsfan86]

Bumping this because old threads with relevance should be bumped. I expect Etienne to be a major offseason discussion especially with the unfortunate Jrob news. I will say again im really not worried about Etiennes injury, now the opportunity seems to be all his as well. In a rookie 22 class with average Rbs how much do we see Etiennes Value rising?

[Jigga94]

Bumping this because old threads with relevance should be bumped. I expect Etienne to be a major offseason discussion especially with the unfortunate Jrob news. I will say again im really not worried about Etiennes injury, now the opportunity seems to be all his as well. In a rookie 22 class with average Rbs how much do we see Etiennes Value rising?

He will likely be in that speculative RB2 conversation. Will still be young but the injury is still a big concern.

And I'm not 100% sure JRob isn't ready by week 1. I don't think it's a given and he could miss all of training camp/preseason. But we are seeing Cam Akers come back after 5-6 months of the same injury. And while he's still a longshot to play and/or be effective this season (and possibly even the future), it bodes well for JRob I would have to assume.

Just wanted to bring this up because it seems like everyone is handing ETN the 22 job and only considering the 22 rookies when JRob could potentially be healthy by the start of the season.


Semi related...
https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status ... 13287?s=20

[Patsfan86]

Akers is a special case and shouldnt be used as a lead example here. I highly doubt Jrob is ready for week 1 and even if he is it takes players a while to get back into playing form. Etienne on the other had will have had a full year off to rehab and, while i also dont think will come out guns blazing in week 1, i do think he will show more than even a "fully healthy" Jrob would at that time. We will see but id be looking to buy etienne now before the hype train starts rollling again

[Jigga94]

Akers is a special case and shouldnt be used as a lead example here. I highly doubt Jrob is ready for week 1 and even if he is it takes players a while to get back into playing form. Etienne on the other had will have had a full year off to rehab and, while i also dont think will come out guns blazing in week 1, i do think he will show more than even a "fully healthy" Jrob would at that time. We will see but id be looking to buy etienne now before the hype train starts rollling again

I agree with you, you're probably right about Jrob. I just wanted to offer up the other side because I haven't heard it mentioned. I suppose JRob owners are tired of talking about this roller coaster lol

[thebeast]

I think we're going to have some really good new data on achilies injuries at some point during the early season next year. Personally, I think players can make a complete recovery these days. In fact, with hard work, I think they can come back more powerful and explosive than they did pre-injury because that's exactly what happened with Kevin Durant. I know it's a different sport, but his sport relies 100% on explosiveness and lateral movement and he came back more explosive than ever and he is a lot older than these guys.

[Patsfan86]

Both were bad injuries for RBs, there is no doubt about that. But i have to think a full year of recovery from a Lis Franc for a very young player is going to give Etienne some sort of edge in this "race to recovery", because thats what it is right now. Whoever is more fully healthy at week 1 will be the starter and will have the full opportunity to take lead in the back field. Etienne also has advantages that Jrob simply does not, like being a first round pick and a former teammate of the QB.

Etienne could certainly struggle out the gate and lose opportunity to a healthy jrob in like week 6 but i just dont find this very likely. Either way Etienne vs Jrob is going to be a popular and annoying conversation all offseason, especially once news of their recoveries start coming out.

[Cameron Giles]

I think we're going to have some really good new data on achilies injuries at some point during the early season next year. Personally, I think players can make a complete recovery these days. In fact, with hard work, I think they can come back more powerful and explosive than they did pre-injury because that's exactly what happened with Kevin Durant. I know it's a different sport, but his sport relies 100% on explosiveness and lateral movement and he came back more explosive than ever and he is a lot older than these guys.

Kevin Durant also happens to be one of the best scorers and shooters...ever. So, it's a tougher comparison. An all-time great would certainly have a better chance of still being really, really good post-surgery, even if they lose a little bit of explosion and movement.

Whereas...James Robinson? Who knows. He's not particularly fast already and he isn't a special player. D'Onta Foreman came back and looks pedestrian even with volume. Marlon Mack came back and looks pretty bad. So, an injury like this can definitely mess you up if you're generally just not special to begin with.

Achilles injuries are still really, really tough to bounce back from.

[mild]

I think we're going to have some really good new data on achilies injuries at some point during the early season next year. Personally, I think players can make a complete recovery these days. In fact, with hard work, I think they can come back more powerful and explosive than they did pre-injury because that's exactly what happened with Kevin Durant. I know it's a different sport, but his sport relies 100% on explosiveness and lateral movement and he came back more explosive than ever and he is a lot older than these guys.

Kevin Durant also happens to be one of the best scorers and shooters...ever. So, it's a tougher comparison. An all-time great would certainly have a better chance of still being really, really good post-surgery, even if they lose a little bit of explosion and movement.

Whereas...James Robinson? Who knows.

Kevin Durant was also out for 552 days after tearing his Achilles. Y'know, just so long as you're sure this is the comparison you want to make.

He also doesn't play a sport where it's legal AND encouraged "best practice" for someone to dive at your knees and legs to completely halt your forward momentum. Repeatedly. Like, 20 times a game.

I personally don't think I'd invoke a 7 foot tall all-time-great shooter as a comparison to an NFL running back, personally. But I think some people here remember my opinions on that.

[Space Cowboy]

Barkley was no better than Penny, Michel or Guice.

[dynastyninja]

Barkley was no better than Penny, Michel or Guice.

I'm sure you must realize how absurd that statement is. Saquon's rookie year will be better than all three if their entire careers combined.

[thebeast]

I think we're going to have some really good new data on achilies injuries at some point during the early season next year. Personally, I think players can make a complete recovery these days. In fact, with hard work, I think they can come back more powerful and explosive than they did pre-injury because that's exactly what happened with Kevin Durant. I know it's a different sport, but his sport relies 100% on explosiveness and lateral movement and he came back more explosive than ever and he is a lot older than these guys.

Kevin Durant also happens to be one of the best scorers and shooters...ever. So, it's a tougher comparison. An all-time great would certainly have a better chance of still being really, really good post-surgery, even if they lose a little bit of explosion and movement.

Whereas...James Robinson? Who knows.

Kevin Durant was also out for 552 days after tearing his Achilles. Y'know, just so long as you're sure this is the comparison you want to make.

He also doesn't play a sport where it's legal AND encouraged "best practice" for someone to dive at your knees and legs to completely halt your forward momentum. Repeatedly. Like, 20 times a game.

I personally don't think I'd invoke a 7 foot tall all-time-great shooter as a comparison to an NFL running back, personally. But I think some people here remember my opinions on that.

The point is the ability to recover, not a comparison of what they do or what skills are needed. I just find it incredible that Durant was able to come back and be more explosive at his age, while Kobe was never able to fully recover. Looking into it treatment has changed, which has likely made a significant difference.

[FantasyFreak]

I think we're going to have some really good new data on achilies injuries at some point during the early season next year. Personally, I think players can make a complete recovery these days. In fact, with hard work, I think they can come back more powerful and explosive than they did pre-injury because that's exactly what happened with Kevin Durant. I know it's a different sport, but his sport relies 100% on explosiveness and lateral movement and he came back more explosive than ever and he is a lot older than these guys.

Kevin Durant also happens to be one of the best scorers and shooters...ever. So, it's a tougher comparison. An all-time great would certainly have a better chance of still being really, really good post-surgery, even if they lose a little bit of explosion and movement.

Whereas...James Robinson? Who knows.

Kevin Durant was also out for 552 days after tearing his Achilles. Y'know, just so long as you're sure this is the comparison you want to make.

He also doesn't play a sport where it's legal AND encouraged "best practice" for someone to dive at your knees and legs to completely halt your forward momentum. Repeatedly. Like, 20 times a game.

I personally don't think I'd invoke a 7 foot tall all-time-great shooter as a comparison to an NFL running back, personally. But I think some people here remember my opinions on that.

Nope. Nor is there any way to quantify that Durant was "more explosive" than before. I hope RB's can suddenly shake off achilles injuries like ACL's now, but I have my doubts. There's also a difference between being cleared to play, and being the same as before you hurt yourself. I'd like someone to show me exactly what has changed so drastically in surgeries that we shouldn't worry about the RB's loss of explosion any more.

[Space Cowboy]

Barkley was no better than Penny, Michel or Guice.

I'm sure you must realize how absurd that statement is. Saquon's rookie year will be better than all three if their entire careers combined.

People were paying 4 firsts for Barkley. It was absurd.

Michael and Penny can't stay healthy and Guice is a total sleeze. Lot of factors go into these things.

[thebeast]

Barkley was no better than Penny, Michel or Guice.

I'm sure you must realize how absurd that statement is. Saquon's rookie year will be better than all three if their entire careers combined.

People were paying 4 firsts for Barkley. It was absurd.

Michael and Penny can't stay healthy and Guice is a total sleeze. Lot of factors go into these things.

While I'm not a Barkley truther or anything I'd just note that Barkley helped a lot of owners win championships his first year and was a good contributor his second year. None of the other guys you mentioned have contributed at all so I don't think your initial statement is accurate.