Most Talented College RB This Decade

[OregonBuckeye]

This isnt about what they did in the pros but what they did in college. I dont think anyone in here is saying that Perry is anywhere near a top guy, but that he is an overlooked good player.

The man was a 1st round pick (shows that he obviously had the measureless) and was the Doak Walker award winner. The man rushed for over 3,600 yards and overall had 41 TD's and 4,200 total yards. He is far from a top notch guy in the grand scheme of things, but he is one of the better Big 10 backs this decade.

No one said he was Top 10 or anything, but it isnt insane to toss his name out there when looking at the grand scheme of things. If no one threw out underrated guys then this dicussion would be much more boring.

I agree with that.

And he was a first round pick by the Bengals. 'nuff said.

 

[NextBuck]

I'm just going to make a Top 30 list to show where I think some should be ranked:

1. Adrian Peterson
2. Darren McFadden
3. Reggie Bush
4. Jonathan Stewart
5. Willis McGahee
6. Maurice Clarett
7. LaDanian Tomilson
8. Larry Johnson
9. Kevin Jones
10. Chris Wells
11. Cadillac Williams
12. Stephen Jackson
13. Marshawn Lynch
14. Laurence Maroney
15. Frank Gore (May have been higher before injuries)
16. Greg Jones (May have been higher before injuries)
17. Cedric Benson
18. Ronnie Brown
19. Felix Jones
20. DeAngelo Williams
21. Julius Jones
22. Darren Sproles
23. Rashard Mendenhall
24. LenDale White
25. Chris Perry
26. Ciatrick Fason
27. Jammal Charles
28. Knowshon Moreno
29. DeMarco Murray
30. Mike Hart

It's not perfect but I just threw it together. So yeah I have Perry at #25 which I think is a very good position for him. I have Gore and Jones because before were great players and crazy talented before injuries hit them. Even though guys like Sproles and Hart dont have the best measurables compared to other bigger backs they deserve a place because of how they play the small back position.

 

[Jaxbuck]

This isnt about what they did in the pros but what they did in college.

Then how do you have him rated higher than Hart? BTW 5 guys have had 1,600+ yds and 15+ TDs in the B10 just since 2003. It was a good year but not off the charts.

The man was a 1st round pick (shows that he obviously had the measureless)

of the Bengals. Take it with a grain of salt. Also if measurables count for anything Lydell Ross really does need to be on the list.

The man rushed for over 3,600 yards and overall had 41 TD's

Half his career total came from the one good year he had in college (which is one more than he's had in the NFL). Talented players tend to produce at some point in their careers beyond just their SR year in college.

he is one of the better Big 10 backs this decade.

He had one season that was top 6 since 2003. I haven't even looked up 2000-2002 but off the top of my head Bennett and Thomas are going to be up there not to mention LJ and MoC. So he had one single season that was in the top 10 of the B10 this decade.

No one said he was Top 10 or anything, but it isnt insane to toss his name out there when looking at the grand scheme of things. If no one threw out underrated guys then this dicussion would be much more boring.

You said he was top 20 in CFB for the decade. I'm showing you that he is borderline top 10 for the B10 this decade.

 

[NextBuck]

He had two 1,000 yard seasons and had a 5 ypc average as a freshman backup to Thomas. He was productive for more than one year. It's not like he sucked every year before his senior year. BTW Larry Johnson only had 1 good year, so does that mean he doesnt deserve to be mentioned? **Note I am not saying that Perry is near the level of LJ**

 

[Jaxbuck]

He had two 1,000 yard seasons and had a 5 ypc average as a freshman backup to Thomas. He was productive for more than one year. It's not like he sucked every year before his senior year. BTW Larry Johnson only had 1 good year, so does that mean he doesnt deserve to be mentioned? **Note I am not saying that Perry is near the level of LJ**

LJ backed it up in the NFL. Perry has 600 yds in 6 years in the NFL.

 

[NextBuck]

LJ backed it up in the NFL. Perry has 600 yds in 6 years in the NFL.

So? Bush hasnt done shit in the NFL worth being mentioned in the Top 5 yet he is deserving to be there because this is based off college production and most importantly talent. Perry was productive in college and was a very taletned player. Unfortunately that didn't translate over to the pros. Does that mean Clarett shouldn't be mentioned either because he only had one good year and doesnt have a single yard in the pros? No

I had him ranked 25 on my list. I think thats a pretty fair ranking for the kid.. If you just want to go off of college or NFL production then I'll also throw out guys names like Garrett Wolfe, Onterrio Smith, JJ Arrington, etc for college and Matt Forte, Brandon Jacobs, and Ryan Grant for NFL production. That would totally change up the thread though

 

[jwinslow]

Let's stop this Chris Perry noise right now. He does not deserve a sniff in a thread about the most talented RB this decade, or top-5 discussions centered around that topic.

Better backs in the Big Ten this decade (in no order)

1. Barber
2. Maroney
3. Beanie
4. Clarett
5. Thomas
6. Hart
7. Johnson
   
   Nationally:
8. Peterson
9. Bush
10. White
11. Tomlinson
12. Jones-Drew
13. McFadden
14. Williams
15. Benson
16. Stewart
17. McGahee
18. Portis
19. Moreno
20. Spiller
21. Slaton
22. Williams
23. Cadillac
24. Jacobs
25. Sproles
26. Lynch
27. Jackson
28. Arrington
29. Turner
30. Green
31. Rice
32. Westbrook
33. Taylor
    
    And two amazing years that put them above Perry in my book
34. Forte
35. Kevin Smith

Also in the discussion: Duckett, Ringer, Foster, Rice, Charles, Kevin Jones, T. Bell, Travis Henry, Harrison, R. Brown, C. Brown, Wolfe, McAllister, Bennett.

 

[NextBuck]

I agree. I'm tired of talking about Perry.

I think Kevin Jones should have cracked the list. He is still one of the best high school players I have seen and has one of the best combination of size and speed I've seen in a back. He was elusive, could hit a hole great, and had good power to run up the middle and drag some people along. Personally, based off talent he is Top 10 for me. What happened to him in the pros? I remember him making the pro bowl one year then disappearing.

Not too much tape on youtube on his times at VT, but this is a nice clip:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX93txncGjk&feature=related]YouTube - Kevin Jones 62 yard TD run against Boston College 11/22/2003[/ame]

 

[Taosman]

Adrian Peterson.
With McFadden a close second.

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

All this talk about Perry and not one "Chris Sherry" reference. Damn, I miss Tibs.

 

[zincfinger]

Also on the Clarett thing. I don't think he is on the level of the big three: McFadden, Peterson, Bush. Very talented, but he may get overhyped because of "what could have been". Dude is a shmuck for throwing away all that talent.

I guess this depends on how you define talent, but from my perspective, the "what could have been" that you refer to was based on the obvious talent he demonstrated in his 1 year. Obviously he didn't put up the career numbers those other guys did, because he did in fact only play one year. Based on that one year, I don't think it's overhyping to say that his talent ranked right up there with any of those other guys.

How many true freshman RB's have you seen become the obvious focal point of their offense, and flat-out, single-handedly dominate respectable, veteran defenses? Personally, I think Clarett was getting into Hershel Walker territory (or if you prefer, Adrian Peterson territory), in terms of talent and "what could have been".

 

[1926Buckeyes]

How many true freshman RB's have you seen become the obvious focal point of their offense, and flat-out, single-handedly dominate respectable, veteran defenses? Personally, I think Clarett was getting into Hershel Walker territory (or if you prefer, Adrian Peterson territory), in terms of talent and "what could have been".

See, I'm not so sure. Some people absolutely rave about Clarett and how good he could've been with some saying he would've been one of the greatest ever. There was a lot of talk out of spring practice that he was going to be amazing.

Still, while he was very talented and probably would've won a Heisman and broken some records if he had stayed healthy/not gone insane, I'm not sure he was quite that talented or good. It's hard to say though and a shame we never found out. He was one of the bigger what ifs for OSU history. Could've gotten the school an 03 title and probably an 11 win season in 2004.

 

[zincfinger]

See, I'm not so sure. Some people absolutely rave about Clarett and how good he could've been with some saying he would've been one of the greatest ever. There was a lot of talk out of spring practice that he was going to be amazing.

Still, while he was very talented and probably would've won a Heisman and broken some records if he had stayed healthy/not gone insane, I'm not sure he was quite that talented or good. It's hard to say though and a shame we never found out. He was one of the bigger what ifs for OSU history. Could've gotten the school an 03 title and probably an 11 win season in 2004.

But this doesn't sound like you're arguing against him being one of the most talented college running backs of the past ten years. It sounds like you accept that he would've been one of OSU's all-time greatest running backs (win a Heisman, break some school records) but just aren't sure whether he would've been one of college football's all-time greatest running backs. It seems to me that's perfectly consistent with being one of the most talented college football backs of the past ten years.

 

[NextBuck]

I think Clarett would have been up there with George and Griffin if he stayed for 3 years, and I think he is a Top 10 RB talent this decade. My thing is that I feel he sometimes gets slightly overhyped. I mean he is still a great player, but I just think people are certain he would have accomplished certain things if he had stayed and I'm not willing to say that.

I think he could have had at least two more 1,500+ yard rushing seasons if he stayed in shape both mentally and physically. He probably could have left as OSU's best RB ever, but we'll never know.

Like I said he is top 10 in my book, but I would have him in the #5-#8 range and not up there with Bush, McFadden, and Peterson.

He was very talented but just a tiny notch below those guys IMO. And I feel people prop him up there with them because he only had one great season, and people can be like "Well if he stayed then there would be no doubt he would be up there."

Clarett to me was more of a old school back who didn't have the fastest forty time or may have not been the biggest guy, but had the natural "running back talents" while the other guys are modern century atheltic freaks with the natural gift to play the position but not as much as Clarett.

 

[OregonBuckeye]

Still, while he was very talented and probably would've won a Heisman and broken some records if he had stayed healthy/not gone insane, I'm not sure he was quite that talented or good. It's hard to say though and a shame we never found out.

If you saw him, the talent was obvious.

I'll never forget the way he dominated Pac-10 champs Wazzu(a team that beat USC who everyone was in love with that year along with Iowa). The first half the offense wasn't doing anything. Clarett only had ~45 yards. Then, as a true frosh, he put the team on his back and dominated. He finished with around 230 yards rushing and that was a good WSU defense, IIRC. I know they had Marcus Trufant and some other good players.

The other game that stands out against scUM. He looked like he was playing at 60%, yet with no threat of a passing game and only playing a play or two in a row before being taken out, he kicked a solid scUM defense's ass. Over 100 yards rushing, a huge reception to get us into the redzone, and a td run.

He did have a Herschel Walker like season. 1,200 yards, 18 touchdowns(astounding # for how much playing time he missed), and the first 14-0 season in D-1A history, giving tOSU its first NC in 30+ years.

I think Clarett would have been up there with George and Griffin if he stayed for 3 years, and I think he is a Top 10 RB talent this decade. My thing is that I feel he sometimes gets slightly overhyped. I mean he is still a great player, but I just think people are certain he would have accomplished certain things if he had stayed and I'm not willing to say that.

I think he could have had at least two more 1,500+ yard rushing seasons if he stayed in shape both mentally and physically. He probably could have left as OSU's best RB ever, but we'll never know.

Like I said he is top 10 in my book, but I would have him in the #5-#8 range and not up there with Bush, McFadden, and Peterson.

He was very talented but just a tiny notch below those guys IMO. And I feel people prop him up there with them because he only had one great season, and people can be like "Well if he stayed then there would be no doubt he would be up there."

Clarett to me was more of a old school back who didn't have the fastest forty time or may have not been the biggest guy, but had the natural "running back talents" while the other guys are modern century atheltic freaks with the natural gift to play the position but not as much as Clarett.

I thought the question was most talented. Not best career.

NVM- I misread your post. Thought you were confusing the two.