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National Football League
Draft King Analysis
August 2, 2009
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com
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It looks like the Arena Football League may be shuttering for good soon, apparently set to become another victim of the economy. These are tough economic times.
My favorite Arena Football moment was attending Arena Bowl XVII at the St. Pete Times Forum in 2003 in Tampa, literally landing a second-row seat about an hour and a half before the game thanks to my buddy James. It was a great time, the Storm won on their home field, and it was a memorable moment during my tenure in Tampa. Arena Football was no NFL as far as the product went, but it was something to help pass the time for football fans during the NFL off-season.
|  | That's me posing with the on-field logo at Arena Bowl XVII.
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One of my biggest football-related annoyances is how a player who hasn't yet signed with the team that has drafted him is labeled by many as a "holdout". That, in my estimation, is an unfair designation. For example, Alabama OT Andre Smith has no contract from which to hold out from in Cincinnati. And, absent a signed deal, Smith has no obligation to appear in training camp with the Bengals.
Conversely, Falcons WR Roddy White is a holdout. He has a contract with Atlanta that he is hoping to renegotiate, and he is refusing to report to training camp as an attempt to gain leverage to get the Falcons to redo his deal. But, sure enough, both White and Smith are being billed as "holdouts" by various media outlets.
An aside: props to CBSSports.com for its Rapid Reports page, which gives insight from all 32 NFL team training camps. It covers a pretty wide range, from how certain players are performing to what teammates have ended up in skirmishes. I find it interesting.
Looking at the prospective running back prospects for the 2010 Draft, there is an interesting array of rushers on the horizon. There is no Deuce McAllister or Adrian Peterson sure thing type prospect, at least not yet, and as of this writing I have only two running backs slated as first-round prospects: Oregon's LeGarrette Blount (who is 6'2" 240) and Clemson RB C.J. Spiller (who runs an estimated sub 4.4 40). But there are challenges for both of those players to overcome before they become any sort of lock as a first round pick.
As for the rest of the pack, there is an interesting mix of talent available out there. There aren't any Knowshon Moreno or Chris Wells level prospects (at least not yet) from the underclassman ranks, but it's wide open for a capable running back to jump to the top of the rankings.
DeMarco Murray, RB, Oklahoma (6'0" 205)
Injuries are a concern for Murray, who suffered a ruptured left hamstring in Oklahoma's win over Missouri in the 2008 Big XII Title game. Right now Murray looks like a second or third round prospect, but if Murray proves that he is fully healed from his hamstring injury and that he can stay healthy for an entire season, it's possible that he could end up being the first running back taken in the 2010 NFL Draft.
Mikell Simpson, RB, Virginia (6'1" 205)
Much like Murray, Simpson also has to prove that he can stay healthy; he hurt his left shoulder in November 2008 and missed the rest of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery. But Simpson has both size and speed, though he'll need to rediscover the explosiveness that he showed in 2007 when he began to stand out as a sophomore.
Charles Scott, RB, LSU (5'11" 233)
Scott is coming off of a season where he ran for 1,174 yards and scored 18 TDs. Scott has great size, and while he is not a speedster (estimates have him in the 4.6 40 range), Scott could be a great addition for a team needing a larger running back to pair with a speedster. Scott could prove to be a strong goal line threat in the NFL, but overall he hasn't particularly shown the versatility that some of the other elite prospects have.
James Starks, RB, Buffalo (6'2" 212)
Starks runs an estimated 4.55 40 yard dash, and he has good size and enough skill to be a middle round draft pick if he can stay healthy. Like other RBs in this list, he needs to prove he can stay healthy (he's had some nagging injuries) but he is coming off of a 17 TD season and could fight his way up the board with another strong 2009. Playing for Buffalo limits his exposure on the national level, but Starks is a talented running back.
Anthony Dixon, RB, Mississippi State (6'1" 234)
Many football fans aren't aware of Dixon's skills, but he was one of the few bright spots on an otherwise disappointing M-State team from 2008. Dixon is faster than Scott in estimated 40 times, and in the right situation Dixon could flourish into being a great NFL player. His off-season DUI arrest is a negative and Dixon wull need to avoid further trouble during his time in Starkville. But Dixon already has the school record with 30 rushing TDs, and he could end moving up draft boards with a strong performance this fall.
Harvey Unga, RB, BYU (6'0" 240)
Note that Unga is a redshirt junior, so he could return for the 2010 college football season at BYU. Unga has suffered from knee and shoulder injuries in the past, and he needs to show durability as far as injuries go. But Ungla has great size, he has been a consistent and productive running back during his tenure at BYU, and he could form a great tandem with a speedster running back in the NFL.
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