A look at the top RB prospects for the 2011 Draft

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The sad news came in yesterday for fans of the ESPN Zone bars/restaurants, which have shut their doors for good in all of their remaining markets but Anaheim and Los Angeles. There was a unique feature at the Las Vegas ESPN Zone in that you could bet on sports there, which was a promotional tie-in that ESPN always seemed to shy away from exploiting. That probably was a wise move considering the agitation that could have caused among sports organizations (college and pro) which have games that air on ESPN.

In my last post on here I provided a preview of the top QB prospects to watch for the 2011 and 2012 drafts. Today the topic is running back prospects, which are a bit tougher to project from this far out. This time last year, Fresno State RB Ryan Mathews wasn't on the radar of many draft prognosticators, but he posted a monster 2009 season, had a great combine, and ended up as the #12 overall pick in the 2009 Draft by San Diego.

Deuce McAllister was a first-round pick in 2001. (Icon SMI)

There are some cases where a running back comes into a season looking like a lock to be a first-round pick: Deuce McAllister, Darren McFadden, and Adrian Peterson come to mind immediately from the past 10 years, but I'm sure there are many others. It seems that, in many circles, elite speed at running back is gaining vogue. And rightfully so: Chris Johnson ran for 2,000+ yards in 2009, which I strongly suspect played a large role in Clemson RB C.J. Spiller going #9 overall to Buffalo.

It's interesting to look back at the 2008 Draft where Dallas drafted Felix Jones at #24, Pittsburgh selected Rashard Mendenhall at #25, and Tennessee ended up with Chris Johnson at #26. Jones and Mendenhall both have the potential to have long NFL careers, but Johnson has already established himself as one of the truly special players to play the running back position in the NFL.

Moreover, with teams moving more and more toward two-RB attacks (a trend that caught on when the Colts and Bears both had dual-RB schemes and met in the Super Bowl following the 2006 season), aiming for speed to go with a power RB is an approach that teams seem to be taking. That isn't to say that a "total package" type RB who isn't a track star won't be given his proper due, but a guy with at least decent size (Johnson is 5'11" 200 lbs.) and elite speed is becoming more and more coveted.

Here's a look at some of the top RB prospects for the 2011 Draft:

Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama *: The reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Ingram returns this fall as part of the defending champion Crimson Tide looking to build on his legacy. Odds are that if Ingram posts even similarly close numbers to 2009 this fall and stays healthy, he will be the top running back drafted in 2011 if he leaves Tuscaloosa for the NFL. He has prototype RB stats at 5'10" 215 pounds.

	Ryan Williams had a huge impact for Virginia Tech in 2009. (Icon SMI)

Ryan Williams, RB, Virginia Tech *: After redshirting in 2008, Williams burst onto the scene in a major way in 2009 as a redshirt freshman and posted some huge stats. He averaged 5.5 yards per carry in his first-ever college game... against none other than the aforementioned Alabama Crimson Tide. That was also his low rushing yardage game of the year (71 yards on 13 attempts). Williams went on to have only two games in the rest of the season where he had less than 100 yards rushing, and he was more than adequate in replacing the injured Darren Evans who tore the ACL in his left knee last summer.

How impressive was Williams? He set Virginia Tech's single-season rushing record (1,655 yards on 293 attempts), the ACC single-season rushing TD record (21 rushing touchdowns), and total single-season TD record with 22 (he had one receiving TD in 2009). And he did this all as a redshirt freshman. With a strong 2010 season, Williams could be primed to be a first-round pick in the 2011 Draft. Alternately, he could stay at Virginia Tech through 2012 and possibly set all kinds of additional school and conference records. Barring any problems on or off the field, at 5'10" 210 pounds Williams could potentially go ahead of Ingram in the 2011 Draft.

Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia: Devine has followed a quixotic course through his career, from being a top prospect in high school in Ft. Myers, FL to his connection with Deion Sanders to that falling apart and Devine ultimately ending up in Morgantown. Devine has tremendous breakaway speed, and he runs an estimated 4.34 40. But he is on the small side (5'8" 180), and he will need a strong (and consistent) 2010 season to receive legitimate consideration as a first-round selection.

Jeff Demps, RB, Florida *: Much like Devine, Demps is on the smaller side (5'8" 185). But he has world-class speed and the potential to break out big-time in 2010. Consider this from April: Demps ran a 100 meter dash in a blistering 10.11 seconds. That's the fastest official time posting by ANYONE in the WORLD this year at that distance, better than Jamaica's Nesta Carter's time of 10.15, the second-best on record for the year.

It takes more than speed to play running back, and there is little chance that any team will invest a first-round selection based solely on speed. But this fall Demps should have more of an opportunity to show off his running back skills than he had over the past two years. If he shows that he has the hands to be a receiving threat, if he can stay healthy (an arm injury limited him to just one carry against Alabama in the 2009 SEC Championship Game), and if he can show at least some skill at a blocker, he could end up jumping to the NFL and hoping that his rare speed will entice a team to use a first-round pick on him.

DeMarco Murray, RB, Oklahoma: Murray has what you want on paper from a pro running back: he's 6'1" 215 and can run an estimate 4.45 40 yard dash. He will need to show that he can stay healthy (he has been beset by injuries during his time with the Sooners) and that he has the ability to perform on a steady basis. Murray was exposed by Stanford in the Sun Bowl, rushing for just 27 yards on 20 carries and showing some problems receiving the ball. But Murray will end up in an NFL camp in 2011 (if there are any 2011 NFL training camps), and the challenge for him is to overcome the criticisms and questions about his game to perhaps break through as a 2011 first round pick in the NFL.

Daniel Thomas, RB, Kansas State: A junior college transfer, Thomas showed the capacity to be an every-down running back in 2009 for Kansas State. At 6'2" 230 he has the size to handle blocking and (presumably) the wear-and-tear of the position, and with 1,265 rushing yards last year he can amass some numbers. Thomas won't wow you with speed, but he's not slow and he fits the prototype for what the traditional running back model has been for many years in the NFL.

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