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Originally Posted by BuckeyeRob
The only question I have is does this kid have speed? I certainly recall a young man from NY who was supposed to be the next coming of Jim Brown.... Sammy M.
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Don't get me wrong...it is important to be able to get to the outside as a rusher and to be able to break a long run...but speed isn't nearly as important as you all think. If I need a running back, I look at these 5 skills ahead of speed.
1. Vision - you have to be able to follow your blockers and find a hole. If you get hit in the backfield, none of the rest of these skills mean anything.
2. Agility - you have to make sharp cuts and be able to make the first guy miss.
3. Burst - there are a lot of guys that have great burst but minimal top speed. As a running back, very few of your runs will ever go over 20 yards...it's more important to be quick.
4. Balance - If you have a low center of gravity and can bounce off arm tackles and glancing blows, you can turn a 2 yard gain into 10.
5. Power - the ability to run INTO a guy and always fall forward is key. It may not sound like a big factor, but consistently wearing down the defense and making them sit back on their heels offers a great advantage. You need to be able to pound it in at the goal line.
Believe me...40 speed is WAY overrated for running backs. I would venture to guess it is of greater (but not ultimate) importance with Wide Receivers, but is still secondary to route running/agility and hands.