So much for RBs being undervalued in the NFL. 3 taken in the first round.

[Tafkam Hokie]

Barry Sanders not worth a Top 10 pick? Really?

Let me help ME a bit. No running back is worth a top-10 pick these days.

Through most of the NFL's history, the running back was the piece that made the offense work. Sure, QB's got all the glory, but if you didn't have a superstar running back, your team probably wasn't going anywhere. Even deep into the 90's, many HoF quarterbacks wouldn't have done nearly as much without Ricky Watters, Emmitt Smith, Terrell Davis, or Thurman Thomas on their team.

But around the time the Patriots started winning Super Bowls things changed. The collisions in the game have gotten bigger and the smart GM's have realized every RB, no matter how good, only has so many miles on them. The game is much more QB focused than RB focused now, and teams have proven that a superstar QB combined with a bunch of interchangeable parts at RB is a valid recipe for success.

As good as the likes of LT, MJD, Adrian Peterson, and Steven Jackson are, an elite running back without an elite QB just doesn't get you much in the NFL these days. The Browns making moves to get Richardson while their QB situation is a mess isn't going to help the team much.

[VTizzle]

Disagree. TR is a beast, and definitely worth it. Plus Browns had like 14 draft picks. It doesn't take an expert to see he's dominated football games in the SEC with a similar running style to Adrian Peterson and arguably was a better prospect than Heisman winner Mark Ingram.

[reestuart]

Let me help ME a bit. No running back is worth a top-10 pick these days.

Through most of the NFL's history, the running back was the piece that made the offense work. Sure, QB's got all the glory, but if you didn't have a superstar running back, your team probably wasn't going anywhere. Even deep into the 90's, many HoF quarterbacks wouldn't have done nearly as much without Ricky Watters, Emmitt Smith, Terrell Davis, or Thurman Thomas on their team.

But around the time the Patriots started winning Super Bowls things changed. The collisions in the game have gotten bigger and the smart GM's have realized every RB, no matter how good, only has so many miles on them. The game is much more QB focused than RB focused now, and teams have proven that a superstar QB combined with a bunch of interchangeable parts at RB is a valid recipe for success.

As good as the likes of LT, MJD, Adrian Peterson, and Steven Jackson are, an elite running back without an elite QB just doesn't get you much in the NFL these days. The Browns making moves to get Richardson while their QB situation is a mess isn't going to help the team much.

Yep. Richardson is great, but it's just not worth it. Odds are you aren't getting more than 5-6 good years from him. No way you give up 3 picks to move up one and take him. Only a good team can afford to do that sort of thing.

[lawhokie]

This draft history site tends to support that argument. The number of RBs drafted in the first round has drifted downward since the 80s. Check out 1987 where seven RBs (1/4 of teams took an RB) were taken in the first round - none of whom did anything in the NFL. Possibly a reaction to the run-happy Giants winning the previous Super Bowl.

FYI: Eddie Hunter was taken in the 8th round that year.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/ful...&type=position

[cwtcr hokie]

yea, the brownies have a ton of picks, they can take some risks with the quantity they have

Disagree. TR is a beast, and definitely worth it. Plus Browns had like 14 draft picks. It doesn't take an expert to see he's dominated football games in the SEC with a similar running style to Adrian Peterson and arguably was a better prospect than Heisman winner Mark Ingram.

[MEHOKIE]

Disagree. TR is a beast, and definitely worth it. Plus Browns had like 14 draft picks. It doesn't take an expert to see he's dominated football games in the SEC with a similar running style to Adrian Peterson and arguably was a better prospect than Heisman winner Mark Ingram.

Cleveland team has more holes in it than a stop sign peppered with buckshot. It also doesn't take an expert to know that winning teams know where to draft players correctly. Cleveland is not a winning time.

Maurice Jones-Drew (2nd)	Jacksonville	343	1606	4.7	56	8
Ray Rice(2nd)	Baltimore	291	1364	4.7	70	12
Michael Turner (5th)	Atlanta	301	1340	4.5	81	11
LeSean McCoy (2nd)	Philadelphia	273	1309	4.8	60	17
Arian Foster (undrafted)	Houston	278	1224	4.4	43	10
Frank Gore (3rd)	San Francisco	282	1211	4.3	55	8
Marshawn Lynch (1st)	Seattle	285	1204	4.2	47	12
Willis McGahee (1st-buffalo)	Denver	249	1199	4.8	60	4
Steven Jackson (1st)	St. Louis	260	1145	4.4	47	5
Ryan Mathews (1st)	San Diego	222	1091	4.9	39	6
Reggie Bush (1st-NO)	Miami	216	1086	5.0	76

--------------------------
Note that from last season, every sucky team with a productive rusher, save the Saints, used a high 1st round pick to draft a running back. That is why they will remain sucky. Adrian peterson?? On a sucky team.

[Hurley09]

I think taking Weeden was stupid. I'm a Browns fan and our obsession w/getting a new qb every year is dumb as shoot. Get some offense around Colt and if he blows get a QB next year. Ever year it's the same thing 'Our qb sucks, we need a new one.' Give a guy some help on the line and some guys who can catch and a running back and maybe the results will be better. This picture says it all:

[two91hokies]

Completely agree. Trading away 3 picks to move up one and get a guy who was going to likely be available is stupid.

Vikings must have put on a good sales job. Must have convinced Cleveland someone else was trying to move into that spot to take TR.

TR is going to have fun running against Baltimore & Pittsburgh 4x's a year.

[gern]

so Cleveland just gives up until a franchise QB falls in their lap? There will likely be 1 decent QB in the draft this year. If you think there is a 95% chance that that guy went either #1 or #2, what do you do? Pray Tannehill is ok (he isn't)?

Maybe you take the best guy on the board that can help your team. Could be a RB, could be a RG... but you take someone that can help your team. Imagine where Jax would be without MJD last couple of seasons, or Minn without AP. They might not have been world beaters but at least they sort of gave their fans something to watch.

[gern]

pick a position and filter on it, you'll find plenty of useless guys. Heck, pick a sport and you'll see that drafts aren't the easiest things to get right. God knows of the 3 RBs I picked in the 1st 3 rounds of FFB didn't pan out well for me the other year (1 out was out for season midway through 1st quarter, another got a high ankle sprain in week 2 and was 70% rest of season) and that was just having to fill in 8 established players.