Who is the next Jamaal Charles?
 

Spinning off of Dante84's thread....who in this draft is the next Jamaal?

Maybe not this year, but probably no later than next, we need to draft the next Jamaal and get him ready to takeover once Jamaal's time here is up.

I am happy with Knile Davis as our change of pace back....but i don't think he will be the Chris Johnson - Jamaal Charles game breaker type of back.

So....does a back like that exist in this draft or next?

I think JC is pretty one of a kind in terms of all he brings to the table skill-set wise.

Gio Bernard would be somewhat comparable, but he's obviously in the league now.

I think Lache Seastrunk from Baylor is going to be a ****ing stud.

I think Johnny Manziel can run for a solid 1000 every year if the coaches let him play.

There is no RB in this draft class with the same combination of elite speed, elite balance, and between-the-tackles toughness as Jamaal Charles.

You can find some RBs with one of those qualities on par with Charles', but that's it.

I would like to find Jamaal lite also. Maybe a guy who can't carry the load but give you 6-8 carries a game. Who are the fastest backs coming out?

Somebody on Oregon's roster.

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What's funny is that no one is talking about this guy. He's been one of the most electrifying players in college football during his career, and it's like he's an afterthought in this draft.

Probably because the last couple have been disappointments in the NFL

Perhaps, but this kid is certainly amazing to watch. He's really got nice instincts and feet to go along with blazing speed.

Depends what you want and where you want it.

Looking for a dependable guy that can eventually take over the full load? Or are you looking for a McCluster-ish role player who'll always give you a dependable contribution, but that's it?

The closest thing this draft has to Jamaal Charles is Devonta Freeman out of Florida State. He is electric off tackle, has homerun hitting ability, and can run between the tackles. He's short, which I like in a RB, and he carries his 210 lbs extremely well. I think he'll be available in the 4th or (god help us) even the 5th. But he is the closest this draft has to Charles. I think he's a 1,000-yard rusher.

I really like Lache Seastrunk. He's an Oregon transfer, and is a little heavier than Charles, but looks like he's 220 lbs, and he's extremely difficult to bring down. The aspect of Charles' game he's missing is the homerun ability, and Baylor's offense spreads everybody waaaaay out so it's not a terribly accurate gauge of the NFL. The reason why he's not a Chiefs prospect though: zero experience catching the ball out of the backfield. Zero.

My favorite RB in this whole draft is Tre Mason. I just don't think there's a RB who can match his combination of power, patience and burst.

I know the name Charles Sims has appeared several times in this forum, but it's hard not to buy into the hype. Sims has good size, and he keeps his balance extremely well -- he has both Charles' patience and hits the hole really well with great balance. He doesn't quite have the same explosion to his game that Charles or even Knile Davis have, however.

I think Ka'Deem Carey could be a sleeper. His tape looks pretty good, and he has Charles' dimensions and short-distance burst. But the Wildcats offense just ran him between the tackles 80% of the time. I think in Andy Reid's system, he could potentially flourish, but that's assuming he performs as well at the Combine as I think he will -- no guarantee, there.

Well now this is just turning into a laundry list of RBs I like. So be it, I guess.

De'Anthony Thomas, of course, is the elite speedster that Oregon always throws out. His direct precedent is LaMichael James (they even have similar names...), and your opinion of Thomas' role in an NFL offense should be the same as your opinion of James'.

I think Marion Grice has a pretty interesting skillset. He's got some shiftiness, good speed, great hands in the open field. But ASU's offense was so butt****ingly stupid, it's hard to truly evaluate Grice. We'll need a strong Combine showing -- but the Chiefs throw the ball to RBs A LOT, and no RB in this draft class has better hands, IMO.

There are more. I'll throw them out if/when I get the inclination to do so.

De'Anthony Thomas = LaMichael James

I don't think that's a bad thing, however. I think James can be stellar in the right system. That system is definitely not SF's, however.

I would also like to say that I'm really high on Roy Finch out of Oklahoma or (to a lesser extent) Dri Archer out of Kent State as small speed-demons to replace the McCluster role on this offense.

Not that this answers the OP or anything, but keep your eye on James Wilder, Jr., of Florida State. His father was a RB for the Bucs.

Wilder's really tall for a RB (6'2", maybe taller), but NFL teams drool over bloodlines.

I think the only RB with a chance of being taken in the 1st round is Jeremy Hill.

He's not my favorite RB, and he's not my favorite value pick, but he's got what teams love.

So... Are we writing Davis off here? Confused, really..

Davis is not the same type of back as Charles. See the OP...