I've ranked the first round draft Bengal running backs

[gregstephens]

http://www.examiner.com/x-7774-Cincinnati-...--Running-Backs

I'm sure I'm going to get lambasted here. Have fun.

[redsbengalsbucks]

Seems pretty close to me.

[richmond_mat]

That is one depressing list. So much so that I am very happy they didn't waste another first round pick on one. Would any one of them not be labeled a bust?

[Ickey44]

That is one depressing list. So much so that I am very happy they didn't waste another first round pick on one. Would any one of them not be labeled a bust?

That's just what I was thinking.

[ArmyBengal]

That is a pretty sad list, but goes to show that you can have all the talent in the world at the college level and never amount to sh*t in the NFL...

[walzav29]

Yuck. I was at that Lions - Bengals game. Carter went down, and then I seen the scrawl on ESPN. Ki-Jana Carter Torn ACL Out for Season. I was at the top of the Shake-N-Blake hype, and then he blew that knee out and the cover 2 was discovered to shut Blake Down.

[joshh967]

That was a fun list to read. The only thing I would do differently is place Perry ahead of Carter. Although both were major busts, we got slightly more use out of perry than Carter. Nice read!

[Bearcat1975]

I forgot about Eric Ball. Isn't he director of player relations for the Bengals now or something?

That;s a pretty sad list, but our 1st round QBs and WRs look pretty good I bet.

[jjakq27]

If Charles Alexander runs his route 2 yards deeper in the Super Bowl, we would have at least one trophy to celebrate. Never was a big fan of the guy before during or after that play.

And I still say that picking Perry was icing on a cake that was not fully baked. There were much greater needs that year for a team that had just had it's first sniff of a playoff race (2003) in many seasons. Steven Jackson would have been my pick if they weren't sold on Rudi Johnson for the long haul.

However, they have been quite successful at RB in the lower rounds though:

Rudi Johnson (4th, 2001)

Corey Dillon (2nd, 1997)

Harold Green (2nd 1990)

Ickey Woods (2nd 1988)

Stanford Jennings (3rd, 1984)

Larry Kinnebrew (6th, 1983)

Stanley Wilson (9th, 1983)

Pete Johnson (2nd, 1977)

Paul Robinson (2nd pick in 3rd, 1968)

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

That is a pretty sad list, but goes to show that you can have all the talent in the world at the college level and never amount to sh*t in the NFL...

True. I'm also a firm believer that success as a RB is 75% offensive line. A crappy back behind a great line can average 4.5 YPC; a great back behind a crappy line probably won't top 4 YPC.

Except Barry Sanders, of course, who averaged 5 YPC behind some bad lines. I'm convinced that if you'd have given Sanders the Dallas O-line instead, he'd have averaged 8 YPC some year. Best RB I've ever seen by a mile.

[gregstephens]

I forgot about Eric Ball. Isn't he director of player relations for the Bengals now or something?

That;s a pretty sad list, but our 1st round QBs and WRs look pretty good I bet.

Well, since you asked...

http://www.examiner.com/x-7774-Cincinnati-...ck-quarterbacks

http://www.examiner.com/x-7774-Cincinnati-...-Wide-Receivers

Dig in, buddy.

[Bearcat1975]

I forgot about Eric Ball. Isn't he director of player relations for the Bengals now or something?

That;s a pretty sad list, but our 1st round QBs and WRs look pretty good I bet.

Well, since you asked...

http://www.examiner.com/x-7774-Cincinnati-...ck-quarterbacks

http://www.examiner.com/x-7774-Cincinnati-...-Wide-Receivers

Dig in, buddy.

Not as sunny of a list as I would have imagined for either WR or RB. Nice summaries though.

[Dimster28]

That is a pretty sad list, but goes to show that you can have all the talent in the world at the college level and never amount to sh*t in the NFL...

True. I'm also a firm believer that success as a RB is 75% offensive line. A crappy back behind a great line can average 4.5 YPC; a great back behind a crappy line probably won't top 4 YPC.

Except Barry Sanders, of course, who averaged 5 YPC behind some bad lines. I'm convinced that if you'd have given Sanders the Dallas O-line instead, he'd have averaged 8 YPC some year. Best RB I've ever seen by a mile.

i agree but dont forgot detriot didnt have any average qb at all while barry sanders time, if add dan marino with dallas OL, i believe barry sanders will have something like this 1 td per carry, lol

[Bearcat1975]

Except Barry Sanders, of course, who averaged 5 YPC behind some bad lines. I'm convinced that if you'd have given Sanders the Dallas O-line instead, he'd have averaged 8 YPC some year. Best RB I've ever seen by a mile.

Sanders was good at making people miss in a phone booth. His bread and butter was switching the field (usually due to there not being a hole) and then taking advantage of over-commits for big gains.

If Sanders had some of the big holes that Emmitt had in Dallas, for example, part of me thinks his YPC might be the exact same or even lower, because then Sanders would never have to switch the field and there would be no over-commits to take advantage of for those monster gains.

I base this on the times I watched Sanders play, his gains on the ground seemed to go like 2,-1,2,1,24,3,2,3,-1,-5,43 for example. Seems like it would even out the highs and lows if he had a good line in front of him.

[whizzo]

Except Barry Sanders, of course, who averaged 5 YPC behind some bad lines. I'm convinced that if you'd have given Sanders the Dallas O-line instead, he'd have averaged 8 YPC some year. Best RB I've ever seen by a mile.

very much so. Barry Sanders was the Lions' offense. never had a QB to keep opponents from stacking the box, still ran all over the place. never had a good Oline to keep the D off him, still ran all over the place. Imagine him behind a proper line and with at least some sort of passing game...