Running Backs for the 2008 NFL Draft

It's not every day that I talk about sophomore running backs leading up to the 2007 NFL Draft, but there are two players that should make quite an impact on the 2008 NFL Draft, Both players should be top ten picks in the 2008 NFL Draft, so if your team needs a running back, be patient, help is on the way.

1. Darren McFadden, Arkansas:
Right now I would draft McFadden over Oklahoma's heralded running back Adrian Peterson, he has better hands and is more durable. McFadden has been nothing short of spectacular the last two years with the Razorbacks, as a freshman he re-wrote the record books by rushing for 1,113 yards and 11 TDs and this year as a soph he finished second in the Heisman voting and rushed for 1,620 yards and 14 Tds with a 5.9 yards per carry average. Big and fast with great hands, in high school he ran the 100 meters in 10.8 seconds. He looks to be an NFL franchise running back, a durable workhorse. Darren is very shifty and strong, he rarely goes down upon frst contact. He has the size (6-2 215) and strength to pass protect and can catch the ball very well, not only out of the back field, but he can line up as a wide out and create mismatches against slower linebackers.

2. Steve Slaton, West Virginia:
This guy is just amazing, another freshman super star, last year (as a freshman) he was named Big East Rookie of the year, playing in 10 games he rushed for 1,128 and recorded 17 TDs. I watched him play quite a bit this year (2006) as a sophomore, and it could be argued that he was the most dangerous player in the country. He was the work horse in a run-first West Virginia team, oppossing teams new the Mountaneers were going to run on almost every play but they still couldn't stop Slaton. He finished 2006 (rushing) with 245 carries for 1,733 yards and16 TDs. Look at his yards per carry average of 7.1! But what really amazed me was his ability as a reciever, against Pitt alone he caught 6 passes for 130 yards and 2 TD. He will be a prototype player in the NFL similar to how the Saints are using Reggie Bush. He has blazing speed and can cut on a dime, not real big at 5-10 198 pounds and his legs look a little thin, but remember he is only a sophomore.