Dynasty Draftnik

Brandon Saine, RB, Packers, UDFA. Ohio St.: Above-average size. Good acceleration and above-average speed. Strong lower body. Runs over pads. Lowers shoulder to deliver hits. Protects ball through hole. Nimble feet which he uses to pick his way through traffic. Patient, and has nice burst once he makes his decision. Nice receiver with WR hands. Average change of direction and upper-body strength. Runs too upright in short yardage. Reminds me of Beanie Wells, though not as fast. Chargers have shown interest.

Chad Spann, RB, Colts, UDFA. N. Ill.: Very short, but very good bulk for the size. Ray Rice size. Excellent balance. Very quick change of direction. Nice burst and stop-and-start to pop through small creases. Good power and quick feet. Always seems to be moving forward. Adequate speed. Not much of a blocker. Questionable hands. Played in NFLPA Game. Chargers have shown interest.

Darren Evans, RB, Colts, UDFA. Va. Tech: Great size. Decisive runner who hits with power. Fairly quick, balanced, and agile. Strong upper body. Average speed. Questionable hands. Junior who has declared for the 2011 draft. Titans have shown interest.

Da’Rel Scott, RB, Giants, 7th round. Md.: Above-average size. Very good straight-line speed. Patient, but has good burst when he makes decisions. Strong. Stays low through line. Demonstrates nice jump-cut and burst. OK tracking ball over inside shoulder. Gets good leverage in pass blocking but doesn’t stay squared to defender. Durability is an issue. Below-average change of direction. Played in Senior Bowl. With team potentially losing RBs to FA, could be team’s RB2 fairly soon, and has long-term fantasy high-end RB3 potential.

Bilal Powell, RB, Jets, 4th round. Louisville: Average size. Very good cutback vision and burst and seems perfect for a zone-blocking type of run offense. Experienced receiver. Athletic with good body control and showed quick spin move in Senior Bowl game. Adequate speed. Balanced runner, though runs a little upright. Maybe too much dancing in backfield, though seemed much more decisive in Senior Bowl game. Offers YAC as receiver. Below-average upper-body strength. Small-ish hands. Not terribly creative when there are no obvious holes. Hurt hamstring at Combine and Pro Day. Will compete with Joe McKnight for RB3 spot and should stick on roster as RB4. Could be team’s RB2 by 2012 but has limited upside. Fantasy upside is RB5.

DeMarco Murray, RB, Cowboys, 3rd round. Okla.: Above-average size, but could stand to pack some muscle on his thin lower body. More of a WR build than a RB. Very good straight-line speed. Good burst. Makes quick decisions. Tends to run too upright, but still exceptionally hard to bring down. Average hands and upper-body strength. Has good body control, but not much change of direction, which showed in his slow performance in quickness drills at Combine. Can pass block, though tends to lower his head and lunge and miss. Looks like a fair 3rd-down back, though needs to work on hands and blocking. Should be team’s RB3, but not likely to beat out Felix Jones or Tashard Choice for touches in 2011. Reported to training camp with a pulled hamstring. Eventual fantasy RB3 potential.

Stevan Ridley, RB, Patriots, 3rd round. La. St.: Very good size. Below-average straight-line speed, but average quickness. Junior who has declared for 2011 draft. Red flag for intelligence, since was ruled academically ineligible. Determined runner. Slightly off-balance. Strong, with powerful hands. Above-average vision for cutback. Fair pass blocker. At NFL Combine. Similar to BJGE and is good insurance in case team doesn’t re-sign him. If BJGE doesn’t re-sign, then he really could be team’s RB1, which makes him a fantasy RB3

Alex Green*, RB, Packers, 3rd round. Hi.: Very good size and track speed. Above-average game speed. Makes quick decisions. Good power. Gets low in short yardage. Very compact stride allows him to change direction fairly quickly. Average upper-body strength. Fair receiver who adjusts well. Fights for extra yards and doesn’t seem to like to step out of bounds. Keeps legs churning and keeps balance fairly well after contact. Suspect ball security. Enters crowded backfield, with Grant and Starks likely ahead of him, but should be at least their RB2 by end of 2011. Has low-end RB1 potential once he’s starting.

Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Falcons, 5th round. Ore. St.: Very short (5’5-3/4”), but solid bulk. Very good balance and vision. Finishes with surprising pop. Breaks a lot of arm tackles. Moves very well laterally. Only 1 fumble in college career. Good body control as receiver. Only average speed and quickness, which is surprising for a back his size. Junior who has declared for 2011 draft. Has Warrick Dunn-like skill set and enters Dunn’s former backfield. Has nice long-term potential in system once Turner is gone. Should be their 3rd-down back in 2011. Could be eventual fantasy RB2.