The Future at RB

Posted: May 20th, 2017 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 21 Comments »

We all wanted the Eagles to get a franchise RB this spring. The team wanted that to. Things didn’t work out as planned so the Eagles signed veteran LeGarrette Blount to be the starter for 2017 and drafted Donnel Pumphrey to develop into a role player.

What about the future?

The 2017 draft class was loaded at RB. 2018 could be as well. The top guy is Saquon Barkley, the star from Penn State. The bad news is that most people right now think he will be a Top 10 pick. The Eagles won’t sniff him unless they have a disastrous season or find some key pieces to use in a trade to move up. As much as I would love to see Barkley playing for the Eagles, let that dream go and look elsewhere.

I was incredibly impressed by Derrius Guice of LSU. He got on the field when Leonard Fournette was hurt and Guice looked like he could have been a high 1st round pick. This kid is special.

I know Fran Duffy loves Nick Chubb from Georgia. He could be a good target for the Eagles.

If the Eagles decide they want size, they can go get Bo Scarbrough from Alabama. He is 6-2, 230 and could have a breakout season for the Crimson Tide. L.J. Scott is 6-1, 231 and he’s been a good player for Michigan State. The Eagles could mix in a big guy with the other players already in the backfield.

Mike Weber will be a Junior at Ohio State. He goes about 215 pounds and is a tough, physical runner.

Justin Crawford lacks ideal size, but averaged 7 yards per carry. He is a playmaker.

I haven’t come close to naming all the good backs out there and we will see other kids emerge. That happens every year at RB.

It would have been great for the Eagles to land a stud runner back in April, but there could be some excellent options next spring. The team gets the benefit of seeing what Wendell Smallwood and Pumphrey can do this year. The Eagles might see enough from them that they want to go with a RB by committee approach. Or they might not see much at all and may feel the need to aggressively go after a RB this time around.

Or maybe Taylor Hart will just change positions once again.

“We put him at RB in practice due to injuries and the guys came to us later and said ‘That dude is huge. He was hard to pretend-tackle.’ Light bulb above your head moment!!! Let’s put Taylor at RB and see what he does.”

Just in case that doesn’t happen, here are some Nick Chubb highlights.

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21 Comments on “The Future at RB”

  1. 1 scratcherk said at 6:55 PM on May 20th, 2017:

    Chubb seems destined to be added to our phallic roster

  2. 2 Laguna Eagle said at 7:27 PM on May 20th, 2017:

    Chubb>Smallwood

  3. 3 Jamie Parker said at 7:44 PM on May 20th, 2017:

    Maybe we should poll the question:
    Long Cox or Chubb Smallwood?

  4. 4 SteveH said at 12:58 PM on May 21st, 2017:

    Maybe this is the true secret to roster construction; phallic synergy.

  5. 5 phillychuck said at 7:37 PM on May 20th, 2017:

    Though Chubb is certainly name-appropriate, he runs straight-up and he doesn’t break tackles. No thanks.

  6. 6 Brian said at 8:32 PM on May 20th, 2017:

    Tommy, no mention of Royce Freeman or Akrum Wadley?

  7. 7 TommyLawlor said at 8:37 PM on May 20th, 2017:

    Kept this post short and simple. Freeman could definitely be of interest with his size and ability. There will be a lot of RBs to discuss in the next 11 months.

  8. 8 Dragon_Eagle said at 8:47 PM on May 20th, 2017:

    Or we just go move to the inevitable 90-10 pass-run ratio and do away with RB position..

  9. 9 DustyRyder71 said at 9:11 PM on May 20th, 2017:

    I’ll just go ahead and pencil in Justin Crawford now. #WVUbias

  10. 10 kajomo said at 9:53 PM on May 20th, 2017:

    Tommy,

    Great post. I wish you would do more of this. I know this is an Eagles blog, I was always a big fan of Scouts Notebook. I personally can’t get enough of the draft and watch players all year long.

    Mike Webber is too slow. He’s another rotational guy, not the starter we need.

    Nick Chubb looked special pre injury. He was not the same last year, but has apparently looked more explosive this spring.

    Barkley is as good if not better prospect than Zeke Elliott. Guice is also an absolute stud, but a notch below Barkley.

    Some additional players worth keeping an eye on:

    Royce Freeman – Oregon
    Kalen Ballage – ASU
    Jordan Scarlett – UF
    Myles Gaskin – UW
    Lavon Coleman – UW
    Sony Michele – UGA
    Akrum Wadley – Iowa
    Terence Williams – Baylor

    2 guys I personally really like:

    Kyle Hicks – TCU
    Mark Walton – Miami

    I honestly feel 2018 has the potential to be much deeper than this year at RB

  11. 11 daveH said at 11:49 PM on May 20th, 2017:

    Can we get the first 2018 Mock Draft anyone ? Media Mike can

  12. 12 Media Mike said at 1:48 AM on May 21st, 2017:

    My first 2018 draft won’t get done until I’ve reached a point of disgust with the current season and/or the Eagles have been eliminated from the playoffs. As long as hope and optimism remain with the current season, this isn’t a need for a 2018 mock draft to provide it.

  13. 13 daveH said at 9:00 AM on May 21st, 2017:

    Well my optimism is firmly in place. ..lots of new shiny pieces that need to fit together but i am lookin forward to a decent team

  14. 14 Media Mike said at 9:24 AM on May 21st, 2017:

    I am as well. I have a few games that’ll set me off if they don’t win( open vs. Wash, Dallas here, NYG both times, Carolina game on national TV), but I’m looking forward to a nice season of small improvements and a few more wins.

  15. 15 daveH said at 10:37 AM on May 21st, 2017:

    Cowboys not until Nov .. hopeful vs. Skins, chiefs, gints, chargers, cards, panthers ..

  16. 16 kajomo said at 9:51 AM on May 21st, 2017:

    I cope with every eagles loss, by trying to correct their issues in mock drafts. It’s not logical, but it works for me

  17. 17 xmbk said at 9:10 AM on May 21st, 2017:

    West Virginia, done deal.

  18. 18 Forthebirds said at 10:09 AM on May 21st, 2017:

    all this discussion of phallic names gives me a premature expectation.

  19. 19 A_T_G said at 2:36 PM on May 21st, 2017:

    Just like when those pricks shafted us on Dix.

  20. 20 Eaglehaslanded said at 10:50 AM on May 21st, 2017:

    Derrius Guice is w/o question in the same conversation as Saquan Barkley. If the Eagles can figure out a way to get Barkley…do it. If not, Guice is a great talent of equal proportion to Barkley…no talent drop off…either would be great and give the Eagles the same production based on skill and ability.

  21. 21 Insomniac said at 5:13 PM on May 21st, 2017:

    It’s going to be interesting to see who the top RB is next year. I think Chubb could be that guy if he regains his explosion but the injury history will probably knock him down from that spot.

    Barkley is the guy who has that spot of being the top guy but you know that doesn’t mean anything at this point. I think he is getting a bit overrated because he supposedly ran a 4.33s. That speed doesn’t show up on the field, I think he’s closer to a 4.43s than 4.33s. I don’t think he’s in the same caliber of Zeke but I think he’s right there with Gurley and Fournette though.

    Guice is a beast but right now he needs to show consistency as the main guy. IMO, he’s just as good as Barkley.