2011 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Mark Ingram, Alabama
By Editorial Staff
5-10 215lbs Junior
Stats:
2008- 143 rushes, 728 yards, 12 TDs, 7 catches, 54 yards
2009- 271 rushes, 1658 yards, 17 TDs, 32 catches, 334 yards, 3 TDs
Pros: Ingram is a powerful runner with an ideal frame. Can make himself a hard target and if not wrapped up, bounce off shoulder and arm tackles for big gains. He works great in space and has decent hands catching the ball out of the backfield.
Cons: Isn’t a burner with his speed and struggles running between the tackles. Not overly athletic and works better as part of a tandem backfield. Should work more on pass protection.
Thoughts: I am not as high on Ingram as most, including our own 2011 Big Board, beacuse I think he is a little overrated. His numbers aren’t much different than Glen Coffee (now with the San Fransisco 49ers) put up the year before with 40 less carries. Ingram also failed to keep true freshman Trent Richardson from getting 144 carries. With Roy Upchurch graduated, his 48 carries from last year are up for grabs and I bet Richardson ends up with more of them than Ingram. Ingram isn’t going to carry the load entirely by himself and I don’t see that changing when he jumps to the NFL and Top 15 picks aren’t used on running backs that won’t be taking 25-30 carries a game and still be effective on an All Pro level. And while we are being honest, Ndamukong Suh or Toby Gerhart should have been the winner of the Heisman over Ingram. That’s not really Ingram’s fault as much as it is the people who award it to the best young talent on the team going to the BCS Championship and not the best player nationally in college football, but that is for another post. Ingram is still a great talent, but he won’t win games on his own like Adrian Peterson or Chris Johnson.
Projected Round: Late 1st early 2nd