Will Anyone Join Trent Richardson as the 2nd first round running back in 2012?
By Editorial Staff
At this point there are 4 candidates that come to mind. One of those names is not LaMichael James. I would not even consider drafting James before the 6th round due to his lack of size, recent injuries, and a lack of ability to convert to a power back role. There are 4 backs who I could see joining Trent Richardson. Those backs are Lamar Miller Running back Miami FL, Chris Polk running back Washington, Andre Ellington running back Clemson, and Ray Graham running back Pittsburgh.
Lamar Miller Running Back Miami FL #6 Sophomore Redshirt 5 foot 11 212 pounds
Lamar Miller only managed to rush for 646 rushing yards on 108 carries as a redshirt freshman. This season as a sophomore redshirt Miller has 677 rushing yards on the ground in 2011. Right now Miller looks to be the frontrunner among these 4 running backs due to his size and speed on the ground.
Chris Polk Running Back Washington #1 Junior Redshirt 5 foot 11 222 pounds
Chris Polk has 611 rushing yards so far for Washington through 5 games. Despite having Jake Locker at quarterback, Polk had back to back 1,000 rushing yard seasons prior to this season at Washington.
Polk averaged 8.2 yards per catch out of the backfield. In 2011 Polk has averaged 12.8 yards per catch and finally caught his first career receiving touchdown of Polk’s career at Washington.
Andre Ellington Running Back Clemson #23 Junior 5 foot 10 190 pounds
Andre Ellington has rushed for 528 rushing yards though 6 games on 115 carries in 2011. Ellington has had 5 straight games with a rushing touchdown. Ellington could put on some weight by the time the 2012 Combine rolls around. Ellington would probably be better served returning for his senior year.
Ray Graham Running Back Pittsburgh #1 Junior 5 foot 9 195 pounds
Ray Graham may be slightly undersized. That does not change the fact that Graham can be utilized as an elusive or a power runner despite weighing in at 5 foot 9 195 pounds. Graham has been the #2 back behind Dion Lewis at Pittsburgh prior to this season. Graham only had 148 carries last season.
This year Graham has 150 carries through 6 games in 2011. Graham has had a minimum of 21 carries in each of the Pitt Panthers first 6 games in 2011.
Graham leads the nation in rushing yards with an NCAA FBS best 899 rushing yards through 6 contests. Graham also has 9 rushing touchdowns on the ground. Its pretty obvious that Graham has played a very pivotal role in Todd Graham’s new no huddle spread offense at Pittsburgh.
It will be interesting to see if any of these backs emerge as that back at this point. One thing is for certain, these 4 backs are the early frontrunners at this midseason stage of the college football season.