Every now and then a perfect player comes along that can do everything right. Just like Tim Tebow. However, for the most part, no matter how good a player is, there is always a certain area that he has a weakness in.
I'll break down the positions into 5 categories that I feel are essential to that position.
Quarterback
Arm Strength - Matthew Stafford, Georgia. You knew this kid was going to have a strong arm when we found out his favorite hobby is keg slinging. If I were Mark Richt, whenever I wanted to give Knowshon Moreno a break, I would just call all go routes.
Accuracy - Rudy Carpenter, Arizona St. The Sun Devils burst back into the national scene last season. One of the main reasons for their insurgence was the precision passing of QB Rudy Carpenter. This guy is NFL ready right now.
Decision Making - Sam Bradford, Oklahoma. Last year, Bradford only threw 8 interceptions for the Sooners. One of the reasons why he should be a Heisman contender this season is his decision making while in the pocket. Oklahoma should have a better running game this season, which would help out Bradford tremendously.
"It" Factor - Tim Tebow, Florida. No other position in football requires the "it" factor more than the QB position. There's just something about Tebow that makes him special. Urban Meyer is not that far off when he says that Tim may be one of the best college football players ever.
Running Back
Speed - Chris Rainey, Florida. Rainey may be one of the fastest football players in America. He will share time with USC transfer Emmanuel Moody this season in the Gator backfield. However, don't be surprised if he's getting more carries as the season goes on.
Power - Jorvorskie Lane, Texas A&M. Lane is a beast. He's bigger than some of the Aggie offensive linemen. While some of his carries will be lost to Mike Goodson this season, there is still no running back in America I would rather have in short yardage situations than Lane.
Vision - James Davis, Clemson. No one is better at the art of cut-backs than James Davis. This guy is amazing. Every time I watch Clemson play, Davis pulls off an incredible run where he finds a hole on the opposite side of the field than no one else could find. He's definite NFL talent.
Elusiveness - Noel Devine, West Virginia. Devine is another running back that is in the same mold as James Davis. He is great at the cut-back run and is very hard to tackle. It doesn't hurt Devine's cause that he is so tiny. It's hard to find him coming out of the backfield.
Durability - Chris Wells, Ohio St. Beanie Wells is the prototypical hard nosed Big Ten running back. He will be the workhorse of the Buckeye offense this season. Good thing for Ohio St. Wells is one tough s.o.b.
Wide Receiver
Hands - Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech. Michael Crabtree may have the best hand is all of America. Crabtree and QB Graham Harrell form a very dangerous combo for the Red Raiders. Crabtree can pretty much catch anything you throw his way.
Speed - Jeremy Maclin, Missouri. It took every thing in my power not to make the homer pick and chose Percy Harvin for this category. Harvin's injury will slow him down a little this season and Maclin has world class speed. He can really stretch a defense in a hurry.
Break Tackles - Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina. Nicks doesn't get nearly the respect he deserves. Whenever the Tar Heels needed a play last season they went to Nicks. I've seen him break tackle after tackle to get the extra yardage necessary for a first down.
Blocking - Brian Robiskie, Ohio St. One of the more overlooked aspects of a wide receivers game is his blocking ability. This is a critical part to an offense's success. Robiskie is a very solid blocker at the wide receiver position. When he's not making plays for himself, he'll be clearing the way for Chris Wells in the open field.
Big Play Ability - Arrelious Benn, Illinois. Benn flashed signs of greatness last season. I expect him to make even more big plays this season. Benn is sort of like a cross between Randy Moss and Terrell Owens. He has the body like T.O., but he'll go up and get anything like Moss.
Accuracy - Rudy Carpenter, Arizona St. The Sun Devils burst back into the national scene last season. One of the main reasons for their insurgence was the precision passing of QB Rudy Carpenter. This guy is NFL ready right now.
Decision Making - Sam Bradford, Oklahoma. Last year, Bradford only threw 8 interceptions for the Sooners. One of the reasons why he should be a Heisman contender this season is his decision making while in the pocket. Oklahoma should have a better running game this season, which would help out Bradford tremendously.
"It" Factor - Tim Tebow, Florida. No other position in football requires the "it" factor more than the QB position. There's just something about Tebow that makes him special. Urban Meyer is not that far off when he says that Tim may be one of the best college football players ever.
Running Back
Speed - Chris Rainey, Florida. Rainey may be one of the fastest football players in America. He will share time with USC transfer Emmanuel Moody this season in the Gator backfield. However, don't be surprised if he's getting more carries as the season goes on.
Power - Jorvorskie Lane, Texas A&M. Lane is a beast. He's bigger than some of the Aggie offensive linemen. While some of his carries will be lost to Mike Goodson this season, there is still no running back in America I would rather have in short yardage situations than Lane.
Vision - James Davis, Clemson. No one is better at the art of cut-backs than James Davis. This guy is amazing. Every time I watch Clemson play, Davis pulls off an incredible run where he finds a hole on the opposite side of the field than no one else could find. He's definite NFL talent.
Elusiveness - Noel Devine, West Virginia. Devine is another running back that is in the same mold as James Davis. He is great at the cut-back run and is very hard to tackle. It doesn't hurt Devine's cause that he is so tiny. It's hard to find him coming out of the backfield.
Durability - Chris Wells, Ohio St. Beanie Wells is the prototypical hard nosed Big Ten running back. He will be the workhorse of the Buckeye offense this season. Good thing for Ohio St. Wells is one tough s.o.b.
Wide Receiver
Hands - Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech. Michael Crabtree may have the best hand is all of America. Crabtree and QB Graham Harrell form a very dangerous combo for the Red Raiders. Crabtree can pretty much catch anything you throw his way.
Speed - Jeremy Maclin, Missouri. It took every thing in my power not to make the homer pick and chose Percy Harvin for this category. Harvin's injury will slow him down a little this season and Maclin has world class speed. He can really stretch a defense in a hurry.
Break Tackles - Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina. Nicks doesn't get nearly the respect he deserves. Whenever the Tar Heels needed a play last season they went to Nicks. I've seen him break tackle after tackle to get the extra yardage necessary for a first down.
Blocking - Brian Robiskie, Ohio St. One of the more overlooked aspects of a wide receivers game is his blocking ability. This is a critical part to an offense's success. Robiskie is a very solid blocker at the wide receiver position. When he's not making plays for himself, he'll be clearing the way for Chris Wells in the open field.
Big Play Ability - Arrelious Benn, Illinois. Benn flashed signs of greatness last season. I expect him to make even more big plays this season. Benn is sort of like a cross between Randy Moss and Terrell Owens. He has the body like T.O., but he'll go up and get anything like Moss.
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2 comments:
Good post. Watch out for Sammie Stroughter of Oregon State this season -- he could fit the "big play ability" you look for in a wide receiver.
He was doing it major before getting a hardship redshirt last season.
Yeah I remember Stroughter's "epic" game against USC a few years ago.
I hope he bounces back this season. He's dangerous as a receiver and a returner.
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