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A year after the selection of Adrian Peterson, who went on to tear up the league, Darren McFadden is sitting as the top running back on the board. With Peterson-like speed, maybe McFadden can also make a big impact.

But there are analysts and scouts who don’t see the running backs as similar, and Bob Glauber has the rundown on them in column today at newsday.com.
Brian Ballinger is the most vocal critic. "I think he's the colossal bust in this draft," he says. "He doesn't run with patience. He's a very incomplete back who tries to run you over. If he gets a crease, he can take it to the house. But he doesn't break tackles and he fumbles. I'm not impressed."

Glauber talked to another scout off the record. "I can't believe how skinny his calves and his shins are," he quotes the scout as saying. "It's almost scary. It's like a skinny wide receiver. At the running back position, you want a guy who's a little wider on his base. is built on top, but he's got a very skinny base. I think that's a little bit of a concern."

The column also quotes Charlie Casserly (who does like McFadden) as saying he sees this article as similar to the draft of two years. “"You've got the quarterback in Matt Ryan, the runner in McFadden and the defensive end in either Long or Gholston. To me, McFadden is better than Bush, Ryan is better than Young and Mario Williams is better than any of the defensive ends."

Glauber’s column is worth a look. It speculates that McFadden will be selected by either the Raiders or Jets.

—Ian Allan

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