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Courtesy Arkansas University
Arkansas running back Darren McFadden will throw a few passes in 2007, but it's what he does when he's running and catching that will get NFL scouts watching.
McFadden is a junior, but the consensus opinion is that he'll enter the 2008 NFL draft, and most experts believe he'll be the first running back taken and a top three selection.
Let's hold all the praise, the Heisman Trophy talk and all of the reckless predictions just for a moment.
Sure, McFadden has the statistics that make him look like a great running back. He ran for 1,647 yards as a sophomore and scored 15 touchdowns for the 10-4 Razorbacks. McFadden has the size that NFL people love, too, although at 6-2, his 205-pound frame is a little slight for my taste.
Plus, when you put McFadden's 2006 season under a microscope, some interesting glitches in the machine can be found.
McFadden averaged 5.8 yards per carry, outstanding by any measurement. A large portion of his yardage and big yards-per-carry games, however, came against the weak sisters of college football.
Witness McFadden's 184 yards against 1-11 Utah State and 71 yards on just 6 carries against Southeast Missouri State. How about a 7.2 average and 129 yards vs. Louisiana-Monroe? Oh, and let's not forget McFadden's 219-yard performance against a poor South Carolina team.
Against Vanderbilt, another SEC also-ran, McFadden averaged just 3.7 yards in 19 attempts. National Champion Florida locked up the Razorbacks supposed star, holding him to a 3.5 average in 21 carries.
Add to this grim view of McFadden's 2006 resume the fact that he caught only 11 balls, and he suddenly looks like a skinny, one-dimensional back, who piles up stats against lousy competition.
McFadden may turn out to be a wonderful NFL running back, but, at least for now, he still has much to prove.
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