If you ask most people, be they analysts, bloggers or some guy on the street, who the best running back in the NFL Draft is, they'll more than likely say it's Arkansas' Darren McFadden. But is he? Not everyone necessarily believes that's the case.

The most outspoken about this has been the NFL Network's Mike Mayock, who recently told the New York Daily News' Rich Cimini that the top available running back was Illinois' Rashard Mendenhall:

As for McFadden, Mayock all but trashed him, saying, "I'm not a believer in Darren McFadden." Mayock rates Illinois' Rashard Mendenhall as the best running back in the draft.

"My problem with McFadden, aside from his off-the-field issue, is his narrow-framed lower body," Mayock said. "I think he goes down way too easy on contact. His legs go dead on contact ... If I'm picking in the top five, top 10, I want a running back who can go through an arm tackle."

However, Mayock isn't the only analyst who thinks McFadden isn't the real deal. In an article in the Sporting News, Brian Baldinger of Fox let it be known that he does not believe McFadden is a can't miss prospect:

I've watched him on film and up close in the Cotton Bowl, and I've seen no special qualities that will make him an exceptional running back. ... A running back's most important quality is elusiveness. Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton - all the great ones had it ... they knew how to make tacklers miss. McFadden doesn't.

He also lacks the vision that is critical to finding open field. That's why he initiates contact - he can't see the daylight to run to. He's a classic I-formation back who needs a fullback to lead the way. If the fullback gets caught in traffic, McFadden runs right up his back, rarely making the cut that would allow him to gain more yards.

In Pro Football Weekly's evaluation of running backs, McFadden isn't number one on their list either. Oregon's Jonathan Stewart is. While they still had good things to say about the former Razorback star, they also warned that he is not a sure thing, calling him a "boom-or-bust prospect," and also noted his lack of elusiveness and vision:

Needs to take better care of the football. Is top-heavy. Runs upright with a thin lower body and some tightness in his hips. Does not sink his hips easily to change direction and goes down too easily with arm tackles. ... Will miss some holes and does not have great vision. Did not leave it all on the field as a junior and seemed to be protecting himself.

Despite some of the negatives presented here, it should be noted that McFadden has a plethora of people praising him as not just the best running back, but maybe the best player in this entire draft class. However, it is interesting to note that the ones who have their suspicions about him all say the same thing - he does not possess great vision, cannot break many tackles and is not very elusive. We know McFadden is a burner, but can he succeed running in a straight line in the NFL? As that answer won't be known until fall, the debate will rage on.