Marcus Lattimore Likely Done Until 2014

[Robcards]

If McGahee still got drafted in the first round with the Bills knowing full well he likely wouldn't play that season, I think Lattimore still gets taken if not the first round, the second. There are plenty of teams willing to take chances on a potential pro-bowler. As a Jets fan, if we have a mid-1st or even if we are early and trade back and take Lattimore, I'd be happy with the risk. How many 1st round RBs get injured or bust with a healthy collegiate record?

Guys like Lattimore are very rare and well worth the risk, if he decides to enter the draft I'd be absolutely shocked if he is still there in the third round. If he didn't get injured last year or this year there'd be serious debate about him getting taken with the #1 overall pick (considering how the QBs in the class have been lackluster at best).

[Robcards]

Originally Posted by Caulibflower

Think even if you take away some of his explosiveness you're still talking about a prospect who physically profiles along the lines of LeGarrett Blount - certainly going to be worthy of a roster spot and regular touches on offense, but might be more of a complimentary player. Then again, Blount's always been a head case and Lattimore would probably be better-liked by his coaches.

Way better than Blount considering his hands and pass blocking ability. He'd likely grade out as a better 3rd down back than most of the backs in the league right now.

[Caulibflower]

Originally Posted by Robcards

Way better than Blount considering his hands and pass blocking ability. He'd likely grade out as a better 3rd down back than most of the backs in the league right now.

And that's basically what I'm saying. I'm saying Blount's had some really nice moments as a big, physical runner who probably runs like a 4.7-flat 40. So even if Lattimore loses a significant amount of speed, he was such a well-rounded prospect to begin with that there's plenty of skills left to value him in those middle rounds.

[Caulibflower]

Originally Posted by Robcards

If McGahee still got drafted in the first round with the Bills knowing full well he likely wouldn't play that season, I think Lattimore still gets taken if not the first round, the second. There are plenty of teams willing to take chances on a potential pro-bowler. As a Jets fan, if we have a mid-1st or even if we are early and trade back and take Lattimore, I'd be happy with the risk. How many 1st round RBs get injured or bust with a healthy collegiate record?

Guys like Lattimore are very rare and well worth the risk, if he decides to enter the draft I'd be absolutely shocked if he is still there in the third round. If he didn't get injured last year or this year there'd be serious debate about him getting taken with the #1 overall pick (considering how the QBs in the class have been lackluster at best).

I think it's really going to depend on what the doctors say, but if they start saying he should recover, and there won't be ongoing complications (severe structural damage, etc), I do think 2nd round is a possibility, but it's just a matter of waiting to see at this point. Best-case scenario would be that the doctor's think they can fix him, general perception is that he'll get better, and some team likes his skillset and takes him in the second. There's just no way to say yet, and with an injury like that you're got to be patient.

[njx9]

Originally Posted by Robcards

If McGahee still got drafted in the first round with the Bills knowing full well he likely wouldn't play that season, I think Lattimore still gets taken if not the first round, the second.

totally incomparable scenarios, if for no other reason than time.



i'd take him in the 7th, and *only* if i thought there was a chance i wouldn't be able to sign him as an UDFA. no running back is worth a high draft choice. rbs with catastrophic injuries are worth even less.

[y.f.s.]

Sounding like he's going to redshirt and then play a 5th year at Sakerlina.

[PossibleCabbage]

Originally Posted by y.f.s.

Sounding like he's going to redshirt and then play a 5th year at Sakerlina.

At a guess, this is exactly what NFL front offices would prefer he do.

[keylime_5]

Not criticizing the guy for this, but the guy is probably throwing two years worth of NFL paychecks in the trash by staying an extra two years. The gamble is that he would make more by having a healthy senior year and putting up big numbers to get drafted in round one and recoup that money - but the chances of him being that good again are slim (he looked a step slow THIS year after ONE knee injury), and NFL people won't like a 23 year old runningback with 2 major knee injuries behind him as much as a 21 year old one. RBs have a small enough shelf life as it is. Lattimore probably profiles to having what? 5 good years in the NFL provided he can stay healthy? Just something to think about anyway.

[WCH]

Originally Posted by PossibleCabbage

At a guess, this is exactly what NFL front offices would prefer he do.

If I were a GM, I'd prefer that he enter the draft now, so I could hopefully pluck him late in the draft and have my own medical staff oversee his rehabilitation.

[MassNole]

Each year he has sustained a season ending injury. Just what I want from my RB.

[PossibleCabbage]

Originally Posted by WCH

If I were a GM, I'd prefer that he enter the draft now, so I could hopefully pluck him late in the draft and have my own medical staff oversee his rehabilitation.

I would want to see if he can regain his speed and power and have a productive season with no serious injuries or setbacks before I spend a draft pick on him.

[keylime_5]

Originally Posted by WCH

If I were a GM, I'd prefer that he enter the draft now, so I could hopefully pluck him late in the draft and have my own medical staff oversee his rehabilitation.

yep, i meant to mention this in my post. exactly.

[niel89]

I'd be really leery of using anything over a 5th on a guy who already has had major work done on both knees already. Will he ever have that explosion back to where it was? He will probably be able to play again, but I doubt he will be the same.

How did pre-injury McGahee & pre-injury Lattimore compare? In my mind McGahee was a step above at the U. McGahee has had a solid career, but he isn't close to what he could have been.

Waste of his time to stay at South Carolina. I wouldn't take another carry unless I'm getting paid to do so. Maybe he spends next season rehabbing and the enters after that?

[FUNBUNCHER]

Allegedly Willis McGahee before the knee injury was the most physically gifted RB in the history of the Hurricanes program. 6 foot, 220# with @high 4.2-4.3 speed.

I think Lattimore can still be a good pro because speed wasn't his game anyway, but he really didn't have any speed to lose to begin with.

[LonghornsLegend]

Originally Posted by FUNBUNCHER

Allegedly Willis McGahee before the knee injury was the most physically gifted RB in the history of the Hurricanes program. 6 foot, 220# with @high 4.2-4.3 speed.

Not sure I buy this. He came in the same time as Clinton Portis and he didn't even really play until his Senior year. I believe him and Portis both came in as freshman and Portis locked the job up for the most part until he left after his junior season in 01, then McGahee got his shot in 02. Besides that, it's not like Portis was slow either.


It's not like I can prove it or anything, but physically it's not like he completely outclassed Portis pre-injury.

Originally Posted by PossibleCabbage

I would want to see if he can regain his speed and power and have a productive season with no serious injuries or setbacks before I spend a draft pick on him.

This. Why would you want a guy racking up more mileage in College? Just have him spend next year rehabbing completely with the best rehab procedures he can get.

[FUNBUNCHER]

'Physically gifted' doesn't mean the most talented at a given position.
McGahee was the bigger/faster/stronger RB at the U., which is nice but it doesn't necessarily make someone the best player with full pads on.

Portis, Frank Gore and McGahee at one point were all on the same 'Canes squad, and all were listed as starters ahead of McGahee. He only started in 2002 because Gore got hurt, and then went on to compile the greatest single rushing season in 'Canes history.

Anyway the point I was making is that a guy who runs a 4.2/4.3 can shred his knee and still come back and have a productive NFL career because he has speed to lose.

[jrdrylie]

Originally Posted by LonghornsLegend

Not sure I buy this. He came in the same time as Clinton Portis and he didn't even really play until his Senior year. I believe him and Portis both came in as freshman and Portis locked the job up for the most part until he left after his junior season in 01, then McGahee got his shot in 02. Besides that, it's not like Portis was slow either.

You are completely wrong about all of this. Portis went to Miami in 1999. McGahee went to Miami in 2000. McGahee redshirted his freshman year so he was only a backup for one season. Portis left after the 2001 season (McGahee's freshman year). McGahee then took over as a starter and ran for 1753 yards and 28 TDs. He got injured and went pro after his sophomore season, not senior year.

[MassNole]

http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/i...s-hell-be-back

[PossibleCabbage]

Originally Posted by LonghornsLegend

This. Why would you want a guy racking up more mileage in College? Just have him spend next year rehabbing completely with the best rehab procedures he can get.

I'd rather have a guy rack up more mileage in college (he has 629 touches so far, which isn't ridiculous, Ray Rice had 940 when he came out) than spend a draft pick on someone who can't play because his knees are bad.

If I'm drafting a running back, it's not like I plan on keeping that guy on my team for more than 2 contracts.

[LonghornsLegend]

Originally Posted by jrdrylie

You are completely wrong about all of this. Portis went to Miami in 1999. McGahee went to Miami in 2000. McGahee redshirted his freshman year so he was only a backup for one season. Portis left after the 2001 season (McGahee's freshman year). McGahee then took over as a starter and ran for 1753 yards and 28 TDs. He got injured and went pro after his sophomore season, not senior year.

I wasn't sure of the exact timeline of events and how they went down, and didn't want to give off the impression I knew the order of how it happened, I was going roughly off the top of my head. None the less, I was still speaking more so in regards that I don't believe McGahee was head and shoulders a better athlete then Clinton Portis.

[Hurricanes25]

Frank Gore was the best Miami RB during that time. He had 9.3 ypc as a backup during his freshman year. Then in 2002, he actually beat out McGahee for the starting job but then tore his ACL. McGahee would go on to have a great season but tore up his knee in the title game that year.

[Babylon]

If i'm Marcus, and NFL scouts for that matter, i'm probably more concerned he can walk without a limp before wasting a lot of time on researching him.

[LonghornsLegend]

Originally Posted by Hurricanes25

Frank Gore was the best Miami RB during that time. He had 9.3 ypc as a backup during his freshman year. Then in 2002, he actually beat out McGahee for the starting job but then tore his ACL. McGahee would go on to have a great season but tore up his knee in the title game that year.

Still pretty ridiculous they were all 3 on the same team at one point. It's always fun to look back at the 01 Miami roster just to be in amazement.

[draftguru151]

McGahee was definitely a better athlete than Portis and an absolutely ridiculous athlete overall. The acceleration he had was incredible for anyone, to have it at his size was just ridiculous. It's scary how good him, Gore and Tyrone Moss would have been without all the knee injuries.

[Saints-Tigers]

I was never as big on McGahee as a lot of people were, even pre-injury, I don't think he lost as much speed as people want to believe, I think they just overrated him to begin with.