XFAlpha Podcast Notes - Episode 2

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On episode 2, Jonah and I discuss the pay structure of the XFL, followed by running our mouths about running backs. Since there's former Iowa great, Akrum Wadley, involved, I wax poetically about him while reminiscing of the days when he made fools of defensive players. Let's enjoy some gifs, shall we?

via Gfycat

via Gfycat

via Gfycat

Los Angeles Wildcats - Defensive End Corey Vereen quitting because he didn’t want to make $50,000 for 10 weeks of work. 27000 pay with 1700 for every game, so there’s another 17,000, and they get 2200 for every win. If they win three games, he’s at 50K. 

1. Houston Roughnecks
1. Kyle Hicks was an okay back for TCU.
2. Andre Williams was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy at Boston College after rushing for 2000 yards before getting drafted in the fourth round by the New York Giants and then ran for 700 yards and 7 touchdowns his rookie year, but it seemed to go downhill from there, and now he’s looking for a second chance. He’s also been writing a philosophical memoir according to Wikipedia.
3. Nick Holley played running back, wide receiver, and quarterback for Kent State, none of them particularly well. 
4. AKRUM WADLEY HELL YEAH - Back-to-back 1000 yard years for Iowa. This guy has the moves. He’s not big but packs a good amount of power in a smaller frame. He makes fools look silly, and he immediately makes the Houston Rougnecks must-see TV.
5. Marquez Williams was a fullback at Miami who had a grand total of one yard in college.
2. Dallas Renegades
1. Cameron Artis-Payne - Fifth round pick by the Panthers after a great senior year at Auburn. He did once score two touchdowns in a game against the Buccaneers, which means there are a lot of people who stupidly decided to add him to their fantasy teams and never got any payoff for it.
2. Lance Dunbar is basically the best player in North Texas history and actually did a nice job as a receiving back for the Cowboys from 2014-2016. I think he can carve out a nice role in this league.
3. Dimitri Flowers - Oklahoma fullback who was a bit of a threat catching balls out of the backfield.
4. Darnell Holland was a Kennesaw State running back.
5. Marquis Young is a sleeper for this league as he generated a bit of buzz leading up to the NFL Draft, because the guy just found a way to get yardage and looked good during the East-West Shrine Game week. I think he was underrated since he played for UMass, but he does everything well, and I think he could take over from some of the more high profile names in Dallas. 
3. DC Defenders
1. Jhurell Pressley is a guy who was on the fringes of the NFL after a career in New Mexico He led the AAF in rushing, but then started pissing hot and is facing a two-game suspension if he ever makes an NFL roster. I do not think the drug testing will be too stringent in this league. I think he’s got the juice to be an impact player.
2. Donnell Pumphrey - Ran for over 2000 yards during his senior year at San Diego State and had over 6,000 yards in his college career. Ran a decent 40 at the combine, but didn’t show off any other great feats of athleticism, especially for an undersized back. He was selected in the fourth round but that lack of athleticism caught up with him as he just never showed anything for the Eagles. With his size and athleticism, he needs to do everything well in order to make an impact.
3. Khalid Abdullah - Productive at James Madison
4. John Thomas - Penn State backup
5. Ryan Yurachek - Marshall Tight End trying to be a fullback.
4. Los Angeles Wildcats
1. Elijah Hood got cut after three hours on the Panthers. Big bruiser out of North Carolina. He put together a strong college career but fell off a bit from his sophomore to his junior year before going out for the draft and being a seventh round pick by the Raiders. I could actually see him put something together.
2. Larry Rose tore it up for New Mexico State.
3. Martez Carter is known as Mr. Excitement for his time at Grambling State. 
4. Winston Dimel - Kansas State fullback. His Sophomore year he had 92 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns. He transferred to UTEP his Senior year and had negative 3 yards. 
5. Nico Evans - Good back for Wyoming last year, so at least he’s fresh to playing competitive football.
5. St. Louis Battlehawks 
1. Christine Michael - 2nd round pick by the Seahawks in 2013 out of Texas A&M. He was never really that productive in college as he never had a thousand yard season, but outside of the 40, he lit the combine in fire as he was basically amazing in every other event. Apparently, it takes more to be a great back than just athleticism, and although he couldn’t find the hole in the NFL, I think he can find a role in the XFL. 
2. Matt Jones was a third rounder in the 2015 draft for the Washington Redskins. He got some opportunity his rookie year, wasn’t good with it as he only averaged 3.4 yards per carry, and then wasn’t good enough to beat out Robert Kelley for the Redskins. He’s similar to Michael in that he never produced a thousand yard season in college, but the opposite of Michael as he did not test out well at all at the combine. Why did the Redskins select him that high? Because they are the Redskins.
3. Sherman Badie - Tulane RB
4. Ray Lawry - Tore it up for Old Dominion
5. Lenard Tillery - Southern University, tore it up.
6. Tampa Vipers 
1. De’Veon Smith wasn’t very good at Michigan, and then put up one of the worst combine performances in history. It’s tough for me to get excited here.
2. Quinton Flowers is the greatest offensive player in South Florida history. He was a stud at quarterback and ran for 3600 yards over his final three seasons. Can he play running back? No idea, but he’s a hometown hero, so might as well give it a shot.
3. DJ May was more of a linebacker than running back at Wyoming.
4. Jacques Patrick played behind Dalvin Cook, then it was Cam Akers, not the best luck for him.
5. Ralph Webb is the pride of Vanderbilt and ran for two touchdowns and two 2-point conversions in a single preseason game.
7. Seattle Dragons
1. Trey Williams averaged six yards per carry with the Colts in his one shot in the NFL. Now, that was on two carries, so you could say that it was a small sample size, but I could also say that his numbers might improve off of that small sample size as well. He showed some decent athletic traits at the combine in 2015, so he might be a guy to keep an eye on.
2. Kenneth Farrow - Solid back out of Houston. Finished with six more yards than Trent Richardson in the Alliance. Was the lead back over Trey Williams for San Antonio.
3. Lavon Coleman - Backup running back for Washington. 
4. Ja’Quan Gardner - Humboldt State product that finished eighth in rushing in the Alliance.
8. New York Guardians
1. With New York Real Estate being so expensive, it’s a no-brainer pick to get Tim Cook on the Guardians. I don’t think Cook will be all that valuable on the field, but if all he requires is a few snaps a game to pump that Apple money into this team, then I think it’s worth it. 30 carries for Oregon State.
2. Justin Stockton - Texas Tech running back.
3. Darius Victor - From Ivory Coast and had a couple nice years for Towson.
4. Tommy Bohanon - Fullback out of Wake Forest. Played in the NFL for a few years for the Jets and Jaguars. Not sure if I trust a fullback from Cape Coral, that city lacks grit.
5. Matthew Colburn - Another Wake Forest running back.
6. Lawrence Pittman ran for 75 yards in the CFL, got to 82 in the Alliance.

Bears Keep It Tight With Kerrith Whyte

Kerrith Whyte Jr. was selected as the Bears first of two seventh round picks and without knowing anything about him, I was a little disappointed that the team had now drafted two running backs when they had other more pressing needs to address. Since they have Tarik Cohen as a weapon, David Montgomery was drafted with their first pick in the draft (3rd round), they just signed Mike Davis, and Cordarrelle Patterson does dabble in the backfield, another running back was going to have a hard time seeing the field. But clearly the Bears saw something in Whyte, so I took a look at his game against UCF to see what qualities he possesses.

Let's start off with a touchdown catch from Whyte.

Usually on touchdowns, I will point out some positives, but it's about as unimpressive of a touchdown catch as you'll see. He does technically break a tackle, but the defensive back just throws his head at his leg and seems to completely forget that he possesses arms.

The other issue is the catch which he bobbles because he uses his chest to catch the ball instead of using his hands. I do not trust him to consistently catch the ball which makes him a non-factor in the passing game.

On the positives, he shows a nice move here.

He sees the safety coming in the box to fill the hole, but then cuts back inside without losing much momentum to speed forward for nine yards instead of getting stopped at the line of scrimmage.

Since I only watched one game, and they were down early in that game, I didn't get a lot of standout plays from Whyte. The issue is that I didn't see any one characteristic that stands out so I have a hard time seeing playing time for him in what is already a crowded Bears backfield. Maybe he can provide depth from the practice squad, but I don't foresee anything more than that. Hopefully he proves me wrong.

Chicago Bears Scouting Reports
3rd Round - David Montgomery, Running Back, Iowa State
4th Round - Riley Ridley, Wide Receiver, Georgia
6th Round - Duke Shelley, Cornerback, Kansas State

David Montgomery Runs Like a Literal Cyclone

The Bears traded up to get the player they wanted out of a university in Iowa. It wasn't the guy or even the school I had pegged, but I do believe they got a talented player as I was pretty terrified of this player the last two years when my favorite team played against him. David Montgomery of the Iowa State Cyclones is exactly what the Bears needed at running back as he's a big back who can also catch the ball out of the backfield. I took another look at his game against Iowa and also a game against Texas from this past season.

Before we get started, let's take a look at how his combine went.
Unless you're scouting him for the UFC and really want a great wingspan, the athletic traits are not going to wow you. The poor 40 yard dash was not all that surprising and didn't hurt him as much, because he is a bigger back. The vertical jump was hilariously bad as I might be able to jump 28.5 inches (okay, I can't, but maybe ten years ago I could), but I don't know a single person who gives a crap about vertical jump for running backs. The broad jump is excellent, especially when you factor in his size. And the 3-cone drill and 20-yard shuttle would have been the most interesting to see him perform, because I do think that would have highlighted his quickness and agility.

The first thing that stood out to me was his balance. This is where the title of this piece came from, as he can take hits, make cuts, and spin off defenders while still staying upright.

Texas has nine guys in the box. All they want to do is stop David Montgomery, and with the safety darting in, they have the play dead to rights. The safety spears his right shin, and somehow Montgomery just bounces back a yard and darts outside. He shows good acceleration to beat the edge defender around to the outside before finally getting pushed out after gaining seven yards on what should have been a two-yard loss.

Here, he sees a single hole that quickly gets filled by the Texas linebacker, but that isn't going to stop Montgomery on 2nd and 3.

Despite the linebacker covering the only available area along the line of scrimmage, Montgomery is able to spin inside and drag the linebacker for three yards to get the first down. He just has an innate ability to find any crease that may exist.

Here he has a play that is designed to go inside, Montgomery analyzes the situation and bounces it outside. After that, what he does is simply not fair.

After bouncing outside, he puts a stupid juke on Amani Hooker (coincidentally, the player I wanted the Bears to take in the third round) before finally being drug down by an ankle tackle by an Iowa linebacker after gaining 13 yards. This is a play where so many backs never see that hole to their left, and even after making that cut, most guys are getting about three yards with a pretty reliable tackler in Hooker filling the hole. Montgomery is not most running backs.

I don't know if there is 5% of professional running backs who could do this.

Any other player is running into that linebacker as it's damn near impossible to stop your momentum at that point after the catch. Montgomery slips while making the cut (because it's damn near impossible), but it helps him pick up an additional six yards while the Iowa linebacker is busy hugging air. An underrated part of this play but maybe even more appealing for the Bears coaching staff is the way that he catches the ball by framing his hands away from his body as opposed to body catching it. It's that technique that will make him a reliable pass catcher out of the backfield.

Speaking of the passing game, he is at least a willing pass blocker.

He does let the defender get under his pads which initially pushes him back, but he shows good balance by staying upright, resetting his feet and stopping the defender after that. The big thing that I liked to see is he kept his head up while blocking, because many running backs do not seem to think it's a good idea to see the guy they are trying to block.

His ability to stop and start is top notch.

There are two Texas defenders in the only hole available to him, and what he does here is purposeful hesitation. He freezes BOTH defenders before juking to his right and using a stiff arm to keep distance from the first defender.

If you're looking to nitpick the guy, the 40 yard dash is indicative of his lack of breakaway speed, but other than that, everything else you'd want to see is there. Vision, quickness, power, patience, and ability as a receiver, I'm a BIG, BIG fan. The craziest thing about the clips that I showed for Montgomery is that these were from his two worst games of the season. He had a combined 77 yards in those two games, yet I'm not sure if you could find five running backs who could put up his sort of highlights in their two best games.

Please sit down before I make this comparison, because it may sound extreme, but there was only one name that popped into my head while watching Montgomery: Le'Veon Bell. Bell was this exact player in college. Now I will say that Bell got even better when he got to the pros when he shed weight which benefitted his speed and quickness, but Montgomery is right there with the traits that he possesses. David Montgomery is the type of player that a team is justified in trading up for, and I think Bears fans are going to be very happy with this pick as he has the traits to be the best running back in the class.

Tarik "The Freak" Cohen - The Chicago Bears New Running Back

With the Bears second pick in the fourth round, they went to add depth as they selected Tarik Cohen out of North Carolina A+T. Running back is undoubtedly the Bears strongest position as Jordan Howard showed that he can be a bell-cow for the offense. But surviving on one back isn't really an option in today's NFL, so the Bears went to add depth with their second small-school prospect of the draft. To get a better feel for him, I took a look at his game against Kent State.

The two things that stand out about Cohen is that he is very small and very fast. At just 5'6", he is going to be one of the shortest running backs in the NFL, but despite the diminutive size, he can get those little legs moving fast as he ran a 4.42 forty.

Cohen is only going to be used as a change of pace back, but he still shows good power in his legs. He also excels where you would expect, and that is making tight cuts to avoid defenders.

One thing I worry about is his vision as a runner between the tackles. He never really hit a hole, and was always make cuts and jukes behind the line of scrimmage. Most of that was out of necessity as the Kent State defense overwhelmed his offensive line, but it's never good to be in the habit of dancing that much in the backfield.

He also showed a good ability to run routes and has good habits with his catches as he can catch the ball away from his body.

And here's your obligatory, "Holy Shit" play.

Hoo, that spin move is special.

Overall, I really liked what I saw from Cohen. He basically single-handedly sent a game into a fourth overtime against a team that is on another level from his own. He showed he can break tackles, run routes, and make catches, so I think he will be a great change of pace back for Jordan Howard. The only real concern I had was his habit of always looking to bounce things outside. Sometimes it can turn into something special, but it is far less likely to work in the pros. The Bears are hoping they got the next Darren Sproles, and even if it's a poor man's version, that's still a real nice pick in the fourth round of the draft.

Breaking Down the Running Backs of the 2017 NFL Draft

Earlier this week, I tackled the quarterbacks of the 2017 NFL Draft, so today, I wanted to analyze their backfield mates in the running backs of this class. This class is very exciting at the top of the draft, so I wanted to focus on the top four names in this year's class.

Dalvin Cook - Florida State
From what is on tape, there is no doubt that Dalvin Cook should be the first running back off the board. Unfortunately, there are issues outside of the tape that could make an impact. Most importantly is the shoulder injuries. Shoulder injuries used to be a death sentence for running backs, as guys never seemed to be able to stay healthy after sustaining one, but medical technology has helped where it’s not a deal breaker, but it would be silly not to drop him down a bit because of that.

Second is his testing numbers at the combine. His numbers were abysmal. Watching the guy play, there is no way he could have tested that poorly, so I can’t say that it should have a huge impact, but the only real explanation of him testing that poorly is him simply not giving a shit.

Which leads us to the third issue, and that’s off the field issues. I don’t put much weight at all at this, but with the combine testing being so poor, it does worry me a bit about whether he’s taking football 100% seriously. I really hope he is, but I also have to hope he stays healthy, which is a worrisome combo.

(watches Clemson game again)

Oh hell, just draft the guy.

Leonard Fournette - LSU
I know that ranking someone over Fournette may seem like blasphemy to the average football fan, but that’s how much I love my guy Cook. Still, Fournette is the closest thing we’ve had to Adrian Peterson. He doesn’t avoid hits; he looks to make them. He will be a very good running back, but his versatility has to be questioned a bit, and that hurts his overall value. Still, if you’re looking for a back to pound the rock between the tackles, you’re not going to do any better than Fournette.

Christian McCaffery - Stanford
Okay, let’s address the elephant in the room. Christian McCaffery is a running back, but he is also a (gasp) white guy. Okay, obviously, the next assumption is that he’s a fullback in the John Kuhn mold, but no, he is actually a halfback that is not just in there for 1-2 yard dives and blocking assignments. I know it’s tough to wrap your head around, so I’ll give you a minute…

Okay, now let’s talk about how stupid good this guy is. Two years ago, he set the record for yardage gained by any player in NCAA history; it was held by a guy named Barry Sanders, who went on to have a decent NFL career. So after breaking this record, people were disappointed that he didn’t have as good of stats as the GREATEST SEASON IN NCAA HISTORY. Now, there were rumors that he was dealing with injuries, and he still had an incredible season by any reasonable standard, but people were still disappointed.

Here’s the thing with McCaffery. He’s an incredible running back. He fits in perfectly with new offenses in the NFL. He’s not going to be your Leonard Fournette, pounding the ball repeatedly up the gut, but he’s going to be a guy who can take 15-18 carries, with another 5-7 catches a game. He handled the workload at Stanford, so there’s no reason to think he won’t be able to handle it at the next level. And he’s so stupid good that his floor is Darren Sproles with a ceiling of poor man’s Marshall Faulk. I know those are black guys, but it’s the best comparison you’re going to find.

Joe Mixon - Oklahoma
Ugh, it’s time to feel dirty.

You’ve probably seen the video, and it is sickening. But the video doesn’t make the act itself any worse than people who don’t have it on video. But it’s definitely bad. Unlike Greg Hardy, Joe Mixon has outwardly shown remorse, but my cynicism understands that this may be so he can get paid. I don’t know how to weigh that, so I just want to evaluate him as a football player.

As a football player, he’s really freaking good. There is no way to watch him play without thinking one word: Explosive. He just explodes in all of his actions. It’s one cut and blast through the hole, but he also showed good patience and vision to wait for a hole instead of just ramming himself straight into a pile of bodies. He does a good job of catching the ball, as he’s a hands catcher so he should also be an asset in the passing game. On talent alone, he’s without a doubt a first round talent and arguably the best running back in this class.

But there’s also the other stuff, and without immediate access to Mixon, there is no way to properly weigh that. I mean, is a team really sending a message by not drafting him until later? Like, we see how talented this guy is, but the off the field troubles only make him a third rounder in our eye; is that admirable? I think he likely drops to round two, and as a football player, it’ll be great value, but that doesn’t mean I have to feel good about it.

Breaking Down the Chicago Bears Fifth Round Pick: Indiana Running Back - Jordan Howard

The NFL Draft has come and gone, and it appears that the Bears have a plan in place. Did I agree with that plan at every twist and turn? No, not really, but I also really enjoyed some of their moves so it all balances out. And they were active, and that definitely made for an exciting weekend. But what's done is done. The picks I like will obviously work out, and hopefully my genius fails me on the picks that I didn't like. So far, I have had the chance to break down:

First Round Pick: Leonard Floyd, Linebacker, Georgia
Second Round Pick: Cody Whitehair, Offensive Guard, Kansas State
Third Round Pick: Jonathan Bullard, Defensive Lineman, Florida
Fourth Round Pick: Nick Kwiatkoski, Linebacker, West Virginia
Fourth Round Pick: Deon Bush, Safety, Miami
Fourth Round Pick: Deiondre' Hall, Defensive Back, Northern Iowa

Finally, we make it to the fifth round, and one of the players that I loved going into this draft, Jordan Howard, a running back out of Indiana. The reason I liked him so much is that he tore up the Iowa Hawkeyes last season with 174 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns. He was big, strong, and fast, and those are three traits I very much enjoy in my running backs. Thanks to Draft Breakdown, I was able to check out his games against Michigan, Michigan State, and Wake Forest.

Something that stands out about Howard's game is that he rarely goes down on the first contact, and he's a guy who keeps his legs churning and always falls forward.

That's the type of run that's not gonna stand out on a stat sheet, but it is so crucial to having a successful running attack. He gets hit two yards behind the line of scrimmage and ends up two yards past the line of scrimmage for a first down.

If you don't wrap up Jordan Howard, he is going to make you pay for it, as even when he gets knocked, his balance and strength is so good that he can churn forward for extra yardage.

This should not be a touchdown, but he shows impressive power and balance in his runs.

He's also solid as a receiver.

I know this isn't some amazing catch or even run after the catch, but I like that he snatches the ball with his hands as opposed to letting it come into his chest, and he follows his blocks into the endzone for an easy touchdown.

Although he can make catches out of the backfield, his blocking leaves a lot to be desired.

That is pretty weak, as he tries to wait on the defender and offers no punch instead of attacking and putting a hit on the guy.

But let's get back to the running, because that is where the bulk of his value lies. For a big guy, he has some moves.

He's not Barry Sanders, but those are some nice cuts to find holes and maximize his yardage before anyone can get a hand on him.

You need some more Howard highlights? Here's some more Jordan Howard highlights.

His game against Michigan was stupid good, and this was a Michigan defense that was renowned for its stinginess throughout the season, and Howard just continually ran over them.

I don't think I've hidden the fact that I am a huge fan of this pick for the Bears. Last year, I wasn't real happy with the Jeremy Langford pick, and although he put up some decent fantasy stats, he was not a very effective running back. I see the Bears starting the year with a committee, but I see Howard as separating himself from the other backs to take the bulk of the carries. He'll have to improve his blocking to become a three-down back, but if you're looking for a guy to run the football, it doesn't get much better than Howard. I think he was an absolute steal in the fifth round and considering the upgrades the Bears have made to the offensive line, he could make a huge impact as a rookie this season.