Scouting the NFL Draft: Running backs

Scouting the NFL Draft: Running backs

John Green/AP

While everyone sees Arkansas' Trent Richardson (below) as a future star, Boise State's Doug Martin could turn heads.

Lamar Mil ler clocked the fastest 40-yard dash time (4.40 seconds) at Februarys NFL scouting combine, and hes been compared to fellow University of Miami products Edgerrin James and Clinton Portis.

But Miller realizes that he might not get picked in the first round of next weeks NFL draft.

I understand that running backs dont have a lot of time in the NFL, says Miller. And theyre expendable.

Welcome to the new NFL, where tailbacks are of little importance. Just two years ago, the running back-starved Buffalo Bills reached for undersized C.J. Spiller, who appears to be turning into a bust, early in the first round, and four years ago, five backs went in the drafts opening frame.

But in an increasingly pass-happy NFL, scouts no longer prioritize the tailback position.

You choose a guy in the first round now when you get a guy whos a game-changer, said one scout. There havent been many of those lately.

So teams wait, knowing full well that the Giants won the Super Bowl with a seventh-round pick at tailback (Ahmad Bradshaw), and that three backs selected after the third round (Ryan Torain, Roy Helu and Evan Royster) managed 100-yard games for the Redskins last season.

You can get a good running back, says the scout, whos not perfect. Although we would rather have Adrian Peterson.

As a luxury. Not a necessity. Heres a look at some names to watch:

TRENT RICHARDSON. ALABAMA, JR.
The rare tailback whos still a first-round lock, despite questions about his health and speed. He had minor knee surgery after the season, and scouts were disappointed by his 40 time (as high as 4.62 on some stopwatches) at Alabamas pro day. Still, his 1,679 rushing yards in 2011 have the NFL believing hes plenty explosive. The kid from Alabama, hes a good player, said one scout. Hes a game-changer. Trust me.

DOUG MARTIN, BOISE STATE , SR.
Martins 4.55 40 at the combine was hardly impressive, but the 5-9, 223-pounder is a thick and versatile tailback who caught 28 passes last season and just might sneak into the first round. Not a star, says one scout. But could be a workhorse.

LAMAR MILLER, MIAMI, SO.
Millers burst and acceleration are rare, according to scouting analyst Mike Mayock, but a running style that involves little juking and avoiding tacklers has led to durability concerns. Could sneak into first round, more likely goes in second.

DAVID WILSON, VIRGINIA TECH, JR.
The 5-9, 201-pound Wilson has speed and explosion and runs well in the open field, but his struggles as a blocker may be his undoing. Youve got to be able to block, says a scout. Its crucial.

ROBERT TURBIN, UTAH STATE, JR.
With a 5-10, 222-pound physique, Turbin looks more like a linebacker than a running back, bu t hes a tough runner with deceptive speed, a possible late second-round pick.