#9- Chris "Beanie" Wells
Indisputably the most coveted running back in the upcoming draft, Beanie Wells is a shoe-in to be a top-10 pick, so long as someone in the top 10 range has need at the position. Though he is a junior this year, most analysts agree that he'll make the jump to the NFL while his draft stock is peaking. Unfortunately, his lingering foot injury may be damaging his stock somewhat. Certainly there will be a wealth of questions waiting for him at the NFL Combine. He ran for 1,600 plus yards last season though, and has proven he has the dynamics to be a quality back with power and burst. Further evidence of this: his lowest run average was 5.5 yards per play, well above the acceptable standard in the NFL of around 4.5 yards. So far this year, through just one game, he's sitting on an 8.5 average. Don't expect this to be the season-ending average. In addition to being a sure-fire Top 10 pick, Beanie Wells is also a definite contender in the Heisman Trophy race IF he can get back on the field and showcase his talent. Otherwise, he could fall to the second or third round should his foot injury hamper his entire season. One analyst has the star running back going to Cleveland in the first round, a fitting pick due to Cleveland's lack of running game this year, not to mention Beanie being an Ohio native.
All this aside, it's interesting to note how little need there is in the NFL at the running back position. At a time when teams can't get enough quality QBs to fill their needs, running backs seem to be in great surplus. I predict this will be forcing a lot of college backs to take a hit in their draft stock and lose a lot of money in contract negotiations. Stay tuned for more on that.
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