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McBride only Blazer in top 15 at any position.(#11). This is where Dilfer has to make a difference-quality of player. Otherwise we are capped. (Yes I am Mr. Obvious)

If Mcbride winds up #11 RB off board, he is going to really wish he returned to UAB

I think he will go 5th or 6th round

Then he should have returned. I know earlier he was in the 3rd to 4th rounds

Honestly, I think he made the right decision. Running backs have a limited shelf life. He was the best rusher in the conference. If he gets a combine invite he could go earlier. I think he makes the team that drafts him.

I don’t think returning would have helped any. New staff, a more limited role, no way possible he puts up better stats, and the OL is going to be all new. If he came back he’d tank

Seems like if you aren’t top 3 RB you’ll be lucky to go before 4th round. The Shannahans have convinced the league you can find a winning back in round 6.

The sooner you get in and and finish you’re rookie contract the sooner you can make decent money

(01-24-2023 03:44 PM)uab278 Wrote:  Honestly, I think he made the right decision. Running backs have a limited shelf life. He was the best rusher in the conference. If he gets a combine invite he could go earlier. I think he makes the team that drafts him.

The faults I see but it could be that they aren't as BV just never really utilized him in that role, is blocking & receiving. He can work on those before Pro Day/draft to show those talents. I agree he will probably be a late draftee or FA signee as that's pretty much where all our players end up most often.

(01-24-2023 03:37 PM)jaymay2525 Wrote:  Then he should have returned. I know earlier he was in the 3rd to 4th rounds

What round would the #11 RB taken typically land in? 6th or 7th, maybe? I have no idea.

Depends on so many things going on in the draft. Last year, the 11th RB drafted took place in the 4th round. In 2021, the 11th RB wasn’t taken until the 6th.

The thing with the draft, everybody in the league loves you until after the all star games. After that, they are all looking to pick you apart to downgrade your value and find reasons NOT to draft a player. In analyzing Debo's game, they will probably say:

1) Can't block.
2) Fumbles too much
3) No catches. Not that he can't catch, but we don't know he *can* either. Not spending a premium pick (1st three rounds) on a guy I can't play on 3rd down.
4) Decent but not enough speed to separate from defenders.
5) YAC is excellent vs. C-USA but isn't anything special in the few games he played against SEC teams.
6) Lots of mileage.

To me that adds up to trying to steal him in the 5th or 6th round. Not sure any teams would bite before the 5th unless he wows them at pro day/combine.

I think he will be a solid pro, just sorta think every team will start tearing apart his weaknesses to try to drive down his value to get a bargain. They do this to almost all running backs.

(01-24-2023 07:15 PM)DuelingDragon Wrote:  The thing with the draft, everybody in the league loves you until after the all star games. After that, they are all looking to pick you apart to downgrade your value and find reasons NOT to draft a player. In analyzing Debo's game, they will probably say:

1) Can't block.
2) Fumbles too much
3) No catches. Not that he can't catch, but we don't know he *can* either. Not spending a premium pick (1st three rounds) on a guy I can't play on 3rd down.
4) Decent but not enough speed to separate from defenders.
5) YAC is excellent vs. C-USA but isn't anything special in the few games he played against SEC teams.
6) Lots of mileage.

To me that adds up to trying to steal him in the 5th or 6th round. Not sure any teams would bite before the 5th unless he wows them at pro day/combine.

I think he will be a solid pro, just sorta think every team will start tearing apart his weaknesses to try to drive down his value to get a bargain. They do this to almost all running backs.

Thanks, that is a great explanation! Being a non-factor in the LSU game probably did not help either.

(01-24-2023 03:18 PM)jaymay2525 Wrote:  If Mcbride winds up #11 RB off board, he is going to really wish he returned to UAB

I don’t know. Selfishly, I was hoping he’d be back. However, it’d be hard to duplicate the year he had last year, especially behind a brand new OL. I thought the smart thing for him would have been to transfer to a team that would have an experienced line & needing a RB.

Most NFL teams don't have a 3 down back these days. Even the guys capable of doing it, don't do it near 100% of the time.(the Giants were throwing Matt Breida out there in the playoffs) I think ultimately 3 things will hold him back; his fumbling, his breakaway speed, and his blocking. He could have tried to show improvement in all 3 of those aspects by coming back, but there is no guarantee he would have done so in any of them. If his fumbles continued at a similar pace and he had fewer rushing yards in a tougher conference, he would likely drop out of the draft altogether. I think he made the right decision, but his NFL career is likely going to be limited unless these things change.