'09 FB Class Review: RB
| Montrell Conner | |
|---|---|
| Ht: 6'2" Wt: 215 | |
| Scout | **** #31 RB, #277 overall |
| Rivals | *** #34 ATH, #18 in Louisiana |
| ESPN | 82 #7 RB, #63 overall |
Conner had offers from pretty much everyone: Southern Miss, Ole Miss, TCU, Tennessee, Florida, Oklahoma, Alabama, Oregon, etc. Full disclosure though, many of those offers were for Conner to come in as a LB. That is what helped MSU get him, they're going to give him a shot at RB.
His junior year Montrell Conner split time with the starter and still ran for 1,139 yards on 205 carries (5.6 ypc) and 13 TDs. The following year Conner took over the starting job and carried the ball 247 times for 1,951 yards (7.9 ypc) and 19 TDs.
Like I said Conner is coming in as a RB and is clearly quite skilled in that department judging by the numbers. Its comforting to know though that if RB doesn't work out he was just as highly thought of. As a runner Conner isn't a shifty kind of guy. He doesn't juke, doesn't move well laterally, doesn't have much in the way of evasive movesm, and doesn't look very fluid. He is purely a straight north-south runner. What he does excel at is running over people and breaking arm tackles. He is a bruiser, not an elusive runner. You can see a video of him at ESPN here. When I watch him, what comes to mind is "I wish Dixon would run like this for once." There is no dancing, no useless juking, no sideline to sideline running. He just hits the hole full speed, runs straight ahead and dares anyone to try and tackle him. He knows his strengths and sticks to them.
| LaDarius Perkins | |
|---|---|
| Ht: 5'9" Wt: 185 | |
| Scout | *** #77 RB |
| Rivals | *** #37 all purpose back, #24 in MS |
| ESPN | 78 #48 ATH |
Perkins had offers from Louisiana-Monroe, Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech, Southern Miss, BYU, and Auburn. He originally committed to Auburn but decommited at the last minute when Mullen took over. His senior year Perkins ran for 1,915 yards on 139 carries ( 13.8 ypc!!) and 29 TDs.
Perkins is pretty much just the opposite of Conner. He isn't a power back and won't be running through half as many tackles. What he is is elusive, quick, shifty, and fast. He'll play RB but I'm sure he will be split at in the slot frequently. For some reason, despite the rankings and offers I am more excited about Perkins than Conner. Maybe it is because he seems to be a much better fit in the spread. He just looks like your typical spread RB.
Rather than talk about him though, we have video! Judge for yourself. Turn the sound off. You're welcome.
| William Shumpert | |
|---|---|
| Ht: 6'0" Wt: 238 | |
| Scout | *** #14 FB |
| Rivals | *** #7 FB, #17 in Mississippi |
| ESPN | 74 #22 FB |
Shumpert is starting out on offense at RB/FB. Although he is supposed to be a terrific blocker he might have trouble breaking through there. The primarily blocking FB rarely makes an appearance in Mullen's offense. If he can prove his value running, even if its only in short yardage situations, or catching the ball out of the backfield to go along with his blocking then Mullen will find a place for him. Although the smaller, shifty guys tend to excel in this offense, there is still plenty of room for a big bruising RB. Even if offense doesn't work out though , he still might be able to make the move to the DL. Heck, that might even be a better fit.
Overall Grade: A+
Yes A+. Mississippi State loses 3 runningbacks after this year so they really need to hit a homerun in this class, and they did. Conner is highly thought of by everyone and while Perkins doesn't have the offers, his skill set is perfect for the new offense. On top of that you get two very distinct and unique styles and skill sets. I'm not sure how or if Shumpert fits in on offense. It will all depend on how Mullen decides to use the FB. Shumpert is the only scholarship FB at this time and we know Mullen is much more creative than Croom so I'm not counting Shumpert out.
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