| NFL Draft 2008: Felix Jones...Living in McFadden's Shadow |
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| Written by Rolando Cruz | |
| Sunday, 23 March 2008 | |
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{mosimage} There is a good reason Felix Jones is not on the tip of everyone's tongue when discussing the 2008 NFL Draft, that reason is of course is his teammate Darren McFadden. Despite the fact that Jones is a talented back in his own right who has put together an impressive resume' in his three years at Arkansas, he nevertheless has always taken a back seat to the award winning McFadden. Running beneath the shadow of arguably the best back in college football was never more apparent than in Arkansas' game against South Carolina last season. It was a game which saw Jones scored three times on only 13 carries. Yet the sterling performance, which included touchdowns runs of 40 and 72 yards, was obscured by the 321 yards that McFadden ran for that night. Still, Jones has not gone unnoticed to NFL scouts. In fact, the Dallas Cowboys for one have been so impressed by the Arkansas runner, that the team has penciled him in behind McFadden as the second best running back available in a draft that is deep at the position. This despite the fact that Jones has not been a featured back in college, and there are some who have reservations as to whether or not he can be the type of workhorse back that most NFL teams will be looking for. Yet the talent is there, and at 5-11, 210 lbs, Jones has the physique that most NFL teams are looking for, and while his speed in the 40 (4.47) falls a tad short of McFadden's, he is still an elusive back who can explode through any hole in the line. In his senior year, his explosiveness netted him 8.7 yards a carry, propelling Jones to 1,162 yards rushing despite only getting to carry the ball 133 times. Along with his skills as a runner, Jones also has shown good pass catching and returning skills, making him perhaps one of the most well rounded runners in the draft as well. The question then remains, where will he go in the draft and to what team? Among those who could most use his services are the Dallas Cowboys, the Texans, Bears, and the Packers. In Dallas, where the Cowboys might be losing Julius Jones to free agency, Jones could form the perfect compliment to the tough inside running of Marion Barber. Both the Texans and the Bears are in need of a feature back, and may take a chance on the him as well when their turn is up, while the Green Bay Packers are in need of depth behind last year's sensation Ryan Grant. Where ever he ends up, he should be out of McFadden's shadow and should be able to finally get the recognition that has thus far escaped him.
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