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Draft Special: Adrian Peterson Running Back Oklahoma

By JScott

Meet: Adrian Peterson a RB from Oklahoma. First and foremost this guy is an absolute work horse. Weighing in at 216 lbs and standing 6'1, Adrian is the type of back that has deceptive power. In other words, you're on the ground looking at the bottom of his nikes before you know what hit you. Up until his end zone "Summersault", this man had remained relatively injury free, while carrying the load for his Oklahoma Sooners. Due to his collarbone injury, his '06 numbers were a bit skewed. During Peterson's sophomore season, the Sooners absolutely stunk so opposing defenses were keying in on Oklahoma's only offensive weapon: Mr. Peterson.

Allow the one and only Footballs Future to provide you with more insight:

"From a physical standpoint, it's hard to pick a better specimen than Adrian Peterson. He's big and strong, but still has room for more growth. He couples that size with excellent speed, and very good athleticism. As a freshman, he proved he could carry the load, and even though he was dinged up as a sophomore, was still the focal point of the offense. Peterson will run it between the tackles, and lowers his shoulder upon contact. He will break arm tackles, and his speed allows him to bounce outside and break off long runs. There really are only two questions with Peterson: his durability and his receiving ability. In his three seasons, he has had two seasons where he has either missed or been slowed by injuries for a substantial amount of time. With his long frame, Peterson runs upright and opens his body up for some unnecessary punishment at times. He also hasn't proven much in the passing game. This is more because he has not been utilized as a pass catcher, but he still needs to show his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. Of minor concern is his running style. When healthy, Adrian Peterson is a true franchise back. He's a playmaker and a workhorse. Peterson missed half the year because of a broken collarbone, so he did not show NFL executives that the injury riddled sophomore season was a fluke. He has serious durability concerns, but the show he put on after the season may cause some teams to overlook that."

You know how I said Amobi Okoye was the most intriguing player in the draft? Well I may have exaggerated. Only because Jon Gruden continues to insist on how much he likes Adrian Peterson and how other teams in the league have excelled while implementing a two running back committee. If there was ever a player used to such a system, it would be a one Cadillac Williams who shared time carrying the rock at Auburn with Miami Dolphin RB Ronnie Brown. I initially didn't like the idea of drafting another Running Back with a Top 5 Pick, but I continue to see visions of Adrian breaking one and streaking down an Oklahoma sideline, ahhh. If the Bucs did lose out on (#21), QB JaMarcus Russell was off the board, and they couldn't trade down to Draft Amobi, then RB Adrian Peterson would not be a blown pick in the slightest. I'm not sure it's a pure team need with: Michael Pittman, Mike Alstott, BJ Askew, and of course Cadillac Williams, but none of the afore mentioned guys (with the exception of Caddy and an "In his Prime" Alstott can carry Peterson's resume). Clock is about to start ticking. . . .

. Adrian Peterson's career history brought to you by: Footballs Future and ESPN.com

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