NFL Draft Preview: Adrian Peterson

Adrian Peterson's senior picture at Oklahoma. Not pretty.

Time to move on from the quarterback position and take a look at a certain running back several NFL teams are batting their eyelashes at. He was supposed to win a couple of Heisman's but apparently God didn't see it that way and doomed him to injury. I guess he'll just have to console himself with the millions of dollars he's about to pocket. Poor guy....

Name: Adrian Peterson

Position: Running Back

School: Oklahoma

Pros: Fast. Rumored to put cheetah blood on his thighs for "extra burst." Shows a severe disdain for players attempting to tackle him. Didn't play much the past two years so there's plenty of tread on the tires. Seems to be nice guy.

Cons: Brittle. Didn't play much the past two years because he breaks as easy as a chandelier.

Completely Unbiased Synopsis: If it weren't for the injury problems and freaky crazy athlete Calvin Johnson, Adrian would probably be the best player in this draft. He's a big, strong back who's really fast. He has shown a great ability to hit the hole and when he gets out in the open he's not easy to tackle. He has a great stiff arm, and is not afraid to lower his shoulder and take a hit. The problem is when he gets hit he tends to get hurt. He was slowed for his sophomore season with a high ankle sprain and then last year he broke his collarbone which pretty much killed that season as well. Luckily neither injury carries long term effects, but the tag of "fragile" isn't one a prospective NFL running back wants to have. I would say that the questions of whether or not he can shoulder the load of being a feature NFL back could hurt him, but are there any teams that play one primary back anymore? Most teams employ a few backs and use them as a tandem rather than having one back shoulder the load, so I don't really think durability concerns will hurt Adrian's draft position. Plus he has metal in his collarbone now which kind of makes him a cyborg, which is always pretty sweet.

Where He's Headed: This is where things get a bit sketchy. Peterson could go as high as number two, or as low as number ten. I don't think the Raiders, or Lions are targeting Peterson, but in the case of the Lions you could see a team trade up to that spot to get him. He could go to Cleveland at three, provided they decide not to go after a quarterback, but if he doesn't go there he could fall a bit if no one trades up. Houston would be the next place I could see him going but they aren't picking until ten after the Schaub trade with Atlanta. The Falcons could also be looking running back since Warrick Dunn is getting old, and they just lost TJ Duckett, or the Bills could make a move up the board as well. This could be the most confusing projection of the entire draft. I'm going to say that someone moves up to get Peterson in the top five. Maybe Buffalo.

BOLD PREDICTION: I think Peterson is going to be a great NFL back no matter what team picks him. I think this will be a guy that people regret passing on as he racks up 1,000 yard seasons. He'll be an all-pro.

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NFL Draft Preview: Adrian Peterson

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