Respect both your opinions. But I’m sorry, there is zero comparison between Zeke and Dobbins. Zeke was not crazy to go in the top 10. But taking Dobbins in the top 10 would be idiocy, not to say he won’t be a good player, but he ain’t worth that pick, whether Swift and co. come out or not. None of them are worth a top 10 pick. Zeke was special. Dobbins is just really good.
He has change of pace/lane issues? Uhhhm, that is ridiculous.... Do you believe that, or are you just trying to bait the Ohio State fan?
I respect your opinion as well, but they (Buckeye RB's) absolutely compare...Not sure why you are dis'n J.K. like he's chopped liver, but we'll see what happens. lol!
Dobbins excelled with vision, acceleration, and pass blocking. Plus the guy was a big game performer. Wherever he ends up getting to, he should make an immediate impact. The only thing Zeke really had on him was size and game speed (but he’s not that far ahead).
Just tryin to spur some football conversation RT.... If I focus on football, It helps me forget about the impending doom of civilization.
That’s true. I just think if Zeke and Dobbins came out same year every pundit would have Zeke first. No arguing though that Zeke went to probably the best situation he probably could have. If it makes you feel any better the final line in my notes on Dobbins is “a safe pick who will give any team balance”
Yes, he does have issues in changing his pace to get blockers caught in their own wash or in recreating/changing the set up of lanes. He hits a certain gear and stays in it throughout each carry and it’s not the most explosive output either. I’d say he’s closer to DeAngelo Williams or Ryan Moats than he is Ezekiel Elliott. EDIT: I'm gonna have to amend this - Both Williams and Moats were far more creative runners than Dobbins. I'll have to give it some more thought before I settle on a comp, but this was a poor effort on my part done before my first cup of coffee, lol.
For the sake of conversation, I think Dobbins might be described more as a North South runner. He is fast, but he also played behind a Buckeye offensive line that blew defenses off the line of scrimmage and created monster-sized holes too. I really didn't see him last season as a change gears, 360 spinning, stop on a dime and reverse angle kind of runner, but a bowling-ball type who didn't shy away from tacklers, but would put his helmet down and punish. If he got around the edge, he was fast enough to be gone or create big gainers, but straight up the middle/gut, I saw him as a hitter more than a juker. He's really, really good, but maybe not real dynamic in the fancy foot-work part of the makeup that a lot of backs are challenged to achieve.
I have a potential comp that @TopDawg will not approve of... Alvin Pearman, Virginia (2004) Dobbins has an obviously way higher ceiling than what Pearman did coming out, but the running styles more closely mirror each other than the two names I tossed out previously.
A little like 'Boom'? On a side note - Braxton was a lot of fun to watch as a college quarterback, but he also made for some painful viewing, lol.
Which is probably why he switched position to WR for his final year at Ohio State...Dude sure had some jaw dropping highlights though.
