Sure, you know about the year former Razorback running backs Peyton Hillis, Darren McFadden and Felix Jones had this year.
Hillis (Cleveland Browns) and McFadden (Oakland Raiders) each ran for 1,000-plus yards. Jones (Dallas Cowboys) had more than 1,000 multi-purpose yards.
Impressive stuff for the former Arkansas teammates and members of the 2008 NFL Draft class. Have you paid attention to the rest of that 2008 running back class?
It’s been good enough that Yahoo! Sports wonders if it could be the best-ever draft class for running backs.
Check out a few of the names on this list from Yahoo! Sports, highlighting the running backs drafted in the same year as Hillis, McFadden and Jones: Chris Johnson, Ray Rice, Jamaal Charles and Rashard Mendenhall.
Impressive group. And those are just a handful of the 2008 running backs that are producing in the league.
Yahoo! Sports had the following to say about the former Razorbacks…
1st Round, 4th Pick Overall, Arkansas Razorbacks
Darren McFadden had a breakout of his own in 2010, it just wasn't as surprising at Peyton Hillis. McFadden's first two seasons with the Raiders were pretty slow but the Raiders offense was suffering from having one of the worst quarterbacks of all-time. Now the Raiders offense looks like a strength and McFadden ran for 1,157 yards despite missing three games.
1st Round, 22nd Pick Overall, Arkansas Razorbacks
The next three running backs were all drafted in consecutive picks although in 2010 they performed the opposite of the order they were drafted. Felix Jones in three seasons has improved from 266 yards to 685 yards and now 800 yards. Jones rushed for just one touchdown though after splitting time at the running back position.
7th Round, 227th Pick Overall, Arkansas Razorbacks
After the 2010 season it might seem like a mistake that Peyton Hillis wasn't drafted until the 7th round but this is the third Razorback on this list. Hillis got few opportunities to run the ball in college on a team that had arguably the two best running backs in the SEC in Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. After rushing for just 54 yards in 2009, Hillis broke out for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2010. Now we just have to wait and see if he is a one-hit wonder.
I recently recapped Hillis’ big year and what it could mean for him financially for Arkansas Business.
