Taylor, Swift, Dobbins, Helaire in that order.
Actually Pierre Thomas is a good comparison …Thomas was an undrafted FA they hit on , lacked real speed , had some pop … the game and defenders are faster now though …
Helaire has fast feet , his pop/burst …the get off is Elite …I watched quite a bit of him last night and came away feeling somewhat differently … Now that has not changed my take and he is being over hyped but that burst is silly . Its a shame the kid can’t hit the corner , had he shown he could or was a 4.4 guy he would be so much more complete .
Helaire is elite in the passing game. He’s been touted as the best route runner among RB’s in the draft. He’d be a handy 3rd down back similar to Riddick but a much better runner. The defenses would have to respect Helaire’s running ability unlike Riddick.
For me and for the Lions… it’s Dobbins ,Taylor , Swift , Akers …
Taylor, Dobbins, Swift for the early round guys. I haven’t taken a deep dive into the entire RB class yet. I don’t consider Helaire to be a lead dog like the first three.
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If I thought we would use Taylor correctly , feed him , run from I-Formation or with an even split of under center to shotgun runs …I would agree on the allure of Taylor . He is an elite talent… the fumbling needs to be cleaned up fast.
I see Dobbins and Swift being better fits here and how we use the RB’s .
Pure talent , best RB in the 2020 Draft it’s Taylor and Dobbins for me …
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CEH recorded a 39.5-inch vertical jump, which ranked top three among running backs. He also registered a 10-plus foot broad jump, which was the sixth-best jump among running backs.
I think AJ Dillon will be a good NFL RB and fits the Lions offense, the “Beast Mode” style RB.
Pretty sure AJ Dillon had the best vert and broad jump for the RBs and ran a 4.5 at 250#. I think he’ll be a good NFL RB and fits the Liins offense. Gives Bevell that “Beast Mode” style RB.
I really like Dillon. A comparison to Derrick Henry is not out of line here.
I’ve been all over the place with Clyde. But I could see some GM’s rating him as one of their top 2 RB’s. There’s a lot to like about the kid.
Here is how I see it right now.
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Swift - Fluid, Fast, Athletic and Elusive RB who can do it all. He’s smooth and tough in space. He’s had good production in an offense that had Jake from state Fromm as his QB. Teams didn’t worry too much about the passing game so he saw heavy fronts and still produced. Watching him in rotation with Chubb and Micheal and seeing how they translated to the NFL makes me think he will too. Definitely feature RB potential. Grade 1st round.
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J. Taylor - I really, really like Taylor for the Lions. Super productive RB. Teams stacked the box and just couldn’t stop this guy. The most dangerous RB in the draft. A real home run threat. I actually think he’s the hardest runner in the class but there are concerns. Mild ones if you ask me. Like … Fumbles but he’s improved. He has good hands but wasn’t used much in the passing game. I think his route running is an area to work on. I like him better in a RBBC approach but he could be a feature back. Personally I think he’s the perfect compliment to KJ. Grade late round 1 early round 2.
Here’s where it starts to get fuzzy for me. I keep wavering with these next 3 RB’s.
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Dobbins - Good production. Athletic RB. I like the kid but I’m not as big on him as others and let me explain why. Mike Webber looked good in the OSU offense and he didn’t translate to the NFL. I’m wondering if Dobbins is fools gold. He’s didn’t really face loaded fronts like Taylor and Swift did. He has struggles as a blocker but he’s willing. As a receiver he was mostly a safety valve. They didn’t ask him to run many routes. So he’s not very polished in this dept. He occasionally has an off game. Dobbins is more boom or bust than the above two RB’s. He’s a riskier pick if you ask me. 2nd round grade.
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CEH - Like Burrows he burst onto the scene this year. He’s a compact RB that can change direction in an instant. He hits the hole hard, shows good vision and patience… He’s a willing blocker and does an adequate job at it. As a receiver he is impressive too. LSU used him to run multiple routes. But … prior to this year no one had noticed him. He’s in an explosive offense where he didn’t see the heaviest fronts. Which are concerns. Is he a byproduct of the offense? Personally… I don’t think he is but I still think he’s the 4th RB in this group. 2nd round grade.
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Akers - I can admit I’m all over the place with this kid. When he came out as a freshman and broke Dalvin Cooks rookie record I thought he’d tear it up more than he did. He’s a former QB who switched to RB and he still runs like a QB. Too upright for my taste And he’s been a bit inconsistent but … he’s Running behind one of the worst OL in all of college football. The kid is a tough runner, good blocker and shows good hands. I think he needs some coaching but I do think he’s capable of being a quality RB. I think this kid could go late round 2 but I like him better as a mid 3rd round option.
I agree with a lot of this and disagree with some, but frankly, I think it’s moot. I’ll be very surprised if we’re shopping at the top of the RB class. I don’t think the staff is ready to give up on KOJ yet and I think they like Scarborough too. I’m sure we’ll add a body in the mid-late rounds or in FA, but I can’t see us bringing any of these guys, unless they fall quite a bit.
Been all over the board on this. KJ and Scarborough are both injury prone. Without another RB in the mix, there will be time next season where 1 or both will be unavailable. If we get a good trade down opportunity I could see a 2nd round investment in a RB. If no additional picks are acquired, I think we look to FA and UDFA for another back.
To be fair, LSU had Brossette the year before and Guice before that. There wasn’t a whole lot of room for CEH to get a lot of carries before this year.
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That’s a good point.
Like I’ve said I’ve wavered on my rankings of those 3 RB’s. I think all 3 have concerns and positives. However I sometimes wonder if I’m over ranking CEH. I like gritty RB’s and he’s gritty. When I watch him play he looks like he loves the game. I’ve read he’s a humble, quiet type. He seems very likable.
Hahahaha Dobbins equals Good production…what would great or elite production look like?
Come on Air…Let me tell you why ? …I’ve watched every single run by both RB’s Weber & Dobbins in College … Weber was a 7th round draft choice and should have been a SFA talent wise.
Weber on his best day is not half the running back Dobbins is . It’s not close, not remotely the same. This statement alone tells me you watched next to nothing of Dobbins . The style of running , the moves both have…how Dobbins gets his yards by making every single first tackler miss , the explosion through a hole after pressing the line like no other in college football. Hands down the best vision of any RB in this draft…Weber had some success at Ohio State in a very different way and because of that it and how Weber’s rookie year went in the NFL it makes you wonder if Dobbins is fool’s gold …That makes no sense when either RB did not resemble the other .
The occasional off game …when?
Of the three who has the best ball security ?
Dobbins catches passes just as well as Swift & Taylor is not on either’s level in that department . The routes ran were different and how they were used, but when thrown to Dobbins, he appears the better pass catcher technique and hand usage and was more productive when the ball was caught . Dobbins went up against the best run defenses in College football and when he did …he shined , elevated .
The fronts Dobbins saw ?? Dobbins was the focal point , he was schemed to be stopped and could not be . The idea that he did not see loaded fronts is so off base…What are you even basing this on ?
Forget the game tape because Dobbins crushes that , put on highlight reels, the best of what they both put down side by side …look at who they did it against… look who broke more tackles , look who had more yards after contact .
I was just showing you that forty times don’t automatically make CEH a bad player …but I guess that was too difficult for you to understand.
You do know that Le’eveon Bell ran a 4.6, right?!?!?
I guess he must suck. LOL
Mark Ingram ran a 4.62, oh no!
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For you to make this point… Would I not have had to have said Helaire’s 40 time makes him a bad player ? 
I’ll wait
You used the comparison of one of the best WR’s in the game and his speed in comparison to a RB that does not do what a WR does, and to a WR who is 8 inches taller and 10 Lbs heavier
Comparing L.Bell and Ingram to Helaire is at the very least the same position…Kudos
L.Bell was a different beast at 6-1 230+ lbs , running a a 4.6 …
Mark Ingram is a decent comparison but Ingram was drafted 10 years ago and his skill set and production in College not close and Ingram was a 5.7 yd per carry RB …Helaire is a 4.4 yd RB out of anything not RPO related, is 10-15 lbs lighter and 2 inches shorter …Hence his numbers highly inflated when running because of the 7+yds per carry out of RPO plays
LaDainian Tomlinson offers big-time praise of Clyde Edwards-Helaire after NFL Combine
Adam Spencer | 2 days ago
LSU RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire took advantage of an outstanding 2019 season to declare for the 2020 NFL Draft a year early.
After a strong performance at the NFL Combine last week, he seems to be rising up draft boards.
NFL legend LaDainian Tomlinson is one of the analysts who is impressed by Edwards-Helaire last week. During a TV appearance, Tomlinson said he thinks Edwards-Helaire could be the No. 2 running back before all is said and done (via 247Sports):
“Clyde Edwards-Helaire was as advertised. He’s right there as the No. 2 running back. I thought he was great,” Tomlinson said during an appearance on NFL Total Access. “The lateral movements that we talk about. Here’s a guy that’s an all-purpose type of guy. He can do a little bit of everything. Just look at the tape. Look at the lateral movement. It’s so good. He’s short and compact and has a low center of gravity when he runs, and then he has a burst through the hole that you really love. He gets up to the defenders so fast. Catching the ball out of the backfield is something we really wanted to see, and it was as advertised today.”
Being a versatile back is important in today’s NFL, and Edwards-Helaire has proven he can both run and catch passes. We’ll see how he fares at LSU’s Pro Day, but it seems he’s on the rise.