LaMichael James

The Oregon Ducks football team has emerged into a national powerhouse over the last decade.  From the days of Mike Bellotti to the reign of Chip Kelly, there is no other program in the country quite like Oregon. 

While there are a number of factors that have led to the flight of the Ducks, the talent that has stepped onto the field at Autzen is by far the most important. 

That being said, there are a select few players that have had much greater impact on Oregon’s rise than the rest.  I would love to list a whole team of student athletes that have helped the Ducks along the way, but these few players deserve the most credit. 

Without further ado, these are the men that I think should have their numbers retired by the Ducks in the future for the immense influence that they have left on the program.

Joey Harrington

In my opinion, there is no question that Joey Harrington is the one of the most influential players to ever suit up in a Ducks uniform. 

Oregon has been one of the top programs in the country since the magical 2001 season orchestrated by Harrington.  That year the Portland native led the Ducks to their highest-ever ranking in the final polls, at No. 2. 

He led the team to their first-ever BCS appearance and win with a 38-16 beating over Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl, after they were snubbed of an appearance in the national championship game. 

His individual honors are just as remarkable.  Harrington was chosen as an All-American and the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year in 2001.  That same season he became the first Ducks to make the trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony, where he finished in fourth place. 

After college, Harrington was selected third overall in the NFL draft by the Lions and was placed on the cover of EA Sports’ NCAA Football 2003. 

Dennis Dixon

Dennis Dixon is one of the most athletic players to ever have stepped foot in Autzen Stadium.  In fact, Dixon was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the MLB draft right out of high school, but he decided to take his talents to Oregon to help the team achieve greatness. 

In his days with the Ducks, Dixon was one of the most feared quarterbacks in the country.  After being selected to the All-Pac-10 team in 2006, he truly took off when Chip Kelly joined the coaching staff a year later. 

In that 2007 season, Dixon started a trend that has stuck with the Ducks since—speed.  After leading the team to an 8-1 start, Oregon was ranked No. 2 in the BCS standings.  Dixon was an early favorite for the Heisman and a finalist for the Davey O’Brien and Maxwell Awards. 

Then everything went wrong—Dixon tore his ACL and the Ducks lost the game.  I will leave it at that because this memory may be too painful for Ducks fans to remember.

Regardless, Dixon won the 2007 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year Award, went on to play for the Steelers in the NFL and showed that Oregon was in good hands with Chip Kelly running the offense. 

LaMichael James

There is so much that one can say about the man and the football player that is LaMichael James.  That being said, I am just going to list all of the amazing achievements that James accomplished in his three season with the Ducks to show why he has left such a major impact on the program. 

While James lit up the conference throughout his whole stint with Oregon, 2010 was a magical season. 

In guiding the Ducks to their first ever national championship game appearance, James led the nation in rushing, won the Doak Walker Award, was a consensus All-American and finished with an Oregon-best third-place in the voting for the Heisman Trophy.  James was also selected to the Pac-10 All-Academic team that season. 

Although James was plagued by injury at times during 2011, he still had a fantastic year.  He led the nation in yards per carry and made a mark for himself as one of the best running backs the college game had ever seen. 

James finished off his career with the Ducks as the second-leading rusher in conference history and the fourteenth-leading rusher in NCAA history.  James did this all in just three years, and it will be great to see what he can do at the next level. 

The NFL Combine is now underway and will run through February 28th. Let's take a look at five players with the most to gain in anticipation of April's NFL draft:

Ryan Broyles

Broyles is still recovering from a knee injury he suffered in November, but by all indications he is progressing nicely.

It was even noted by draft analyst Chris Steuber that Broyles registered a 40-yard dash time of 4.7 seconds, which is a respectable time for a player just three months removed from an ACL tear.

Although Broyles may be limited on the field as he continues the recovery process, it's been confirmed that the former Oklahoma star will partake in the bench press as well as team interviews.

If Broyles can prove that he's on the track to a speedy recovery this week, his draft status could rise quickly. 

Alshon Jeffery

Much has been made lately about Jeffery's fitness level and whether or not he is in good enough shape physically to warrant a high draft selection.

Draft expert Mike Mayock has pointed out that Jeffery's conditioning level is suspect and that he isn't a fan of the wide receiver's separation abilities at the line of scrimmage.

If Jeffery can run a solid 40 time and impress in the throwing sessions, he could see his stock rise.

Harrison Smith

The safety out of Notre Dame has demonstrated that he has the instincts needed to play the position at the next level, but there have been questions surrounding his athleticism.

He didn't look particularly good against two of the Irish's top opponents in Michigan and USC, but nonetheless he still projects highly in this year's draft.

If Smith can measure in with a decent height and weight and compliment that with a good 40 time, the safety may fly up draft boards come April. 

LaMichael James

James is coming off one of the more prolific careers in Pac-12 history at the running back position, totaling over 5,000 yards during his time at Oregon.

James lacks the size of a prototypical NFL running back (5'9" 180lbs), but he makes up for it with his elite speed.

If the former Duck can notch an impressive 40 time, he could establish himself as a viable option on draft day.

Currently projected as a possible third-round selection by some publications, James could vault himself into the second round if he wows this week. 

Whitney Mercilus

Mercilus led the NCAA in sacks in 2011 with 16, an astounding number for the junior who had just one in 2010.

The former Illinois star opted for the NFL draft instead of returning for his senior year, and he is considered by many to be a high level first-round pick.

In order to establish himself among the elite and solidify his status as a Top-10 pick, Mercilus must demonstrate athleticism and measure well in order to backup his impressive statistics.

Scouts don't have much to go on other than his 2011 season, so performing well this week could do wonders for Mercilus' stock.

After three record setting years at the University of Oregon, tailback LaMichael James declared for the NFL draft and began preparations for the upcoming NFL combine.  Despite his small stature James figures to be anywhere from a second round pick to a fifth round pick in the NFL draft. 

Due to his game breaking speed and college production, James figures to draw interest from a host of teams in the NFL draft.  One of the teams that could target LaMichael James in the draft is the Cincinnati Bengals.

Bengals RB’s

Last year's starting tailback Cedric Benson registered another 1,000 yard rushing season but is entering free agency and hasn’t given any indication that he will return.  After the Bengals' exit from the playoffs at the hands of the Houston Texans, the former University of Texas star indicated he may be more inclined to sign elsewhere due to his diminished role in the offense in 2011. 

One of the reasons for Benson’s lightened workload in 2011 was the continued attempts to get Bernard Scott more involved in the offense.  Scott did register a career high in yards, 380, and touchdowns, three, but only averaged a subpar 3.4 yards per carry.  In addition Scott contributed essentially nothing out of the backfield as he caught 13 passes for 38 yards on the season.

Behind Scott on the depth chart at running back is Brian Leonard and Cedric Peerman.  Neither of these two contributed much to the Bengals rushing attack in the 2011 season.  With the increased importance of the two running back set in the NFL due to injuries and substitution packages the Bengals will definitely need to target a running back this offseason.

Possible Options

If the Benson does sign elsewhere the Bengals have a decision to make in regards to who their opening day running back will be in 2012.  The Bengals could target a free agent running back to fill the void or simply slide Scott into the vacancy left by Benson.  Running back options that the Bengals could pursue in free agency include Michael Bush, Peyton Hillis, Marshawn Lynch or Mike Tolbert. 

If the Bengals choose to forgo the free agency route the draft would be the next logical option.  Alabama star Trent Richardson would look great in a Bengals jersey but there is little chance that he lasts all the way until the Bengals' pick (17).  Besides Richardson the other first round running back options in the NFL draft are Lamar Miller of Miami and David Wilson of Virginia Tech.

While Wilson and Miller are both solid prospects it would be a reach for the Bengals to draft either of them with the 17th pick.  That would leave the Bengals with the option of targeting a running back with one of their middle round picks.

Why LaMichael?

LaMichael James would help the Bengals not just with his running ability but also on special teams and in the passing attack. 

That being said the main attraction to LaMichael James for NFL teams is his ability to move the chains on the ground.  In his storied three-year career as a Duck James rushed for at least 1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns in each season. 

As a result of Oregon’s spread option offense and small stature James is regarded as a speed back that won’t run inside the tackles.  While James certainly has enough speed to be classified as a speed back he is a tough runner that can run between the tackles.

Watch a couple of minutes of the attached highlight tape of LaMichael James’ career at Oregon and pay attention to how he finishes his runs.  It is a rare sight to see James duck out of bounds to avoid a hit.

In addition to his outstanding speed James also possesses great vision for when to make the cutback.  Once he has identified the cutback in the defense it is plant and go. 

If the cutback isn’t there James will lower his shoulder and keep his legs moving behind his blockers.  When James gets in the open field he does possess the agility to make defenders miss but due to his size he isn’t going to overpower anybody.     

As a receiver out of the backfield James didn’t put up great numbers at Oregon but this may have been caused due to him being underutilized.  With James’ speed and vision he could become a valuable weapon in the screen game and in the flats as a check down receiver. 

In an effort to improve his draft stock this season James was used as a punt returner for the Ducks and in 15 punt returns James managed 139 yards and one touchdown.  With more practice and coaching this is an area that James should excel at in the future.

How James Becomes a Bengal

To fill their need for a running back should Cedric Benson depart from the Cincinnati Bengals, as mentioned above, could go in a variety of different directions.  Regardless of how they fill their running back void targeting LaMichael James with a third or fourth round draft pick could pay dividends down the road.

As a rookie James could spell Scott, or whomever the Bengals running back next year is, while contributing on special teams.  Beyond his rookie season James, if he can continue to develop his receiving skills, could blossom into a weapon like Darren Sproles out of the backfield.

When it comes to evaluating the NFL draft, there are many questions that need to be answered and one of the most important is, how valuable is a specific position?

There are many debates about each position, but perhaps none more than running back, a position that's success is littered throughout the draft.

This is where Oregon prospect LaMichael James comes into play, a small 1,800-yard record-breaking rusher whose draft stock will likely be all over the place come April. 

Size

The stature and weight of a tailback is always one of the most interesting aspects of evaluation. Is there a specific size that makes a runner good? Does he have to have a specific trait, such as long arms on pass rushers, that leads to great success? 

In a word, no.

However, there is still importance here and LaMichael James is a smaller back. He's said to be around 5'9" and between 190 and 200 pounds soaking wet after putting weight on prior to his final season in Eugene. The weight is a question mark but the stature is something I do not have a significant issue with because he's built low to the ground, which gives him an advantage against defenders.

Moreover, his weight means that he's unlikely to be a runner that can have a heavy workload at the next level because his body won't hold up. He's had issues with durability at Oregon, dealing with minor injuries that make him miss snaps, which likely limits his contribution at the next level.  

Scheme

What about scheme?

Does the back come out of an option offense well-suited for the NFL that has him do less reading? Or is it pro-style offense with the back deep in the backfield and having to run the ball step by step that is more conducive for NFL success?

Oregon's offense features a lot of run concepts that are seen in the NFL, such as inside and outside zone as well as power, as well as great team blocking. The entire offensive line and skill players do an excellent job of sticking a hat on a hat and creating running lanes for their tailbacks.

These concepts are often ran out of shotgun or pistol set in head coach Chip Kelly's offense, which leave some scouts concerned about his vision translates to the next level where more pro-style offenses are played. Despite this, teams are spending more than half of their snaps in shotgun and are running the ball out of the same set, which helps James' stock in this category.

Speed

Home run ability is valued in runners because there are not a lot of long runs in the NFL. Statistics have shown in the past that very few running backs have more big gainers than the average running back in the NFL. Those that do have long gains are typically those which are special runners, such as Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans. 

Oregon's finest running back has the ability to turn on the jets and outrun defenders. He's got very quick feet and covers ground quickly.

While he does not break the long run often on his own, with many coming from significant alleys created by blockers, he does have the ability to outrun tacklers when he gets to the second level because of his quality acceleration and his straight-line speed. 

Lateral Agility and Balance

Arguably the most important traits in a running back, lateral agility and balance are, in my opinion, two of the most crucial things to a quality rusher, along with vision and instincts. While there are many that will disagree with me here, I don't see great lateral agility from James, instead I see a straight-line runner.

He does not possess the ability to make quick and sharp cuts in my opinion, often taking wasted steps, which is why he's often seeing bouncing from hole to hole through the use of jump cuts. Despite this, his ability to make defenders miss can still be good in the open field—just not in the backfield.

The reason he can fake out defenders is because of his use of head and shoulders. He does a good job of selling the defender on going in one direction before snapping his head and shoulders back to run in another direction. This is something that a lot of quality runners have in the NFL, for instance the Vikings' Adrian Peterson. 

Moreover, balance is another key to being a good running back and James possesses it. He's able to, at times, take contact and continue to move forward and pick up extra yards when carrying the ball. While he does not have the biggest build, he is able to maintain body control when defenders deliver contact.

Vision and Instincts

As previously noted, vision and instincts are an integral part of a top-notch runner and what makes a running back great in this department is not just the ability to hit a designed crease, rather one that's created by an undisciplined defender and taken advantage of.

The Texas-born James shows solid vision when running the ball, finding the hole and hitting it with acceleration. He's shown the ability to make something out of nothing when his lead blocker is jarred back by a defender, consequently forcing the runner to cutback and seek another running lane.    

Power

Running with power is a requirement in the NFL if the athlete plans on being a starting tailback. The reason is because they must be able to break a tackle or tacklers as well as pick up yards after contact. Not to mention, there is the factor of short yardage, such as 4th-and-inches. 

Due to James' size, he does not run with great power. He picks up yards after contact because of his balance but he's often falling forward when doing so, thus discontinuing the play. He shows this weakness when he's brought down by the ankles, displaying weak ankles that we've seen backs of all sizes have (i.e. Chris Wells of the Cardinals). 

Ball Security

Regardless of the talent a football player has, he can't put the ball on the ground once he has possessed it. Doing this raises the possibility of a turnover, which can be a critical mistake in a league that the majority of games are decided by seven points or less. 

Although there have been running backs that have gone high in the draft despite their fumble issues, such as running backs Ryan Williams and Daniel Thomas, it is still a cause for concern.

In the last three years, James has fumbled the ball 12 times which is a cause for concern. Specifically in 2011, a year in which he put the ball three times on the ground, some of his fumbles came from attempting to pick up extra yards. The reason this happened is because he did not cover the ball up with both arms when approaching contact. If he had done this, this would not be an issue.  

Pass Catching

It may be just a coincidence but the Oregon tailback has caught the ball 17 times each of the last three years with four touchdowns. In a run heavy offense, these numbers are not poor for James. As a matter of fact, it is a wonder why he doesn't receive the ball more through the air because he has quality hands.

James shows the ability to catch passes with fluidity and consistency by fully extending his arms to catch the ball away from his body before bringing it in. He's ran routes such as slants and swings from the backfield as well as in flex (three yards away from end man on line of scrimmage) alignments. 

Pass Protection

Last of all is pass protection, the one thing that often keeps backs off of the field at the next level. With defenses becoming more complex, tailbacks must have the ability to identify their assignment before and after the snap and execute their job.

While James is very small, he does a good job in pass protection, utilizing either a cut or chip block to slow down blitzing defenders. The reason for his success in this department is because he's tough, aggressive and competitive. He is willing to sacrifice his body to keep his quarterback upright and it's something I love about his game.

Overall 

When it comes to grading running backs, it can be a difficult task. What do you, as a scout or armchair guru, place an emphasis on? Is it size or speed? What about vision and balance? Or agility? All traits of a tailback that must be identified. 

For me, its vision, instincts, balance and agility. LaMichael James shows solid vision, instincts and balance but questions surround his agility in my opinion.

He's more of a straight-line runner that could have success in a zone blocking scheme that emphasizes inside and outside zone run concepts, such as the Houston Texans. Because of his questions, I expect him to serve in the NFL as a change-of-pace, third-down running back, making him worthy of a fifth-round draft choice in my opinion.