One of the most interesting players to watch in the 2012 College Football season for the 2013 NFL draft is Montee Ball the Wisconsin running back. Wisconsin has a history of having very productive running backs in college who struggled to adapt to the N.F.L. game. Many of the recent picks have been late round picks, but early buzz about Montee Ball has him slated as a first or second round pick. Many draftniks were putting Ball in the first round a year ago–but he was given a later round selection by the draft advisory committee.
Ball is not the typical big, slow bruising Wisconsin running back, though his best work is often done in between the tackles. Ball lost a lot of weight prior to last season and looked quicker and more explosive than he was in the 2012 season and his numbers reflected that. Ball amassed a whopping 1923 yards and scored 39 rushing and receiving touchdowns.
Ball is a natural receiver who has a solid build and average speed. His best asset is that he can get up to speed quickly and that he has good vision. Ball should be able to come in and play on third downs right away because he is better than average at picking up blitzes.
While Ball has those strengths he also has some weaknesses besides his speed. Ball does not make enough defenders miss and must show that he is not a product of the Wisconsin Badgers offensive line in the 2012 season. Ball also will enter the league with an extraordinary amount of carries–he had 163 two years ago and over 300 in 2011. If he approaches 300 again that could scare off some teams. The question centering Ball is–will he be able to prove that he’s not a product of that tremendous Wisconsin Badgers offensive line?
Thoughts?
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