I was glad we took a RB and would have been happy with any of the top 5-6 taken. I really preferred Kamara since we were focused on the 2nd RD or later. My question is would you take Kamara over Mixon if you had a do over, would you take someone else other than Fournette and McCaffrey or stick with Mixon.

It's tough for me even though I liked Kamara I doubt he would have been nearly as productive behind our line. I think Kamara's success was a direct result of their line/and having Brees. I hope Mixons lack of production was on a line we are fixing and not him. Hope he has a monster year. I think Mixon/Bernard could be a dangerous duo and give Kamara/Ingram a run for their money if we fix the line. I just wish we done more this past draft and FA to allow Mixon and Co. to do their thing.


Thoughts?

Yeah... I'd take Kamara, but... I think he would've struggled behind the 2017 O line. Joe Mixon would've killed in in New Orleans last year. I think he's a much better player than Mark Ingram, and he was great last season.

Too early to tell.

Hunt , Fournette then Mixon

I still think we took the best RB in the draft last year. Really wasn't really much he could do with the OL and OC the way it was. Once Lazor was able to change the run game he improved drastically. We'll see what happens this season though.

Mixon will be a beast this year. He has too much talent to be mediocre. I also think his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield will be just as important as his ability to gash the defense running the ball.

Scheme and personnel (OL) often have more to do than talent alone. Just look at Cowboys 2 years ago before they lost 2 starting O lineman. Or Todd Gurley from year 2 to 3.

I think last years running back class is incredible (fournette, hunt, Kamara, cook, mixon... and mcaffery as a different type of back)

I’d like to see him behind an improved OL and without all the BS the team dealt with last year before making any conclusions

(06-09-2018, 12:42 AM)TKUHL Wrote: I was glad we took a RB and would have been happy with any of the top 5-6 taken. I really preferred Kamara since we were focused on the 2nd RD or later. My question is would you take Kamara over Mixon if you had a do over, would you take someone else other than Fournette and McCaffrey or stick with Mixon.

It's tough for me even though I liked Kamara I doubt he would have been nearly as productive behind our line. I think Kamara's success was a direct result of their line/and having Brees. I hope Mixons lack of production was on a line we are fixing and not him. Hope he has a monster year. I think Mixon/Bernard could be a dangerous duo and give Kamara/Ingram a run for their money if we fix the line. I just wish we done more this past draft and FA to allow Mixon and Co. to do their thing.


Thoughts?

I don't usually do the revisionist history thing, but I have an observation in regards to Kamara.  I really liked him coming out of college.  I thought he was more of a Gio than a power back, which he is, but I liked that he was not overused in college.  I thought he had a lot of tread on the tires, and that he wouldn't suffer the same "rookie wall" that so many do after a full season, a month of work for the bowl game, the bowl game, training for the combine, the combine, then OTAs, and so on. 

I think so many rookies are just dead by the time their first season starts that we aren't getting the same player that the college had their senior year.  I look for guys like Mixon, McCaffery, and Fournette to have huge seasons in year two. 

I will also be interested to see how Orlando Brown fares, because he rested rather than prep for the combine.  Will it help his rookie season?  We shall see.  

Cook and Mixon were the best two RBs in the draft.

Kamara is great in his role, but he is never going to be a guy who gets 200 carries a season. he only had 120 last year and that is about all he will get splitting time with Ingram.

Fournette looked bigger in college, and he seems like a guy who will always be nicked up.

Kamara wouldn't have done much on this team last year. I think Mixon was the most complete back in that draft, so for now, I'll say stickin with Mixon.

Since no one saw Kareem Hunt coming, I'll just say we could have waited another round and got the gem of the draft.

I hope Mixon turns out to be a beast. There are so many factors that go into why x player played better than y and z. I do think the odds of Mixon having a breakout year are just as good as Hunt and Kamara last year. I think Mixon has the talent that will be there for a while. Hunt and Kamara have a system that can come and go, teams will catch on.

(06-09-2018, 12:42 AM)TKUHL Wrote: I was glad we took a RB and would have been happy with any of the top 5-6 taken. I really preferred Kamara since we were focused on the 2nd RD or later. My question is would you take Kamara over Mixon if you had a do over, would you take someone else other than Fournette and McCaffrey or stick with Mixon.

It's tough for me even though I liked Kamara I doubt he would have been nearly as productive behind our line. I think Kamara's success was a direct result of their line/and having Brees. I hope Mixons lack of production was on a line we are fixing and not him. Hope he has a monster year. I think Mixon/Bernard could be a dangerous duo and give Kamara/Ingram a run for their money if we fix the line. I just wish we done more this past draft and FA to allow Mixon and Co. to do their thing.


Thoughts?

Nope, don't think Kamara has near the production he had in New Orleans here with our shit show O-line.

Mixon should show this year he is right there with Kamara, Hunt, Fournette, McCaffrey and Dalvin Cook.

He has just as much talent as any of them. My 2 favorite RB's on the field in the last Draft were Mixon and Cook BTW.

They obviously fell for character concerns, that is the only reasons they weren't taken in the early first. Great talent, both these guys.

I'm going to restrain my excitement until I see how well Mixon does behind our re-vamped OL. But I honestly was glad we drafted him.

Mixon was garbage last year and I'm of the unpopular opinion that he was as much to blame for it than anyone. Here's to hoping he realizes he is not Leveon Bell this year and runs with quickness and authority.


As to the query in the OP: Fournette is the only RB I would have taken over Mixon based solely on talent

(06-09-2018, 09:05 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Mixon was garbage last year and I'm of the unpopular opinion that he was as much to blame for it than anyone. Here's to hoping he realizes he is not Leveon Bell this year and runs with quickness and authority.


As to the query in the OP: Fournette is the only RB I would have taken over Mixon based solely on talent

Garbage? I don't get why you would say that? He seemed to make the sun shine behind a bad line?

(06-10-2018, 03:52 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: Garbage? I don't get why you would say that? He seemed to make the sun shine behind a bad line?

3.5 YPC and 4 TDs from your feature back = garbage.

He did a lot behind that line including staying behind it too long, but making the sun shine was not one of them.

Folks say "Oline" and suggest Joe would have done much better behind a line such as Minnesota, because fellow rookie Dalvin Cook averaged 4.8 per carry there. Well after he went down they went to Latavius Murray who average less than 4 ypc. A good running back can make a line look better much easier than a good line making a RB look better. Our own Gio average 4.5 YPC behind the exact same line. 

But as I said I hope it clicks for him this year; he definitely has the raw skills. But if he gets off to a start similar to 2017 watch out for Mark Walton as we often hit on 4th rd picks.  

(06-10-2018, 04:20 PM)bfine32 Wrote: 3.5 YPC and 4 TDs from your feature back = garbage.

He did a lot behind that line including staying behind it too long, but making the sun shine was not one of them.

Folks say "Oline" and suggest Joe would have done much better behind a line such as Minnesota, because fellow rookie Dalvin Cook averaged 4.8 per carry there. Well after he went down they went to Latavius Murray who average less than 4 ypc. A good running back can make a line look better much easier than a good line making a RB look better. Our own Gio average 4.5 YPC behind the exact same line. 

But as I said I hope it clicks for him this year; he definitely has the raw skills. But if he gets off to a start similar to 2017 watch out for Mark Walton as we often hit on 4th rd picks.  

Just sayin, behind a horrid line, bad coaching and a crappy playbook? Really looking forward to what he can do this year. Kid has extreme talent. Last year was all out scramble to try and save the season in some fashion and avoid embarrassment. They are focused and will be ready to roll. 

(06-09-2018, 12:42 AM)TKUHL Wrote: I was glad we took a RB and would have been happy with any of the top 5-6 taken. I really preferred Kamara since we were focused on the 2nd RD or later. My question is would you take Kamara over Mixon if you had a do over, would you take someone else other than Fournette and McCaffrey or stick with Mixon.

It's tough for me even though I liked Kamara I doubt he would have been nearly as productive behind our line. I think Kamara's success was a direct result of their line/and having Brees. I hope Mixons lack of production was on a line we are fixing and not him. Hope he has a monster year. I think Mixon/Bernard could be a dangerous duo and give Kamara/Ingram a run for their money if we fix the line. I just wish we done more this past draft and FA to allow Mixon and Co. to do their thing.


Thoughts?

It is hard to revisit a draft after the fact. Heck, Kamara may have been a 1st round pick by some teams. My point is oce w eplay Monday morning QB, so can 31 other teams so seems pointless.

I'd still take him over any RB except Fournette.

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt - last four games? 4.0, 5.0, 5.3, 4.9 YPC.