DeMarco Murray, NFL Draft, and comparing notes with Gil Brandt
Published: 4/28/2011 11:50 AM
Last Modified: 4/28/2011 11:50 AM
The NFL Draft is underway in just a few hours. I went through some tape today (can we still call it tape if it’s a digital recording?) and came across a conversation I had with Gil Brandt.
Brandt likes DeMarco Murray. The former Sooner running back will probably be drafted tomorrow, in round two or three.
Here’s what Brandt said about Murray recently:
“When I saw him as a freshman, I thought he was gonna be another Reggie Bush. He’s a good receiver — what’d he have 70 (71) catches this past year? He’s productive is what he is. I guess the biggest thing that I’d worry about with him is he seems a little bit stiff in the hips, and his injuries.”
The scope of this interview was to compare and contrast Murray with Oklahoma State’s Kendall Hunter.
“When I put my stuff up this spring, (Murray) was my top-rated running back,” Brandt said. “That was in July, before the season started.”
Then Brandt asked me something no one ever has before.
“Who do you think is the best?”
Really? Gil Brandt, the guy who helped build the Dallas Cowboys’ original dynasty, one of the most respected scouting minds in the history of pro football, wanted my evaluation?
I love watching elite running backs. I’ve studied them all my life. I’ve got a lot of opinions, historical and contemporary.
But I almost laughed at this scenario. So I said this:
“Well, they’re two different guys. I think either one could be a potential feature back, but probably not like 25 carries a game. … The thing about Murray, he can do it all. He’s OU’s all-time leader in kickoff return average, he catches more passes — not just shovels and swings, but he goes out on receiver patterns — I think he’s the only guy in school history to have four touchdowns over 75 yards, and he can run with power. He’s a special guy.”
Brandt told me that was a good note about Murray’s cross-country TDs, and scribbled it down in his scouting notebook.
Cool.
I then asked Brandt about Tulsa’s Charles Clay, and he said he likes him. Then he did it again.
“Where do you think he plays?” Brandt asked. “Is he a tight end? Is he a fullback? Is he an H-back? What the hell is he?”
OK, I figured, I’ll play along. Brandt knows his stuff, but it seems now he wants to know if I know mine. So I tried to offer up a little something on a guy I saw as the Golden Hurricane’s most dynamic offensive player this side of Damaris Johnson.
“He’s got to be an H-back. He can do a little bit of everything,” I said.
“You’re right,” Brandt said. “I like Clay. I watched him at the Senior Bowl. I list him as an H-back. But I list him with my tight ends, too. He’s got good hands, he’s a good runner after the catch, and I think he’s got good size.”
I said if Clay went to the right team, he’s the kind of guy who can create mismatches.
“That’s what everybody’s looking for,” Brandt said. “Ask New England with those tight ends they had last year. About 14 touchdowns between them, and that’s not too bad, and it looked like you and me trying to play defense against them.”
In that vein, Brandt is spot on. I’d trust my talent evaluation skills long before I trust my pass coverage skills on an NFL tight end.
— John E. Hoover
Written by
John E. Hoover
Sports Columnist
