As we approach the start of training camps – and with them, the beginning of Fantasy Draft season – one of the players who has most sharply divided fantasy experts and owners has been Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew.

A fair amount of people think he’s the No. 2 – in point per reception leagues, an occasional No. 1 – draft pick in Fantasy Drafts. Just as many people think he is a disaster waiting to happen. There are several reasons stated for this – the offensive line, the pass game (or lack thereof), no wide receivers – but most commonly quoted is ‘he’s too small’.

Chiefly, my concerns center more along the lines that he has never carried the full load, even during his college career. But part of that does have to do with size. Can he last an entire season at his size? Can his body take the beating? There is no doubt Jones-Drew is a beast – a tough competitor who laid Shawne Merriman out in a game a few years ago. But tough sometimes cannot make up for small.

Here’s a better question: how much smaller is Jones-Drew, really, than his fellow starting backs? In order to answer this question I looked into 32 backs – some starters, some backups, some guys who are similar runners, and some who are very different.

Jones-Drew’s stats read like this (according to NFL.com): 5-7, 208 pounds.

While he is a far cry from the biggest back, he is not the smallest I looked at - that person being Darren Sproles at 5'6", 181 pounds. If you want a definition of small, Sproles is your man. Still, the majority of the backs with significant carries are 5'10" and up while weighing in at often well over 200 pounds – Adrian Peterson (6'1"- 217), LaDainian Tomlinson (5'10"- 221), Michael Turner (5'10"- 244) and Clinton Portis (5'11"- 221).

Okay, so maybe it is unfair to compare him to many of those backs. Not only are they naturally bigger, but they play a much different game than Jones-Drew.  What if we looked at guys who did more what Jones-Drew does, such as catch out of the backfield a ton. Instead, let us compare him to smaller guys who do not pound the ball for yards or run defensive players over. These smaller backs are often guys who are either part-timers or were part-timers not long before.

We have already touched on Sproles, who I have a hard time imaging as a feature back given how light and small he is. Maybe he could survive a season as the only guy in a backfield but not only is he short, but incredibly light, too. Jones-Drew may only have an inch on him, but he has 27 pounds on him, too.

Aside from Sproles, you’re looking at backs like Leon Washington (5'8"- 202) and Jerious Norwood (5'11"- 202). Neither is a running back who people expect to take over as a sole back anytime soon. Norwood is taller, but thinner than Jones-Drew. Washington is close to his height but still weighs less. Neither of these backs strikes one as a bell cow.

I think Jones-Drew runs tougher than either guy, though I think Washington has enough big-play ability to make him special. The problem is not how tough they are, but if they can stand up to a full season of pounding.  I have never thought the height was all that big an issue. What is a bigger concern for me is the constant injuries seen in backs in the same weight class.

Joseph Addai is taller than Jones-Drew at six feet, but just a tad lighter; 205 to Jones-Drew’s 208. The last few seasons he has been banged up – last season he was hurt enough to force the Colts to draft Donald Brown in April to ease the gas pedal on Addai and spell him.

Brown weighs in at 230 and it is entirely likely (in some circles expected) that he will take over primary run duties while Addai ends up as a change of pace guy.

Another light back to look at is ‘Fast’ Willie Parker. Parker lists as 5'10"- 209 lbs and while he clearly has great ability, he has also been injured chunks of the last two seasons. Rashard Mendenhall was brought in partly because of this and despite his own injury, is still a guy the team looks to count on to spell Parker a bunch this season.

At least one injury to Parker was freaky – I still wonder if anyone fired the groundskeeper who left an open hole in the practice field for Parker to step into – but he had issues before that anyway.

In both cases, the teams involved have looked hard at drafting and acquiring backs who might at least spell the main ball carrier, if not eventually completely replace him. Many times a lighter back ends up as part of a running back by committee, which often limits their fantasy value.

Ray Rice is not any bigger (5'8"- 205) but the Ravens are not looking at him to carry every handoff. Le’Ron McClain, Willis McGahee, and possibly rookie Cedric Peerman all will see carries and Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron says he sees a three-headed monster at running back.

Reggie Bush (6'0"- 203) has been hurt both of the last two seasons and is very clearly used in a RBBC – this year with Pierre Thomas. Yes, Bush is an unusual back and has had a few freaky injuries, but just the same, the Saints do not intend for him to be a traditional running back. He is just not built for it.

Both players have been very effective with limited touches but aren’t going to be the only ball carrier anytime soon. There are several reasons for it, but in both cases, size and weight concerns certainly are on the franchise’s minds.

Jones-Drew was very effective when he had Fred Taylor to spell him even a little. While he is likely to get more carries without Taylor there, will he still need to be spelled often and if so, by whom?

Slaton comes in at about 5'9"- 203 pounds (even lighter than Jones-Drew) and was the primary back for the Houston Texans last season. People kept assuming he would get hurt at some point and he did not. Like Jones-Drew, he also caught a ton of passes. Like Jones-Drew he broke big runs for big plays. And like Jacksonville, Houston decided against picking up another, bigger back to spell their small ball carrier and so Slaton is still the top dog in their backfield. Slaton is proof that a player can be undersized and still effective. Even though his quarterback was hurt for some time, even though defenses knew he was coming, they could not stop him.

Yet he has still added weight and muscle this offseason, putting on nine more pounds in order to better withstand the beating he takes as the main back. It still leaves him pretty light relatively speaking but it shows he was concerned how his body might hold up long term at the weight he was at last season.

Slaton proved in 2008 that with the right offense and opportunity, a smaller, lighter back can succeed. Unfortunately it is only one year of work and not a very good indicator of anything save it can be done at least once but we still have no idea if it can happen often or repeatedly. As you can see, the weight issue – more than the size issue, though they are related – is something that should worry a fantasy owner picking up Jones-Drew.

The fact is he is smaller than the majority of starting backs in the NFL. He is also lighter than the majority of starting backs in the NFL. Those are both concerns and they should be – there are just very few small, light backs that succeed as the primary ball carrier in the NFL. Without Taylor in town, Jones-Drew will get more carries than he ever has before. That will also place him in harm’s way far more often than he ever has been before as well.

For a guy who has never carried the ball as the primary ball carrier for an entire season, it concerns me. He has as little history in this area as a guy like Slaton –less in fact because we at least now Slaton could do it once. This is not the only question about Jones-Drew’s prospects in 2009. The offensive line, the wide receivers and the defense all merit attention as well. However, calling into question Jones-Drew’s size as a concern is a valid thing, and one that each owner will have to weigh in their own formula when choosing their first running back.

For myself, I lean towards taking him no earlier than five, no later than 10 in a redraft league. This means there is no way he is on a roster of mine this season, as I will not take him in the top five and he will not be there after that anyway.

There is no denying Jones-Drew has the talent, dedication and drive to play at an outstanding level. The question is if he can do so in a way that will not leave him burned out – or worse, injured – at the end of the season.

He could end up like Slaton – another example of a smaller back providing great numbers despite size and weight. He could also end up another example of why lighter backs end up in committees. There are few sure things in the first round of Fantasy Drafts this summer. You have to weigh the risks and decide how those Jones-Drew has measures up to the other first-round backs.

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written by Rob, July 23, 2009

Great Article. And Gregg thank you for your reply I at sitting at 2 in a PPR league and its coming down to MJD and Turner for me...........It's a tough call.

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RB Stature
written by Greg Kellogg, July 15, 2009

How about these guys for comparison:

Barry Sanders 5'8" 203
Curtis Martin 5'11" 210
Emmitt Smith 5'9" 210
Tiki Barber 5'10" 200 (though he claimed he never weighed more than 193)
Walter Payton 5'10" 200
Marshall Faulk 5'10" 211
Tony Dorsett 5'11" 192
Brian Westbrook 5'8" 200

Just sayin'!

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MJD
written by Bryan Fontaine, July 12, 2009

Garda, very good article on MJD. You definitely make the case that there is no one like him in the current NFL. I don't necessarily agree with the Slaton comparison, but he's already got a proven track record of scoring tons of touchdowns in a limited role. Injury concerns will be there for anyone, but aside from Peterson give me MJD with the potential to score possibly 15 TD's. Don't discount this - MJD has a chip on his shoulder and wears #32 for a reason (For every team that passed on him in Round 1)

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written by REDRUM, July 12, 2009

MJD has been an absolute BOWLING BALL around the Goal Line..He has shown the ability to move piles as well. I feel like he uses his size as an advantage... Personally I feel comfortable taking in the top 3... I loved the article though...

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