Mark Ingram Scouting Report

Mark Ingram, Alabama, 5'10" 215 lbs.

Size / Strength: 8 – Good size really compact... Strong runner...Can be a work horse when called upon

Speed: 7 - Great acceleration... Gets too his top speed very quickly... Does not have track star speed... Has gotten caught from behind on big runs...Will probably run in the 4.5's

Elusiveness/Balance: 10 – Unbelievable balance... Very low center of gravity seems to just shake off tackles... Great elusiveness for a bigger back... Cuts and then gets back to full speed quickly... A tough back to take down in the open field

Production: 10 – Heisman winner got it down against top competition... 42 touchdowns, 5+ YPC average, does a good job protecting the ball

Vision: 10 – excellent job being patient and anticipating holes... Cuts and accelerates through small windows... Sets up defenders drawing them inside then breaking big runs to the outside

Best fit: He comes from a well coached Alabama team, so I think he could fit in anywhere, but I think he would do best on a established team like the Patriots, Colts, Packers, Dolphins or Jets.

X-Factor: How early are teams willing to draft running backs? In the last six years at least one running back has been taken top 12. This year the running back class is not very deep so are teams going to draft running backs early, fearing their guy won't drop to them or will they sit back and be patient?

Where he will be picked: Mid-Late First Round - Ingram is clearly the best running back in this draft class but does not possess the top 10 talent of an Adrian Peterson or Darren McFadden.

Where he should be picked: Late First Round - I am not a big fan of picking a running back early unless you believe he is going to be special. Ingram has excellent vision and balance so some team may believe he will be the next great back in the NFL. But it has been proven that you can get a good back in the later rounds. The top 3 backs in rushing this year were Arian Foster (undrafted), Jamaal Charles (3rd round), and Michael Turner (5th round).

NFL Comparison: Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens

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