Miami football ranked third by NFL.Com as Running back U
The Miami football program was named the third-best producing running backs in an examination by NFL.Com.
The Miami football program hit its peak in the early 2000s of producing running backs. Clinton Portis, Willie McGahee and Frank Gore who all became NFL All-Pros had at least 300 yards rushing during the 2001 National Championship season. Miami was recently named the third best program producing RBs by NFL.Com.
The system that NFL.Com used to arrive at its rankings involved a multi-tier format. Alabama and LSU are the only schools ranked ahead of Miami. The Hurricanes have continued to produce RBs with their last three primary RBs, Mark Walton, Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas selected in the last three NFL Drafts.
The NFL.Com system gave high scores for players selected early in the draft and what their success was early in their career. Portis, Gore and McGahee were early-round selections who performed well as young players in the NFL. Walton and Homer were mid-round draftees who have primarily been NFL backups.
Walton is in jeopardy of being out of the NFL after off the field problems and Homer became the starter for Seattle in the playoffs last year after injuries decimated the Seahawks RBs. Gore who is nearing the end of a definite Hall of Fame career signed with the New York Jets in the offseason. The NFL.Com scoring system is below.
| Scoring system | |
|---|---|
| Table inside Article | |
| Draft Position | Points |
| Top-10 pick | 10 |
| Picks 11-32 | 8 |
| Rounds 2-3 | 4 |
| Rounds 4-7 | 2 |
| Table inside Article | |
| NFL (Rookie Season) | Points |
| Rookie of the Year | 10 |
| First-team All-Pro | 6 |
| Pro Bowl | 4 |
| Regular season starts | 1 per start |
| Table inside Article | |
| NFL (Years 2-5) | Points |
| MVP | 5 per award |
| Offensive Player of the Year | 4 per award |
| Defensive Player of the Year | 4 per award |
| First-team All-Pro | 3 per selection |
| Pro Bowl | 2 per selection |
| Regular season starts | 0.5 per start |
Twelve Miami RBs including the six already mentioned were included in the rankings by NFL.Com. The rankings clearly only include players drafted since 2000. That puts Miami at a disadvantage as recent Pro Football Hall of Fame electee Edgerrin James was drafted fourth overall by the Indianapolis Colts in 1999.
"MIAMI 212.5 (Clinton Portis 53.5, Frank Gore 38.5, Willis McGahee 37.5, Lamar Miller 33.5, James Jackson 17.0, Duke Johnson 13.5, Mike James 5.0, Mark Walton 4.0, Najeh Davenport 3.0, Travis Homer 3.0, DeeJay Dallas 2.0, Marquez Williams 2.0)"
Johnson and Miller have been the most successful of the recent Miami RBs in the NFL. In five seasons in the NFL, Johnson has 1,696 rushing yards and seven touchdowns and 279 receptions for 2,580 yards and 11 receiving TDs. Johnson is one of the best receiving RBs currently playing in the NFL.
Miller has played seven years in the NFL with 5,864 rushing yards and has 209 receptions for 1,565 yards and eight receiving TDs. With 7,429 yards from scrimmage in his career, Miller ranks 24th in NFL history. Miller is eighth among active players at 4.3 yards per carry. The Miami pipeline at RB should continue into the future.
Next. Miami football named fifth-best RB U in BCS era. dark
Junior Cam Harris is poised for a big year in the new up-tempo, spread offense being installed by new offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee. Freshmen Jaylan Knighton and Don Chaney Jr. have a bright future for Miami. The Hurricanes have Florida record-setting high school RB Thad Franklin commited for 2021.