Survivor I - Kevan Barlow Commentary

NOTE: this draft was completed on 7/24

Recent Stats

YR	RSH	RSHYD	RSHTD	REC	RECYD	RECTD	FPT	RANK
2002	145	675	4	14	136	1	111.1	35
2003	201	1024	6	35	307	1	175.1	17
2004	244	822	7	35	212	0	145.4	27

Positives - He is the incumbent staring running back who has the ability to be a three down back. He catches passes out of the backfield, averaged 5.1 ypc in 2003 and 4.7 ypc in 2002. In 2003, Kevan finished as the 17th RB while only getting 201 carries. With a rookie QB likely under center from day 1, Kevan will be asked to shoulder the load to take the pressure of the $50 million dollar QB. With receiving options like Johnnie Morton and Brandon Lloyd, look for Eric Johnson and Barlow to be very involved in the passing game.

Negatives - Any one who had Barlow on their team last year will be hard pressed to have Kevan anywhere near their team this season. The 49ers were awful last season, and after three series they seemed to abandon the run. He is not guaranteed to be the starter, as the 49ers spent a third round pick on Frank Gore, and Maurice Hicks and Terry Jackson stole some time last season. His ypc was down to 3.4, which was a full yard below his career average. For a RB with top ten potential last year, his finish as RB #27 was a huge disappointment. He must prove himself this year or his career could be over.

Draft Strategy - With the ability to start 3 RBs each week, I selected Barlow to be RB #4. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go this route, but by selecting 4 top 25 RBs, I won’t have to reach for RBBC players later or pick up career backups that may produce if a starter goes down. There are no transactions available in this format, so I can’t hope to get the next Reuben Droughns or Nick Goings if a RB doesn’t pan out or a starter gets injured. With Gates and McNabb selected between picks, this was not a tough decision. I’m scared of a repeat of the 2004 season, but would have been more scared of late rounds picks of players like Tony Fischer and Kevin Faulk had I passed on RB here.