NFL: 5 Pre-season Position Battles To Keep An Eye On

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2. St. Louis Ram€™s Starting Running Back

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Wa4tXVc7MA With longtime starting running back for the St. Louis Rams, Steven Jackson, departing for the Atlanta Falcons, the running back position is wide open in a potentially explosive offense. In past seasons, due to a lack of weapons and a weak offensive line for quarterback Sam Bradford to work with, defenses would constantly stack the line of scrimmage with linebackers and defensive linemen in order to contain Jackson. However, Bradford has many new men on offense, including left tackle Jake Long and the Ram€™s first round pick wide receiver Tavon Austin. Second year receivers Chris Givens and Brian Quick will also look to take a step forward as well. In return, this all works out wonderfully for the new starting running back for the Rams, which will come down to either Darryl Richardson or Isaiah Pead. Last season, Richardson rotated with Jackson for a handful or carries per game, displaying a good skill set for the seventh round pick. Pead, on the other hand, was drafted much higher in the second round, but had a mostly lost rookie season. Pead was selected in the second round for a reason, though, and has tremendous speed and agility that any offense would be looking for. So what€™s the only thing holding him back this year? Due to violating the substance abuse policy, Pead is suspended for week one, but will be eligible to play for the rest of the season once the week is over. Once his suspension is over, I expect Pead to take the starting job, but expect Richardson to get a handful of carries for the second season in a row. For fantasy football players, keep an eye out for Pead later on in the draft. He could end up being one of the biggest steals.

My projected winner: Isaiah Pead (starting in week two)