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College Player of the Week – Running Backs, Darren McFadden of Arkansas and Kevin Smith of Central Florida

Action Photo - Runner Kevin Smith of Central Florida
Nov.25 - Draft Insiders.com

Running backs Darren McFadden and Kevin Smith share the College Player of the Week award from Draft Insiders.com after outstanding performances last week. Both junior running backs are having record setting seasons that could entice them to declare for the NFL Draft ’08 this January.
Arkansas tailback Darren McFadden was named the offensive player of the week for his record-setting performance in the Razorbacks’ 50-48 triple-overtime upset of #1 LSU on Friday. Kevin Smith took over the national lead in rushing and became the first back in the state of Florida to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark in a season with a 219-yard rushing effort vs UTEP. His total gives him 2,164 this year, which is the fourth highest single-season yard total in NCAA FBS history.

NFL Rookies of the Week – Chiefs’ WR Dwayne Bowe & Browns CB Eric Wright

The NFL ’07 season enters the final two months with several rookies emerging as bona fide playmakers. Chiefs' wide receiver Dwayne Bowe continues his fine rookie season after being selected in the 1st round with the 23rd overall player last April. In the loss to the Broncos last week, he caught 9 passes for 105 yards in a losing cause. He has been very productive since early in the season and leads all rookies with 38 receptions for over 600 yards and a 15 yard + average per catch, in addition to 3 TDs. He is on pace for a 100 yard receiving season, a rare feat for any rookie wideout.

College Player of the Week by Draft Insiders.com – Hawaii’s QB Colt Brennan Ties NCAA TD passing Record
Nov.14
Hawaii’s QB Colt Brennan wins the College Player of the Week by Draft Insiders.com after another outstanding performance last week vs Fresno St. Brennan threw 2 TD passes for 396 yards plus ran for 1 TD that lead to an impressive 37-30 victory that improved the Rainbows perfect record to 9-0. The victory moved Hawaii higher into the top ten rankings and one of two undefeated clubs, Kansas being the other. Brennan left with a minor concussion injury that left his status for the Thursday night ESPN game vs Nevada this week probable at this point. He tied an NCAA career mark for TD passes with 121 career scoring passes set in 1991 by BYU QB Ty Detmer. He has three regular season games remaining to break the career record.

NFL Rookie Players of the Week – Vikings’ runner Adrian Peterson & Jets backer David Harris

Peterson projected as Top Rookie Impact Performer in May ’07
Excerpt from Draft Insiders Review May ’07 – “The Vikings were surprised that RB Adrian Peterson was available in the first round and quickly selected him. He is a blue chip back with the power to run inside and the speed to hit the home run and was a great addition to this attack. His injured shoulder left some concerns, though he should compete and win the feature back role in camp. He has the makeup to be a major impact performer here if he proves durable over the demanding NFL schedule.�

NFL Rookie Players of the Week – Broncos’ runner SelvynYoung & Jets linebacker David Harris

The NFL ’07 season entered the second half of the campaign with a few surprisingly impressive performances by Broncos running back Selvyn Young and Jets linebacker David Harris. Both players started due to injuries to veterans and made a strong impression in their pro starting debut. Young rushed for 71 yards on 18 carries plus 6 receptions for 49 yards. He was a terrific rookie FA signing after failing to be selected over the 7 rounds last April. His efforts came up short vs the Packers on veteran QB Brett Favre’s overtime heroics. His fine performance was another productive game by a Bronco running back where numerous backs have been able to step in and product at a high level.

10/29/2007 Photo by Radi Nabulsi
College Player of Week by Draft Insiders.com - Georgia's Knowshon Moreno

Georgia Running Back Knowshon Moreno
Freshman sensation Knowshon Moreno ran for a career-high 188 yards and three scores as #20 Georgia upset top ten Florida 42-30 in a game filled with big plays and suspense. Georgia won a critical SEC contest vs arch rival Florida with the former New Jersey High school star the key contributor. For his terrific performance, Moreno earned the College Player of the Year by Draft Insiders.com. Moreno carried the ball 33 times, breaking tackles and outrunning defenders all over the field for 188 yards and 3 TDs. He is the best Georgia freshman back since Herschel Walker in the early ‘80s became one of the premier first year players in college history. Moreno has had two back to back 150 yard+ games vs Vanderbilt on 28 carries for 157 yards before the Florida game where he had 33 rushing attempts for 188 yards and 3 TDs. For the season, he has 152 carries for 807 yards and 6 TDs. He is a 5-11, 210 lb native of Belford, N.J., who lead Middletown South to 3 NJ State championships while setting the all time scoring record over his HS career. Against Florida, he averaged 5.7 yards per carry and also registered a pair of catches for 17 yards. Moreno's rushing total was the most for a Bulldog since Verron Haynes recorded 207 yards against Georgia Tech in 2001. It was Moreno's third career game going over 100 yards and his second in a row. Through eight games, he is 3rd in the SEC and is third best among the nation's freshmen with an average of 100.9 yards per game. He has already been named the SEC Freshman of the Week twice during the ‘07 season.

NFL Rookie Players of the Week – Bills’ runner Marshawn Lynch & Redskins’ safety LaRon Landry
Lynch projected as Rookie Impact Performer in May ’07

Excerpt from Draft Insiders Review May ’07 – “The Bills selected twice in the top 34 picks and addressed their two most pressing needs at running back and linebacker. In the 1st round, they drafted runner Marshawn Lynch, a complete tailback with the talent to come in immediately and give this offense a versatile playmaker. He was a fine addition with impact ability this season.�

The NFL ’07 season enters the halfway point with an impressive performance by Bills running back Marshawn Lynch and Redskins safety LaRon Landry. Lynch has rushed for 457 yards and 4 TDs in just 6 games to date that project to over 1200 yards on the full season. He faced the tough Baltimore Raven defense last week and interesting he faced former Bills’ RB Willis McGahee who was traded last winter to Baltimore. His performance helped the struggling Bills to a much needed 16-9 upset win. Lynch ran for 84 yards on 27 carries including a 1 yard TD run late in the 3rd quarter. He also added another 14 yards on 3 receptions from rookie passer Trent Edwards who has started in recent weeks. Edwards completed only 11 of 21 passes for 153 yards with no TDs and 1 interception in a conservative game plan..