Friday, The Patriots shocked most of us and opted to select a runningback not once, but twice on Day Two. Shane Vereen (56th Overall) and Stevan Ridley (73rd Overall) are the 2nd and 3rd highest RB's Bill has ever drafted. Clearly, they thought they needed to get younger at running back.

Hopefully we can do more with these picks than just develop a solid committee. We want a group of backs that compliments each other perfectly, and that teams need to plan for every week. Like, lets say Dallas (Barber, Jones and Choice)

Frankly, with the high picks we used, we should be expecting great things.

I really don't know much about the two backs we drafted, Ridley was not even on my radar (he should have been, apparently he's had several visits with the Pats). I'm curious to see what we have in our unknown commodities. So lets take a quick look at what we have.

                                                                   Shane Vareen RB/California

40-Yard Dash: 4.50                                                                                        Height: 5'10"

Bench Press: 31 Reps                                                                                  Weight: 210 lbs

Vertical Leap: 34.0"                                                                                       Age: 22 yrs

2010 Stats:

      231 Carries | 1167 Yards | 5.1 Yards Per Carry | 13 Touchdowns

Notes:

• Shane Vereen average over 5 ypc in all three seasons at Cal.
• He also average 25 receptions per year.
• Vereen was stuck behind fellow stand-out Jahvid Best for his first two seasons, but really shined went Best went down with a concussion.
• Played on a Torn Meniscus during the 2009 season.
• Good Blocker

What's His Role?:

The Patriots need a half-back who could both block and catch the football. Woodhead and Green-Ellis were both one dimensional in that sense. When either were out there on passing downs, are hand was tipped slightly. Vereen will also be the more sound replacement to Kevin Faulk then Danny Woodhead. Vereen has the ability to work out of the slot and split out wide, again adding another dimension to this backfield. Vereen is also very strong for his size.

Vereen could also see some time in the return game.

Patriots Comparison: Kevin Faulk

                                                                        Stevan Ridley RB/LSU

40 Time: 4.66                                                                                                         Height: 5'11"

Bench Press: DNP                                                                                                Weight: 225 lbs

Vertical Leap: 36.0"                                                                                               Age: 22

2010 Stats:

         249 Attempts | 1147 Yards | 4.7 Yards Per Carry | 15 Touchdowns

Notes:

• Stevan Ridley didn't see much playing time at all until his Junior season (only 57 carries) and surprised many by entering the draft this year.
• I guess that decision worked out.
• Only had one touch for over 30 yards in his College Career.
• He was probably a reach at the beginning of the 3rd. So Bill sees something in him others don't.

What's His Role?:

He's been brought in to be a power back. He's got really good size, but isn't very illusive between the tackles, so he'll need to run over people. He's a very good blocker, he'll probably spend some time at full-back (Sammy Morris). To be honest, this is still a bit of a head scratch-er. He looks good in film, but his stats aren't that great. I'm very curious to see this guy in training camp (*knock on wood*)

Patriots Comparison: Sammy Morris

So how do the backs fit together? Well if you want to label:

Thunder:

         Stevan Ridley

Lightning:

         Danny Woodhead

The Work-Horse:

         Ben-Jarvus GreenEllis

The All-Purpose Back:

         Shane Vereen

That, I believe is Bill's vision of the backfield. I hope it works out. Please use this thread to post any other information about our two new backs or to just discuss them in general.