I Was Wrong About Josh Jacobs
I have been covering the NFL Draft for a long time. It’s the thing that got me in the door with writing about sports. I take it very seriously. When it’s time for me to eat a dirt sandwich, I’ll always admit I was wrong. When it comes to Josh Jacobs, I’m here to admit I wiffed. Josh Jacobs is awesome. It only happens about once a year but Trey Daubert was wrong. Josh Jacobs rocks.
I wrote a column prior to the draft that basically stated that we need to cool our jets about Josh Jacobs. This is a guy that didn’t even start at Alabama. Najee Harris was the best running back on that Alabama roster. Josh Jacobs? He’s was getting a fraction of the touches. How the f*ck was this guy a first round pick? It’s a mistake I’ll never make again.
When it comes to Alabama running backs, the exterior factors don’t matter. Just scout the skillsets. It was tough to scout Jacobs because of the limited workload he had at Alabama. What I should have noted was how tough he was. All I know is that Jacobs runs like an angry person ready to run through a brick wall. He’s not the fastest guy in the world, but Jacobs has power, vision, agility, and quickness. It’s hard to deny how great he is. I missed.
I still don’t know if Jacobs was worth a first round pick but he’s probably going to win rookie of the year so it’s hard to argue with the pick. Jacobs isn’t just rushing for 4.8 yards per carry, the advanced analytics love him too. Jacobs ranks first in broken tackles per carry. Jacobs is the number one rated running back according to PFF. I don’t love PFF but the eye test matches the stats. The guy is a monster. What more can you say?
The Oakland Raiders are 5-4 which is much better than most anticipated. I thought they would win about 6 games. Josh Jacobs has been the bell cow for the offense. They aren’t 5 wins good without him.
I’m not wrong often. When I am, I’m willing to admit it. It happens about once a year. It’s a mistake I’ll never make again. Josh Jacobs is awesome. I was wrong. He’s one of the best running backs in football and the Raiders are lucky to have him.
