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It’s no surprise that Detroit Lions rookie running back Jahvid Best is getting some high praise from experts around the league. After an excellent college career at Cal where he averaged over 7.0 yards per carry while also making an impact in the passing game and the return game, Best was considered one of the top backs in the 2010 draft class. His elusive running style and speed have him getting compared to some of the league’s top backs, including 2009’s highest scoring player, Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson.

But is it too soon to be making those comparisons? After all, Chris Johnson’s success can largely be contributed to the fact that he is perhaps the fastest player in the entire NFL. Best, while quick, is not speedy on the level of Chris Johnson. And as Johnson showed in 2010, the difference between a 5-yard run and a 50-yard run can often be as little as one step that you gain on a defender.

Then there are the injury concerns. We’re talking about a guy who is coming off of a major concussion that ended his 2009 season early; which actually followed a lesser-discussed minor concussion that he sustained in the team’s previous game. Despite the injury and college eligibility remaining, Best decided to follow in the footsteps of many of the game’s top running backs by foregoing his senior season and enter the NFL Draft. Though he is now fully recovered from the concussions, they remain a question mark on his future as a player in t...
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