Breaking News: Arkansas Running Back Darren McFadden Declares Himself Eligible for the NFL Draft

On Friday January 11, Arkansas running back Darren McFadden announced that he would be entering the 2008 NFL draft. The move comes as no surprise to NFL analysts who are predicted McFadden to be a lock for a top 5 draft pick. McFadden had finished as the runner up in the Heisman voting to Florida Quarterback Tim Tebow. He also finished the previous season as the runner up in the Heisman voting as well, second to Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith who is now in the NFL playing for the Baltimore Ravens.

Darren McFadden has until January 15 to make his announcement official that he will be entering the NFL draft and all indications are that he will do so. He is widely considered to be the best running back coming into the NFL draft and will almost surely be a top 5 draft pick. McFadden is only 20 years old and played in 30 games during his college career for the Arkansas Razorbacks. He amassed 785 carries for 4,590 yards including 41 rushing touchdowns. He also caught the ball 46 times for 365 yards including 2 touchdowns.

Darren McFadden holds the Arkansas school single season and career rushing records. He also won the Doak Walker award in 2006 and 2007 for being the best running back in the country. Many scouts have compared McFadden to former Oklahoma Sooner running back Adrian Peterson who was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings.

The Miami Dolphins hold the #1 pick in the NFL draft but they are unlikely to take McFadden. Their real need is at quarterback and they may even trade down at the spot. Plus, the Dolphins have a very good young running back in Ronnie Brown who had been leading the league in rushing yards before he got injured. Dolphins VP of Operations Bill Parcells also has traded top draft picks in the past as he did with the Jets so a trade for the top overall pick to a team in desperate need of a running back is definitely a possibility. The St. Louis Rams hold the second overall pick and they too have a good running back in Steven Jackson who is only 24 years old.

The Atlanta Falcons or Oakland Raiders will pick third, depending on which team wins the coin toss. The Kansas City Chief will follow with the fourth pick of the draft. It is highly doubtful that Darren McFadden will drop any lower than #4. The Falcons also have a good running in Warrick Dunn but he is 33 years old and his play has slowly taken a step back. The Falcons need quarterback help even more so they might be tempted to take a quarterback here instead. I find it very difficult to believe that Darren McFadden will fall to #4 overall but if he does, the Kansas City Chiefs will not think twice about drafting him. The Chiefs have a huge void to fill with the injuries to running back Larry Johnson. McFadden could be the one to do exactly that.

My hunch is that a team with a surplus of draft picks will move up in the draft to grab Darren McFadden. With his ability and high potential, NFL teams won't let him slip past the top 3 picks.

The first day of the NFL draft will be April 26.