Back in early February I released my rankings for the offensive skill positions. Well, the scouting combine in Indy, plus more film study has me re-vamping my rankings. I will take a look at the top 10 from each position and compare them to my pre-combine rankings (previous ranking in parenthesis).

Now, let's look at the Runningbacks!

Post-combine RBs

1 . Darren McFadden, Arkansas (1)

2 . Jonathan Stewart, Oregon (2)

3 . Rashard Mendenhall, Illinois (5)

4 . Felix Jones (4)

5 . Ray Rice, Rutgers (6)

6 . Jamaal Charles, Texas (3)

7 . Chris Johnson, ECU (10)

8 . Matt Forte, Tulane (12)

9 . Justin Forsett, California (8)

10 . Kevin Smith, UCF (7)

So 1st question, why did Rashard Mendenhall jump from 5 to 3?

Much like our good friend Russ Lande from the Sporting News I too see the difficulty in evaluating RBs from the spread offense. The holes aren't going to be as big in a traditional offense, and there is more responsibility on the RB to make the correct read. I've watched more games from Rashard's '06 & '07 seasons, and the one thing that really stands out is his ability to stick his foot in the ground, change direction, and go! I like his decisiveness and cutback ability. Again, it will look different from the pro formation, but I've seen enough good decisions on his rushing lanes to think that the transition will be easier than others. Catching passes out of the backfield is something he can do better than most. Sometimes he does seem to "hear footsteps" and doesn't secure the ball before turning up field. His power and burst will make him a bell cow RB at the next level.

Why did Jamaal Charles fall 3 spots from 3 to 6?

Of all the RBs in the top 10, I feel that Charles is the ultimate boom or bust pick. It's hard for me to say confidently that he is a top 5 RB in this draft class. He has the talent, but there are durability concerns. I believe that Charles is best served being used in a RBBC, where he can get around 20 touches (rushing and receiving) per game. Even though he had a banner year in 2007, one must back up and look at the whole picture. Does he run bigger than his size? No. And by all means that tells you all you need to know.

Why did Chris Johnson and Matt Forte jump so much?

With a combine record 40 time of 4.24 seconds of course Chris Johnson was moving up! He is a versatile weapon that can hurt defenses in any number of ways; rushing, receiving, or kick returning. Johnson is more than a track guy too. Don't let anyone tell you that he lacks the instinct for running the football. He cuts and moves well for a guy with that much speed. He has some good power for being a smaller back. I've watched the Hawaii Bowl 2 more times in the last week, and Johnson is simply amazing in that game!

Matt Forte jumped up because of a strong showing in Indy. He was MVP of the Senior Bowl, and in Indy he continued his hot streak. He was among the top performers in the 40 yard dash, the 3 cone drill, the 20 yard shuttle, and the 60 yard shuttle. Level of competition will be a question when evaluating Forte, but with his size, speed, and power combination he could be answering those questions quickly.

Why did Mike Hart fall out of the top 10?

Mike Hart on the other hand had a very poor showing in Indy. Some players just aren't going to time well, but when the film is examined they really shine. That is the type of player that Mike Hart is. The one thing you can't measure is heart, and Mike Hart has a ton of it. But he fell out of my top 10 because I really think that Michigan backs get used up before they hit the pros. It happened to Chris Perry, who was much more of a physically imposing back than Mike Hart is. But my list isn't the only one where Hart is falling, NFL scouts made note of his poor combine performance and there is little doubt that he will slip on draft day.

That does it for the RBs, look out for my WR discussion tomorrow. My new rankings will debut on Draftguys soon!