
I've often argued -- unoriginally -- that, in general, NFL teams should avoid using first-round picks on running backs. Salary-cap friendly alternatives can often be found later in the draft, and other, harder-to-address needs -- like offensive line or wide receiver -- can be targeted in the early rounds.
There are exceptions: most recently
Adrian Peterson,
Steven Jackson and
LaDainian Tomlinson. But the NFL scrap heap is littered with
former first-round backs who never panned out. It's too early to classify
Laurence Maroney as such, but his three-year career has, so far, been underwhelming.