OC Jay Gruden loves the pick of North Carolina running back Giovani Bernard in the second round. He's a three-down back, Gruden says, who upgrades the Cincinnati passing game with an exciting sizzle.
"We had a need and we filled it with two guys. Bernard and [Rex Burkhead] are both good in that role," Gruden says. "They'll be competing for the third-down spot."
Gruden covets Bernard's versatility, and his size, 5-9, 205 pounds, he says, is no different than three-down backs coming into the league. Like Tampa Bay's 5-9, 220-pound Doug Martin in the last draft: "(Bernard) ran the ball in and outside zones and caught it as well. A lot of guys his size are doing it."
He also calls Bernard a three-down back which shouldn't make BenJarvus Green-Ellis sleep any better at night. We expect BJGE to get most of the early down work, with Bernard being used as the change-of-pace and third-down back. In other words, this looks like it's turning into a RBBC.
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