Mike Shanahan Rates Vick Ballard As Strong Running Back Prospect In Senior Bowl Preparations

Mississippi State Running Back Vick Ballard of Pascagoula is playing his final college football game very close to home at the Senior Bowl in Mobile.  South Coach and Washington Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan says that Ballard has the tools to be a quality NFL running back.  Here is more on Ballard's week of practice from Mike Herndon of the Mobile Press-Register:

MOBILE, Alabama -- Running backs are no longer a particularly hot commodity in the NFL draft. Only four running backs have been selected in the first round in the past two years and only one of those, Buffalo's C.J. Spiller, was in the top 10.
None of the league's top five rushers in 2011 were first-round picks -- two of them lasted beyond the fourth round. The leading rushers for this year's Super Bowl teams, New York's Ahmad Bradshaw and New England's BenJarvus Green-Ellis, were a seventh-round pick and an undrafted free agent, respectively.
For full article:  http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/01/pascagoulas_vick_ballard_under.html