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RB Marshawn Lynch, Buffalo Bills

HT: 5-10, WT: 223, Born: 4-22-1986, College: California, Drafted: Round 1, Pick 12

2008 Projections

Best Case

After selecting him with the 12th overall pick in last year's draft, the Bills appear to have found a future star in Marshawn Lynch. He is a complete back who can do everything you ask him to. Lynch runs between the tackles with remarkable toughness and determination, but also has the speed to bounce plays outside and stretch the field in the passing game. Although he wasn't used much in the passing game as a rookie, look for him to get more involved this year as he becomes more reliable in pass protection. Despite missing three games with an injury, Lynch finished his rookie season ranked just outside the top-10 in most rushing statistics. If the Bills can get more consistent production from their passing game, that will open things up a bit more for Lynch and the running game. If he stays healthy, top-10 is his floor and top-5 is probably his ceiling.

Worst Case

One of Lynch's biggest strengths could also be his undoing. After making contact with a defender, he has a tendency to fight for every single yard he can get. This helped him score a few TDs on second efforts last year but it could also make him more susceptible to injury. The Bills offense has ranked among the worst in the league for several years running, and if they can't get better play from the QB position, defenses will continue to stack 8 in the box to stop the running game. Although unlikely, there is a chance the Bills could use more of a committee approach at RB this year. Fred Jackson emerged as a viable alternative late last year and the team also drafted a power back in Dwayne Wright who could spell Lynch in short-yardage duties.

Outlook

Lynch had a great rookie season that went unnoticed by many due to the huge season Adrian Peterson had in Minnesota. Peterson is likely to remain the more productive back, but Lynch isn't too far behind him. The Bills have churned out some productive fantasy RBs in recent years from Travis Henry to Willis McGahee, but Lynch looks like he could wind up being the best of them all. What helps him stand out is just how hard he runs, especially when he gets anywhere near the goal line, but he also has the potential to be very productive in the passing game as well. With an offensive line that should continue to improve, a more potent passing game, and a much easier schedule, Lynch should be one of the most productive RBs in the league.

2007 Game Summaries

Week 1 - Lynch made his NFL debut with 19 attempts for 90 yards, including a 23 yards touchdown dash in the third quarter. He is big and fast and the Bills need to get him even more involved in this offense in a hurry, but he needs to work on pass protection. Lynch is the first rookie RB to open for the Bills since Travis Henry in 2001. Leading 14 -12, Buffalo had the ball at their own 33 yard line with 3:32 left in the game. Lynch gained three yards on first down and two more on second down. One more first down would have helped seal the victory, but the Bills went for the bomb. They sent Lee Evans deep down the right sideline but the pass was off target and fell incomplete. Buffalo had to punt.

Week 2 - Rookie running back Marshawn Lynch had another solid game considering that Pittsburgh is a tough defense to run on and Buffalo's offense did little to support him, especially in the first half. Lynch averaged just over 3.5 yards per carry, but narrowly missed breaking off a couple of long runs. He also nearly had a touchdown run, but knee his touched down at the Pittsburgh five yard line. On the play Lynch called upon his arsenal of skills to make tacklers miss and break tackles to make what looked like a short game into a near touchdown. After pirouetting and seemingly breaking a tackle, his knee was correctly ruled down. A Losman incompletion followed on third down and Buffalo had to settle for a field goal.

Lynch caught his only target and turned it into a 21 yard gain.

Week 3 - Lynch was the lone bright spot for the Bills on either side of the ball. He bulldozed his way into the end zone on an eight yard touchdown run in the 1st quarter. His overall numbers suffered due to the team's ineptitude over the final three quarters of the game.

Lynch had the best rushing day of any running back against the Patriots so far this season. After the game was out of hand, rookie RB Dwayne Wright saw some garbage time action.

Week 4 - Lynch, Buffalo's rookie running back from Cal, had another solid effort. He averaged 3.4 yards on his 23 rushing attempts. Lynch did not find many huge holes to run through. However, he ran hard and frequently broke tackles for extra yardage. He does a good job of keeping his feet moving and gaining extra yards after contact.

Lynch's best run may have been his touchdown run. On the play, he powered through the middle of the Jet defense for a ten yard score. He was later stopped at the one yard line twice before Michael Gaines scored on fourth down.

Lynch lost the football on two occasions, but neither were fumbles. The first time was on his touchdown run after the ball had already crossed the plane of the end zone. On the second occasion, Lynch was already down.

Week 5 - As expected, Lynch was the focal point of the Bills offense. He ran hard and busted off a few good runs (including a 15 yarder to open the game), but more often than not he was unable to evade initial contact by the Dallas defenders. The telling stat: Lynch was held to two yards or less on 14 of his 20 carries. He did have two red zone carries, though he didn't come close to scoring a TD. Lynch was somewhat involved in the passing game, especially as a safety valve for Trent Edwards, and he was able to break off a 23 yard gain on a nice catch and run. He also dropped a catchable ball on the first series of the game.

Week 7 - Lynch averaged only 3.1 yards on his 27 attempts, but his impact against a tough Raven defense was important. Lynch helped Buffalo keep the Baltimore offense off the field and scored the Bills' only touchdown. Lynch is a tough runner who is hard to bring down on the first hit. Most of Lynch's runs resulted in modest gains. However, he did reel off impressive runs of 13 and 23 yards.

Lynch caught all three of his targets.

Week 8 - Lynch ran well however did have to sit out most of the second quarter with an injury. He returned after the half and finished the game with 80 yards on 21 carries while adding a 7 yard reception. He continues to run hard this year and has given the Bills a rock solid back to pound the ball late in the game.

Week 9 - Lynch produced huge numbers, most of them coming in the fourth quarter. He had a touchdown pass on a sweep play and a long 56 yard touchdown run. He did not have extreme success before the fourth, but it seemed like he wore the defense down.

Week 10 - Rookie Marshawn Lynch is the catalyst of this team. Even though Miami game planned to stop him he still scored the only Bills' touchdown of the game. He also added a two point conversion. Lynch was targeted four times in the fourth quarter as Buffalo rallied to win the game. He only averaged 3.2 yards a carry, but the Bills kept feeding him and with 1:54 left in the game Lynch sprained his ankle fighting for extra yardage on the winning drive. He was seen limping in front of the bench trying to walk it off, but there was no immediate word on the severity of his injury.

Week 11 - RB Marshawn Lynch did not play because of injury.

Week 12 - Lynch remained inactive with an ankle injury.

Week 14 - Lynch returned from his ankle injury and didn't miss a beat. Lynch ran hard and showed no signs that his ankle bothered him. It frequently took multiple defenders to bring Lynch down. Lynch's hard-running style got him into trouble on one occasion: As Lynch was fighting for extra yardage and being gang tackled, the ball was stripped and he lost a fumble. Lynch nearly fumbled on one other occasion, but replay showed he that the ground caused the fumble after his arm touched down.

Lynch lost a 20 yard run to a holding penalty. Lynch was targeted twice, but did not catch a pass. Edwards targeted him on a deep route that was nearly a touchdown, but the pass was slightly off the mark. His other target was a 14 yard reception on a screen pass that was called back by penalty.

Lynch is second among rookie running backs in rushing yardage and touchdowns.

Week 15 - Lynch was the focal point of the Bills offense and responded very well to the challenge. Most of his runs were off tackle toward the sideline, but despite the snow, Lynch showed the ability to make a cut and head back toward the middle of the field. While the Bills offensive line struggled to create passing lanes, they were effective at opening holes up for Lynch and he was quick enough to move through the hole and find a second gear once he got into the secondary.

Week 16 - Lynch averaged almost 4 yards per carry and added 43 yards on the three receptions. Once the Bills fell behind, however, the game plan moved toward more pass attempts although he kept getting the ball late in the fourth quarter.

Despite missing three games with an ankle injury, Lynch became the first Buffalo rookie to gain 1,000 since Greg Bell in 1984.

Week 17 - Lynch carried 22 times for 105 yards. Even though Buffalo was unable to generate a passing attack Lynch was still able to grind out tough yardage against eight man fronts and even ripped off a 56 yard run in the second half. This season the Cal rookie was everything the Bills hoped he would be and maybe a little more.