Power ranking: The 13 biggest running back busts of all-time
By Robert Judin
7. Ron Dayne
The New York Giants selected Ron Dayne out of Wisconsin with the No. 11 overall draft pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, and they hoped he would add some balance to their backfield.
With Tiki Barber having not yet mastered the “high and tight” ball tuck, fumbling was definitely an issue. The Giants picked Dayne to be the insurance policy – the Earth to Barber’s wind and fire.
That plan could have gone so much better than it actually did.
Dayne rushed for 770 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie, and then he tacked on 690 more yards and seven touchdowns in his second season in 2001.
But then something clicked for Barber, and he tied together a string of dominance. Barber went five-straight seasons with more than 1,000 rushing yards, and the Giants decided to part ways with Dayne after the 2004 season.
After one failed stint with the Denver Broncos in 2005, Dayne spent his final two years with the Houston Texans. He tallied 1,385 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in the final two seasons, but that would be his last season in the NFL.
The argument that Barber’s emergence into superstardom caused Dayne’s downfall isn’t a bad one, but the counter argument is that Dayne should have been good enough to beat Barber out for the starting spot.
And frankly, as the No. 11 overall pick, Dayne had every opportunity to beat out Barber. He just never did it.
Let’s be real, 3, 722 rushing yards and 28 rushing touchdowns just doesn’t cut it when you’re drafted that high – hence why Dayne made this list.
Next: Alonzo Highsmith