Beanie Wells

Playing through a painful knee injury, Wells ran for a career-high 1,047 yards and 10 touchdowns over 14 games last season, but offered nothing as a receiver (10 catches for 52 yards). He sprained his knee in Week 7 and failed to reach 4.0 YPC in eight of the final 10 games before sitting out Week 17 as a precautionary measure. Wells should be commended for his toughness playing through an injury that required surgery during the offseason, but he also didn’t dispel his reputation for being injury prone, and he’s failed to make strides as a receiver since entering the league three years ago. Wells has converted 13-of-25 goal-line attempts for scores over the past three seasons, won’t turn 24 until the end of summer and could be in an improved offense if Kevin Kolb progresses. Still, he remains a big health risk and will have to fight off Ryan Williams, the team’s early second round pick in 2011, who is returning from last year’s season-ending knee injury.

If Wells’ rookie year was considered a letdown, his sophomore campaign was a downright disaster. He suffered a preseason knee injury that required surgery to repair a torn meniscus and remove loose cartilage, and he later admitted he never felt 100 percent the rest of the year. The numbers are ugly, as he averaged just 3.4 YPC and broke only four tackles all season, and while the injury can be blamed, it eases no concerns over his inability to stay healthy. Still, he won’t turn 23 until late summer, so he’s not much older than most rookies entering the league, and he has shown flashes of being a more than capable back. With the Cardinals investing an early second-round pick in Ryan Williams, Wells’ stock has never been lower, but he still has the potential to make a major impact, if he’s able to stay out of the trainer’s room.

After entering the pros with the injury-prone label, Wells suffered a sprained ankle during his first practice with the team after missing minicamp because of his class schedule at Ohio State. The injury lingered up until the final preseason game, so Wells started his rookie season well behind. Ultimately, he never started a game and didn’t receive more than 15 carries until Week 10. While his opportunities were limited, Wells impressed when given the chance, as he totaled 609 yards with six touchdowns over the final eight games — all while averaging just 13.3 carries. Only coach Ken Whisenhunt can prevent Wells from being a major force in 2010. Wells grew exponentially as a receiver as last year progressed, and nominal starter Tim Hightower is simply far inferior. Wells totaled 319 yards with three touchdowns while getting the majority of work in Arizona’s backfield during Weeks 14-16, giving a glimpse of bigger things to come. He’s both powerful and fast, possessing the physical tools to be among the five best running backs in the NFL. There’s no doubt the loss of Kurt Warner and Anquan Boldin will result in a weaker offense, but the hope is that’s offset by Whisenhunt turning the Cardinals into much more of a running team, which seems likely.

Battling through injuries, Wells ran for 1,197 yards and eight touchdowns during his final season with Ohio State last year. He still managed an impressive 5.8 YPC mark but caught just 15 passes for 84 receiving yards over his three-year collegiate career. Wells ran a 4.59 40 at the Combine but was reportedly clocked between 4.34 and 4.46 at his Pro Day workout. At 6-1, 237, Wells is fast for a back his size and possesses excellent lower body strength. Despite being the most physically gifted back in this year’s draft, he fell to the end of the first round because scouts questioned his durability and toughness. (Rumors of a persistent foot problem also lowered his draft stock.) Still, Wells missed only three games over his three years at Ohio State, and one of the reasons coach Ken Whisenhunt selected him was Wells’ willingness to play through pain, including a broken wrist throughout the 2007 season. Of course, Whisenhunt also drafted him because the Cardinals needed a running back as much as any team in the NFL. In fact, Arizona ranked last in the league in rushing in 2008 despite boasting the second best passing attack in football. And that wasn’t just due to lack of attempts, as the team’s 3.5 YPC mark ranked 31st in the league. Edgerrin James has since been cut, and while Tim Hightower showed flashes last year, he failed miserably when given the chance to be the team’s lead back, gaining only 2.8 YPC during his seven starts and just 2.2 YPC over the second half of the season. With no other competition on the roster, Wells has a clear path to significant carries. That Wells will leave the field on third downs and offers little as a receiver hurts his upside, and he’ll have to battle Hightower, who was a successful 8-of-13 at the goal line last year, for short-yardage work. But with defenses focused on stopping Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin (still a Cardinal at press time), there should be plenty of room for Wells to run.