The Giants are lucky that they have a lot of depth at running back because this crop isn’t the most durable around.  It all starts with Brandon Jacobs.  Jacobs would rather run over you than around you and he is often successful at that but he also takes a lot of punishment due to his style.  He has a hard time staying healthy but he is very effective when he plays.  Jacobs played in 11 games (9 starts) for the Giants last season and he carried the ball 202 times for 1,009 yards (5.0 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  He also caught 23 passes for 174 yards (7.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Look for Jacobs to have another 1,000+ yards rushing in 2008 as long as he can stay in one piece.  Jacobs has now played in 42 games (9 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 336 times for 1,531 yards (4.6 ypc) with 20 TD runs.  He also caught 34 passes for 323 yards (9.5 avg) with 2 TD grabs.

Rookie Ahmad Bradshaw was a big surprise for the Giants at the end of last season filling in for injured players.  He has the speed that complements Jacobs’ power running game perfectly.  He played in 12 games (0 starts) for the Giants last season and he carried the ball 23 times for 190 yards (8.3 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 2 passes for 12 yards (6.0 avg).  Look for Bradshaw to have a much bigger role on the offense in 2008.

Derrick Ward filled in well for Brandon Jacobs before breaking his foot late in the season.  Ward has a good mix of power and speed which plays well in the Giants’ offense.  Ward played in 8 games (5 starts) for the Giants last season and he carried the ball 125 times for 602 yards (4.8 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He also caught 26 passes for 179 yards (6.9 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Ward will likely have an important role in the offense this season as long as he can stay healthy.  Ward has now played in 35 games (5 starts) in his NFL career and he carried the ball 160 times for 725 yards (4.5 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He also has caught 28 passes for 192 yards (6.9 avg) with 1 TD grab.

Reuben Droughns is a hard runner with a style like Jacobs’ except he’s not nearly as effective at it.  Droughns played in 16 games (1 start) for the Giants last season and he carried the ball 85 times for 275 yards (3.2 ypc) with 6 TD runs.  He also caught 7 passes for 49 yards (7.0 avg).  Look for Droughns to have a small role for the Giants in 2008 unless they suffer injuries or he tries out for the fullback job, which he could win.  Droughns has now played in 102 games (51 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 929 times for 3,602 yards (3.9 ypc) with 19 TD runs.  He has also caught 123 passes for 989 yards (8.0 avg) with 6 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  A-