Houston pulled (and drafted) a fast one with Slaton

By Darrell Laurant  |   Wednesday, May 14, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

West Virginia Mountaineers
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Two years ago, Steve Slaton was Tony Dorsett. Now, he's Warrick Dunn.

But that's fine with the Houston Texans, who took Slaton in the third round of last month's NFL draft. Even the real Dunn would be a significant upgrade at the Texans' running back position.

And there is a good chance that by snagging the former West Virginia University star with the 89th pick (the 11th running back chosen), Houston may have pulled off one of the steals of the draft.

As a Mountaineer freshman and sophomore, Slaton assumed near superstar status. Starting his first year as Rich Rodriguez's fourth-string running back, he proved impossible to keep on the bench. Against Louisville, he scored six touchdowns. In the Nokia Sugar Bowl, he burned Georgia's vaunted defense for 204 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries. As a junior, Slaton piled up 1,744 rushing yards and drew comparisons to Dorsett for his scary-fast initial burst.

So how did the same player, minus any long-term injuries, become so diminished in stature almost overnight? Partly because he had opted for the draft, and NFL scouts -- like movie critics -- are paid to find fault. Nobody thought of Slaton as small when he was scoring all those college touchdowns, but suddenly it's as if he had shrunk. He was injury-prone, they said. He fumbled too much. He didn't break tackles. With luck, he might turn out to be a pale imitation of the undersized Dunn.

It's true that Slaton was hampered somewhat by injuries his last two years, yet none were anything that might rob him of his 4.4 speed. He hurt his right wrist as a junior, which meant that he had to carry the ball in his left hand on every play, something that may have contributed to his fumbling. Last season, it was hamstring problems.

As for his diminished rushing numbers (1.051 yards) in 2007, Slaton still scored 17 touchdowns and proved adept at catching the ball out of the backfield. And the emergence of freshman running back Noel Devine (who is, by the way, significantly smaller than the 5-foot-9, 197-pound Slaton) meant fewer touches.

At any rate, Slaton is now in the NFL -- and very likely to stick there, if not star.

"I see myself as a playmaker," he says.

The Texans agree, despite all the naysayers who envision Slaton as a third-down, second-receiving option role player. There was even a lot of talk that Slaton would be converted to wide receiver because he wasn't durable enough to take the pounding in the NFL.

But then you look at the incumbent Texan backs, and you see Ron Dayne, injury-plagued Ahman Green, free-agent signee Chris Brown (also with a history of hurts), Chris Taylor (out with a bad knee last season), Darius Walker and Arliss Beach. It's West Virginia all over again, with Slaton fourth string and scoping out the competition.

"This guy has been much too productive to not be good enough," Houston running backs coach Chick Harris told The Associated Press.

"Yeah, I have something to prove," Slaton said.

Too small? Since when does 197 pounds make you a mini-back? And what's the problem with being 5-9 and a back? If players at that position creep up over 6-2, they're said to be too tall.

Not durable? Again, most of Slaton's injuries in college were not the result of being battered by more physical opponents. He fell awkwardly on the wrist, and what offensive skill player doesn't tweak a hamstring now and again?

There are backs in the NFL faster than Steve Slaton, but few who get up to speed as quickly. He's a sports car, not a muscle car,and he shoots through holes like, well, Warrick Dunn.

Or Tony Dorsett.
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