REGGIE BUSH GOES PRO

January 12, 2006 2:00 PM ET

USC running back Reggie Bush has been causing NFL experts drool for months, and on Thursday, he made an official step towards fulfilling their dreams. The junior announced that he would forgo his final season and enter the NFL draft.

Bush is coming off of a highlight-packed season saw him pile up 1,740 rushing yards, 478 receiving yards, and 19 total touchdowns. He averaged an astonishing 8.7 yards-per-carry. The effort earned him numerous awards, including the Heisman Trophy. Bush was the first running back to take home that elite piece of hardware since Wisconsin's Ron Dayne was partying like it was 1999.

Other Heisman-winning running backs over the past two decades include Auburn's Bo Jackson (1985), Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders (1988), Colorado's Rashaan Salaam (1994), Ohio State's Eddie George (1995), and Texas' Ricky Williams (1998).

Those runners have had mixed success at the pro level, but NFL experts believe Bush will exude that edge-of-your-seat elusiveness/explosiveness seen in players like Sanders and Jackson.

For months, mock drafters have been placing Bush atop their boards, and at the least, he appears to be a top-three lock along with USC quarterback Matt Leinart and Texas quarterback Vince Young. Recent reports suggested that the Texans, who own the number one overall pick, would choose Bush over Young. However, the Texans are currently without a head coach (although the Houston Chronicle says Gary Kubiak is the guy), and we figure it's not safe to lock anyone into that top draft spot until the Texans' house is in order.

Barring a trade, we can assume that Bush will be wearing a Texans, Saints or Titans uniform in 2006. Fantasy football owners would then need to wonder how Bush would fit in alongside Domanick Davis, Deuce McAllister, or Chris Brown/Travis Henry. Would those clubs trade away their current running back(s)? Or would the situation be much like the Dolphins, Bears and Buccaneers this past season in which those clubs held onto Ricky Williams, Thomas Jones, and Michael Pittman and made their prized rookie runners earn playing time?

Fantasy owners also need to remember that Bush is coming from a system where he split time and touches with bulldozer LenDale White, and the team that drafts Reggie might also wish to complement him with an inside runner who could steal goal line touches.

Draft history also lends a word of precaution to Bush's fantasy value. Over the past four seasons, the leading rookie running backs (in terms of yards) were Clinton Portis, Domanick Davis, Kevin Jones, and Carnell Williams. They were the fourth, sixth, third and third running backs drafted in their respective classes.

Of course, these thoughts likely won't prevent fantasy owners (especially in keeper leagues) from being extremely excited about Bush and his mind-boggling talent. It will be another three-plus months before we find out where Reggie will be playing, and we have another eight months to debate the pros and cons of his fantasy value.

Bush officially began the process on Thursday, though, and it's time for the water cooler chatter to move to the next level.

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