Keith Toston

Steven Jackson's early work on the practice field and in the preseason has been impressive. There's no doubt it's a different Rams team, and a more confident offense, with him in the backfield.

Jackson is a hard worker, and hasn't seemed to let the team's struggles in the won-loss column affect his play. Jackson basically doubled his weight training regimen in the summer following April surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back. The idea was to strengthen the muscles around the back. So far, so good.

But there's simply no way to know if Jackson's back — or the rest of his body for that matter — will hold up over the course of a 16-game season. All the more reason to have a solid No. 2 running back. You get the feeling the No. 2 back isn't on the roster yet, meaning it won't be Chris Ogbonnaya, Kenneth Darby, or Keith Toston.

Around the 1.7 point in drafts, Jackson isn't a popular option - among the 4for4 draft board community anyway. But, this is at least a bit of good news to maybe make you more comfortable with the pick - if your draft is coming up or even if you made the pick. He's also been slipping in some drafts to the end of the first or even early second, which makes him more attractive.