Who Do You Draft No. 1 Overall? Arian Foster vs Adrian Peterson

So you’re on the clock and you’re staring at a decision of Arian Foster vs Adrian Peterson as the first overall pick of your draft.

I was in this position last year and also had Aaron Rodgers to choose from. Based on how bad Rodgers torched me in 2011, I took him and finished .500 in my league. That’s another lesson learned for me: When in doubt, take an elite running back.

But which elite running back should you choose? Many people are having an inner battle of Arian Foster vs Adrian Peterson.

I don’t think you can go wrong with either one — just don’t try to out-think yourself and take Alex Smith. Let’s make a case for each back, then I’ll tell you whose sticker to put up on the draft board with the first overall pick.

Arian Foster vs Adrian Peterson

Let’s take a closer look at both players before making your decision.

Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings

First of all, I have to come clean with you when it comes to my personal thoughts about Peterson. I’m still very upset that he chose Oklahoma over Texas. Come on! The kid went to high school in DFW. How in the world does he cross the Red River to go to school in Oklahoma, when he could be wearing burnt orange right down I-35?

I’ll tell you how — Bob Stoops had won a National Title and the Longhorns weren’t even sniffing one. Or so Peterson thought. Can you imagine A.P. on that 2006 Rose Bowl National Championship team with Vince Young?!? Wait, what was I talking about? Oh yeah…

Peterson had 2,097 yards rushing in 2012.

You had me at hello.

That’s a hell of a lot of yards and that figure alone would make me grab him without even considering Foster. Add 12 rushing touchdowns and 40 receptions and you’ve got an awful lot of points from one guy. You could forget to set your lineup for a month and still go 3-1 as long as you keep this guy in.

That being said, he has close to 1,800 carries in his career and he just made an amazing recovery from ACL surgery. Do I think Peterson and is going to have a great year? Absolutely. Do I see him repeating last year? Not a chance. Minnesota is going to tap the brake a little bit and try to keep Peterson around a few more years. He should still get 300 carries this year, compared to the 348 carries from last year.

Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans

This guy had 1,400 yards rushing, 40 receptions, and 17 touchdowns last year. The one glaring stat that separates Arian Foster vs Adrian Peterson is the 600 yards rushing difference.

That’s not going to happen this year. Foster’s legs have a few less miles on them and I don’t think Minnesota will give the ball to Peterson 348 times again this year.

Houston could do the exact opposite. They got a taste of the playoffs last year and want to get back. If they have to ride Foster until his legs fall off, they will.

Let’s look at running styles, also. Peterson will run over guys, Foster would prefer to run around them. Foster has a better chance of staying healthy, therefore, getting more carries.

Conclusion

So who am I drafting if I get the luxury of choosing between these two stallions with the No. 1 overall pick? Give me Adrian Peterson. Although I was able to make a case for Foster, I just don’t see him getting quite as many carries as Peterson will.

The Vikings’ only shot at sniffing the playoffs this year is to keep Peterson healthy, while still trying to get a ton of production out of him. The Texans have a few other weapons surrounding Foster and, while they could ride him every game, they really don’t have to.

I don’t think the difference between the two is much, but I’m not the guy that’s going to get beer spit on him by his buddies while they’re trying not to laugh when I let a 2,000-yard rusher get away.

When Heath Garrison isn’t comparing Arian Foster vs Adrian Peterson, he writes for www.643ball.com, and you can follow him @hgarrison643 for daily tweets.