Head coach Ken Whisenhunt didn't hide it. The Cardinals entered the 2008 NFL draft wanting to find a running back with "home-run ability." Many pundits predicted the move would come in the first round. The Cardinals passed on Rashard Mendenhall and Felix Jones at the 16th spot, though. Round two? Still no running back. Round three? Nope.

The Cardinals waited until the fifth frame to land Tim Hightower of Richmond Spiders fame. Speed? Not exactly. Hightower wasn't invited to the NFL combine, but he ran a 4.51 40-yard dash at the Richmond pro day, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. That time came after he clocked in at 4.69 as a junior. At 6-1 and 225 pounds, Hightower is more of a power back, although he is versatile and can catch the ball well.

By not jumping on Mendenhall, Jones, or any other early-round back, the Cardinals sent the message that they are cool with Edgerrin James as their workhorse. Backups Marcel Shipp and J.J. Arrington are still around, but they saw 15 and 26 carries in 2007. Neither back is seen as a current or future replacement for Edge.

So, let's take a look at Mr. James' well-known resume and talk about his fantasy value. James finished second in the NFL with 324 carries last season. He plugged along at 3.8 yards-per-carry and generated 1,222 yards and seven scores. It was an improvement from 2006, when he managed only 3.4 yards-per-attempt over 337 carries.

Edge enters 2008 ranked 13th on the all-time carry list. He has rushed 2,849 times in the regular season, and with another 214 attempts, he will pass Eddie George, Thurman Thomas, John Riggins, Tony Dorsett, Franco Harris, Eric Dickerson, Marcus Allen, and Barry Sanders. James could rank fifth on the all-time rankings by December.

Edge enters 2008 with 310, 334, 360, 337, and 324 carries in the last five seasons. Has a running back ever reached 300 rushes in six straight campaigns? Yes, Walter Payton (1976-1981), Eddie George (1996-2003), and LaDainian Tomlinson (2001-07) have done it. Payton might have had a longer string if not for the 1982 strike. George reached the mark in eight straight seasons before breaking down and retiring in 2004. LT is up to seven and counting.

Edge will enter the 2008 season at the age of 30. He turns that page on August 1. Fantasy football owners know that 30 in running back years is akin to something like 80-85 in normal human years. A few rushers have gone strong past 30 years old, but a lot of guy who play that position break down quickly around that age.

It's tough to look over that resume and not have concerns, unless you believe James is truly in the category of all-time NFL great alongside the likes of Payton and Tomlinson. George seems like a better comparison these days. That's not an insult by any means. Rather, like George, James is a shadow of his earlier greatness and we all know the end of the road is coming. The Titans squeezed one last 312-carry, 1,031-yard effort out of the 30-year-old Eddie in 2003 before letting him go and spend a final, painful year with the Cowboys.

It's difficult to envision 30-year-old James offering up much more in 2008 than the 30-year-old George did in 2003. The difference is that the Titans saw the writing on the wall and tried to groom Chris Brown as a replacement. The Cardinals haven't made such backup plans, at least not openly.

Which brings us back to Hightower, who rushed for 1,924 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior at Richmond. He's not as fast as Chris Johnson or as powerful as Jonathan Stewart, but many scouts seemed to like him as a mid-to-late round sleeper. Cardinals running backs coach Maurice Carthon has compared Hightower to Marion Barber, in that neither running back has blazing speed but can be successful do to an all-around skill set and hard-running style. Those are nice words that sell newspapers and embolden fans in late April and early May. We'll see how Hightower looks once he puts on pads and takes on Karlos Dansby and Darnell Dockett.

The point is that many signs point to fantasy owners steering clear of James despite his lengthy history of being a quality producer and despite the Cardinals showing signs of relying on him again. One can't simply rule out drafting him in 2008. Rather, Edge is the type of runner you hope your league mate drafts before you're forced to see him as a good value. In the meantime, put Hightower on your preseason watch list. We've seen dozens of late-round and undrafted running backs emerge as quality fantasy players over the years, and Hightower could have the opportunity to join their ranks. Heck, all he has to do is look better than Shipp and Arrington.