In the NFL, you have a short shelf life. As a running back, if you're the first pick, and you're NFL life expectancy is only 3.5-6 years, your first big contract might not come until three years in - well, you might never get there. They need to get those signing bonuses up front because nothing is guaranteed.
Eric DickersonPlaying the running back position, your legs, that's your living, that's how you make your living. You have to have great thighs, knees, everything.
Eric Dickerson