6’1″ – 228 lbs. – 4.52
Sustained a knee injury which limited him to seven games in a reserve capacity in his first season with the Tide, then followed that up with a considerably expanded role in 2016, a season in which he served in a rotation with Damien Harris and Joshua Jacobs. Received nearly the same rate of touches this past season, albeit with considerably less success (yards per carry dropped from 6.5 to 4.8) before declaring for the draft. Offers excellent size for a pro running back. In the same vein as former Tide running back Derrick Henry in that he’s a big, tall runner who needs some room to get going, and who becomes difficult to tackle once he gets a head of steam, but not necessarily before. Has the speed to hit home runs as a one-cut runner, but runs upright, which subjects him to a lot of low hits, which could be a concern given his history of knee injuries; flashes the ability to lower his shoulder and punish defenders at times. Has the height to fall forward on contact for extra yardage, but doesn’t break a lot of tackles near the line of scrimmage; should be running through more ankle tackles than he does. Vision is also an issue; tends to barrel up the middle, often into congestion, rather than waiting for creases in the line to emerge. Consequently, ends up with a lot of short-yardage runs where he’s hit near the line of scrimmage. Bounces too many rushing attempts to the outside, creating negative-yardage runs; may not have the speed necessary to beat pro linebackers to the edge. Could be more aware of cutback opportunities. Has some shake but his running style is more of a no-nonsense one. A willing pass protector with enough size and lateral quickness to impede opposing pass rushers, but doesn’t play with much technique; will throw shoulders into opponents or end up catching them with wide hands. Also releases into the flats or runs other short routes; length gives him a solid catch radius, and also appears to have soft hands, but wasn’t used very frequently as a receiver. Size makes him the type of player you’d like to get in space against opposing sub package defenders. Works in a stiff arm when he gets to the outside. More intriguing from a physical and athletic standpoint than in terms of his pure running skills and projects as more of a mid-to-late-round pick and backup or rotational runner at the pro level.
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