5’11” – 213 lbs. – 4.60e
Rotated into the offense as a freshman, then took over a starting role the following season while also returning kicks. Reprised his starting role as a junior, touching the ball over three hundred times before declaring for the draft. Big back who really looks the part of a feature back and was able to handle a heavy workload in the SEC last season. Takes a lot of his snaps from the shotgun, but also runs out of traditional single-back looks and works from the wildcat as well. Not quite the bulldozer his size would suggest; more of a smooth, patient runner who favors shuffle-cuts as he approaches the line, finding lanes between the tackles. Has pretty good balance for his size, and is able to stay on his feet while working through clutter. Demonstrates some ability to run through arm tackles once he gets going, but tends to run a little bit high and his instinct is to make defenders miss with stutter-steps and other moves. Able to hurdle over ankle tackles without gearing down. Pretty elusive for his size, with the frame to run over second-level defenders when he gets behind his pads, although he also gets stood up at the line more often than his size would indicate and could do a better job of driving his legs to fight for yardage after contact. Has some straight-line speed when he gets to the second level, but struggled to gain yardage on sweeps and tosses in college and might not be able to beat pro linebackers to the edge on a consistent basis. Was also a very effective goal-line back this past season, punching in eighteen touchdowns on the ground in a tough conference; seems to run harder when pay dirt is in sight. Caught fifty-five passes over three years at the college level but was more often retained as a blocker on passing downs. Does a pretty good job staying upright and using his arms to engage opponents, but positioning was a little bit inconsistent during the games reviewed; size gives him the potential to work in blitz pickup at the next level as well. Combination of size, patience, balance, and high-end SEC production is bound to generate interest from pro teams, but isn’t the most explosive or the most powerful back. Could serve as a goal-line vulture or rotational back if he’s able to run with a lower pad level and more consistent physicality.
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