5’11” – 220 lbs. – 4.46
Played primarily as a kick returner in his freshman season, then started to rotate into the offense the following year. Went over 1,000 yards as a junior, then enjoyed an extremely productive senior campaign in which he rushed for 2,248 yards and 23 touchdowns, including 1,133 yards and thirteen touchdowns in the last five games alone. Thickly-built back who plays in a pro-style offense, taking snaps most frequently out of single-back looks but also out of I-formations and out of the shotgun. Short-strider who has excellent anticipation when carrying the ball; patient runner who waits for holes to emerge and who demonstrates good judgment in choosing lanes to rush through. Recognizes cutback lanes as they become available. Can shuffle to find a lane. Able to locate tight creases and fit through them. Very little wasted motion or hesitation once he finds a lane to rush through. Good balance to stay on his feet when running through arm tackles or ankle tackles. Pretty light on his feet, and flashes the ability to make defenders miss in the open field. Willing to get physical with opponents, lowering his shoulder and fighting for yardage after initial contact. Doesn’t look like a burner on tape but managed to break a lot of long runs throughout the season; may not necessarily have the deep speed to outrun pro defenders down the field or beat them to the edge, though. Pad level can be a little bit too high at times. Also a little bit one-dimensional as a pure runner who doesn’t have a lot of value on passing downs. At the college level, caught passes only sparingly and in general was retained in pass protection more frequently than he was running routes. Blitz pickup leaves a lot to be desired; doesn’t stay on his feet consistently and has some problems identifying who to block or successfully engaging them. Consequently, may need to be part of a running back rotation. However, also had a lot of value as a return specialist in college; ran back seven kicks and one punt for touchdowns over the course of his career. Athletic traits are just adequate, but has a very likable game because of his vision, patience, and consistent running style; may be more of a rotational back at the next level, but should come off the board on the second day.
DRAFTEXAMINER 