5’10” – 217 lbs.
Five-star recruit who played both quarterback and running back in high school. Has been carrying the load for the Seminoles since his freshman year, a campaign in which he went 194-1,025-7 (5.3). Followed that up with 161-706-6 (4.4) as a sophomore before rebounding and enjoying his best season as a junior: 231-1,144-14 (5.0). Also caught 69-486-7 over the three seasons combined. Reasonably well-built running back who has proven his ability to serve as a primary option. Comes out of a shotgun-based offense where he was asked to pound the ball between the tackles behind an offensive line which didn’t do him a lot of favors, regularly getting hit at or behind the line of scrimmage; also served as his team’s wildcat quarterback. Pretty patient, with sound footwork to shuffle into lanes after waiting for them to develop, rather than charging ahead into congestion. Has some ability to improvise, reverse field, and find handfuls of yardage when the blocking isn’t there on the initial play design. A pretty hard runner who doesn’t have exceptional power but has pretty good balance and does a good job of fighting for yardage after initial contact; can twist and bounce around to pick up a little bit more once he’s hit, finishing his runs well. Gets low into contact and can deliver a little bit of pop with shoulder charges, although he doesn’t have the raw power in his lower body to steamroll many opponents. Has good speed when he gets a head of steam, and is difficult to tackle one-on-one in space, with some shake and vision once he’s in the open. Ball security may be an issue; has ten career fumbles over a total of 655 touches. Was retained more often than sent out on routes in the passing game, and his blocking ability is at least adequate. Does a good job of identifying his responsibilities, flashing the ability to slide and engage with form from his feet. Has enough power to knock defenders off-balance at times. However, needs to be more consistent with his form, as he can slip into throwing a shoulder or trying to cut out an opponent’s legs too often. Wasn’t sent on many routes but looked reliable over a limited sample size. A pretty tough runner who was asked to create for himself behind an offensive line which didn’t create the types of holes some of the other top running backs enjoyed, and who combines a physical running style with patience and comfort in blitz pickup. A bit of a tough evaluation because of his supporting cast, but probably made the right decision in coming out, as he’s getting third and even second-round hype.
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