Dynasty Draftnik

Broncos, Round 4. Junior college transfer in 2014.

Postseason Events: NFL Combine.

Positives: He has adequate height and bulk for the position. Above-average vision for the cutback behind the line. He is a 1 cut and go runner who is patient and decisive behind the line and doesn’t waste much motion. Moves well laterally and is able to bounce runs outside when they are blocked inside. Above-average speed, quickness and burst. Above-average power and is difficult to bring down, and will break multiple arm tackles on a run. Shows good agility and can leapfrog defenders that are in his way. Shows nice burst after stopping his momentum and is able to explode through defenders. Gets low through the line to power through. Doesn’t give up easily on a run. Churns legs well and maintains balance very well through contact. Very good balance and effort after contact. Good hands and can extend to snag passes off balance. Above-average body control and can adjust to catch off target passes. Adequate upper-body strength. Though he injured his knee in November 2015, his knee reportedly checked out fine at the Combine.

Negatives: Below-average concentration at times and will turn upfield before securing the ball. Needs to run with higher knees at times through traffic at the line. Needs to be more aware of clock management and getting out of bounds. Below-average hand size. Will already be 24 by the start of the 2016 NFL season. Sat out 2013 due to an academic issue. Tore left meniscus in November 2015, had surgery, and missed the rest of the season. Still wasn’t working by his March pro day.

Pre-Draft Projection: Round 3. He has pretty much everything I look for a running back – athleticism, power, and hands – and should be a starter for some team pretty quickly.

Saints, Round 7.

Postseason Events: Shrine Game and NFL Combine.

Positives: Great height for the position, with adequate hand size. He is a highly athletic running back overall. He runs with above-average burst and lateral quickness, with good acceleration out of his cuts. Above-average vision and quickness for cutbacks – keeping his eyes up well while going through the line and maintaining vision for cutbacks. Good open-field vision. Fairly agile and keeps squared while making moves – can spin away from contact and can adjust to passes thrown behind him. Leaps well over the line on goal line situations. Churns pretty well through contact. Okay hands. Tracks well over his outside shoulder. Switches his hands to the sideline in the open field. Above-average track speed for the position. Elite vertical leap and broad jump at the Combine – indicating a super-high potential for explosiveness at the next level. Great change-of-direction ability in pro day testing. Above-average upper-body strength.

Negatives: Slightly below-average bulk for the position – built more like a wide receiver. Needs to be a little bit more decisive on inside runs and just hit the hole instead of dancing behind the line. His hands are merely adequate, and he has some trouble when he has to extend. Runs upright in a little bit out of control through the line. Needs better ball security when he’s fighting for extra yards. Injured hip in 2015 and missed several weeks.

Pre-Draft Projection: Round 3.

Seahawks, Round 5. Was a junior who declared early for the 2016 NFL Draft.

Postseason Events: NFL Combine.

Positives: Adequate height, bulk, and hand size for the position. Above-average speed, vision, burst, and lateral quickness for the cutback. Runs with adequate acceleration. Quick feet. Runs balanced, with adequate body lean behind the line and on kick returns. Changes directions pretty quickly in the open field and is elusive. Very effective on inside runs, and doesn’t waste motion too far off of his blockers. Able to maintain his momentum after cutting. Runs with good power. Churns hard and consistently through contact and fights hard for extra yards after contact, using an effective stiff arm. Good balance after contact and is able to make yards after the catch. Good effort for off-target passes. Willing pass protector. Showed some versatility in college and was also the team’s wildcat quarterback.

Negatives: Merely adequate acceleration means he isn’t as effective on outside runs. Consistently stops his own momentum in the backfield by dancing behind the line and needs to just cutback and drive forward instead of trying to jump cut to another running lane. Inconsistent hands – can make some difficult catches but drops easy ones. Willing but below-average pass protector who will lunge at defenders and miss – and also seems to prefer to cut block rather than body up. Fairly poor vertical leap and below-average broad jump at the Combine and pro day. Below-average upper-body strength. Benched in November game for lateness, fumbling, and injuring a toe.

Pre-Draft Projection: Round 4. Of the two Arkansas running backs (Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins) I’ve seen and like Collins more, but that doesn’t seem to be the prevailing opinion, and Collins will probably be drafted after Williams. Collins has nice athleticism and power, but needs to work on his receiving and pass protection to be more than a committee back in the NFL.

Seahawks, Round 3. Declared early for the 2016 NFL Draft.

Postseason Events: NFL Combine. Positives: Great height and above-average bulk for the position. Runs with adequate speed. Generally above-average receiving ability and usually catches with his hands. Fair routes, and is able to adjust his route for off-target passes. Okay downfield blocker. Fairly nimble on the sidelines. Above-average track speed for the position. Above-average vertical leap and at Combine measures.

Negatives: Below-average hand size. Runs a little out of control and top-heavy in the open field and seems easy to knock off of his feet. Poor quickness side to side and when accelerating out of cuts in pro day tests. Lets the occasional pass get to his body. Inconsistent concentration, and will drop some easy passes. Will leave his feet for no reason catching the ball. Injured neck in November 2015 and missed time.

Pre-Draft Projection: Round 3. Honestly, I haven’t seen him play much, but a lot of people love his game and see him being drafted early.

Bears, Round 5. Transferred from Alabama-Birmingham in 2015 after their football program was ended and declared early for the 2016 NFL Draft.

Postseason Events: NFL Combine.

Positives: Great height and very good bulk for the position. Tracks fairly well over his outside shoulder. Adequate vertical leap and above-average broad jump at the Combine – indicating the potential for high burst and explosiveness.

Negatives: Below-average hand size. Not much explosion out of his cuts and shows below-average balance coming out of his breaks. Needs to keep his eyes up going through the line and will miss cutback opportunities. Below-average hands and looks uncomfortable extending. Below-average track speed in pro day tests. For the position, he showed below-average quickness side to side and when accelerating out of cuts in pro day tests – but these were adequate for his size. Below-average upper-body strength. Injured ankle in October 2015 and missed time.

Pre-Draft Projection: Round 4. I haven’t seen him play outside of highlights and his Combine workout, so this projection is based more on what I’ve heard other people say.

Texans, Round 4.

Postseason Events: Senior Bowl and NFL Combine.

Positives: Adequate height and hand size for the position. Runs with very quick feet and above-average speed and lateral quickness. Good vision and moves well laterally to find running lanes on both running plays and punt returns. Can pretty consistently make the first defender miss. Even while he is moving laterally, he inches forward to take space and challenge would-be tacklers. Runs with above-average power. Keeps his legs churning through contact. Willing to lower his shoulder at the end of runs to drive through defenders. Gets low to tunnel through the line in short-yardage situations. Protects the ball with both hands through the line. Changes directions smoothly in the open field. Good concentration on passes where a hit is coming. Good effort for off-target passes and will go to the ground to bring them in. Has soft, natural-looking hands and catches smoothly. Above-average ability to change directions with burst in pro day tests. Very good vertical leap and broad jump – very athletic and explosive. Good track speed for the position, and above-average for his size. Though he is deficient as a pass protector, he gives good effort and maintains his leverage at times on impact. Fairly smart kick returner decisions.

Negatives: Below-average bulk for the position. Makes risky punt return fielding decisions. Seems to be easy to knock off balance using high contact. Generally a below-average pass protector – will lunge at rushing defenders and go off balance. Needs to learn to switch hands towards the sideline. Poor lateral quickness in pro day tests. Below-average upper-body strength.

Pre-Draft Projection: Round 5. He can make an impact on team as a returner right away, and, if he improves as a pass protector, he has everything else you need as a third-down back.

Raiders, Round 5.

Postseason Events: NFL Combine. Was also a late-week addition to the Senior Bowl.

Positives: He was a redshirt senior, so he is experienced. Though small, he is built proportionally. He runs with above-average speed, lateral quickness, and burst. Has quick feet and runs with high knees through the line to avoid low arm tackles. Pretty good stop-and-start ability. Is agile and can spin away from defenders in the open field. Keeps churning his legs through contact, and runs with adequate power – but better effort. Stays square while making moves so he doesn’t slip. Above-average quickness and acceleration out of his breaks, and sets up linebackers well with quickness to create separation. Tracks pretty well over his inside and outside shoulders. Above-average hands and can extend well. Runs with pretty good body lean and isn’t easy to bring down. Gets low for extra yards. Above-average track speed for the position. Adequate vertical leap and broad jump for the position. Above-average ability to change directions with burst in Combine measurements. Above-average upper-body strength.

Negatives: Short for the position, with below-average bulk and below-average hand size. Below-average vision for cutbacks, and will pinball through contact. He sometimes runs top-heavy and off-balance. Though he has above-average hands, he has some trouble bringing in quick passes. Will sometimes jump for passes when he doesn’t need to.

Pre-Draft Projection: Round 6. If he was a little bit bigger, I can see him going in Round 4 or so. He should be a solid contributor in a committee approach with his running ability, athleticism, and receiving ability.

Eagles, Round 5.

Postseason Events: NFL Combine.

Positives: Adequate height and hand size for the position. As a kick returner, he shows good vision in the open field and is able to pick his way well through traffic. On running plays, he runs with high knees to avoid arm tackles. Has quick feet also allow him to avoid traffic at the line. He shows very good second effort through contact, and has good body lean – churning his legs and using his hands very well to get away from tacklers. Keeps his feet pretty squared underneath him when making cuts to avoid slipping. Fair concentration on tipped passes. Tracks well over his outside shoulder. Above-average track speed for the position. Adequate vertical leap and above-average broad jump for the position. Very quick change of direction at Combine.

Negatives: Slightly below-average bulk for the position. Questionable kick return decisions and will run sideways near his own goal line. Though he has good open field vision, his vision on running plays behind the line is questionable, and he will miss cutback opportunities. Though he has quick feet, he seems a little hesitant to change directions, and will use his feet more as a distraction than as a way to accelerate out of cuts. Below-average upper-body strength. Inconsistent hands and concentration and will drop some passes that are very easy, though he had reportedly improved by his April pro day. Below-average ball security in the open field earlier in his career, but improved by 2015. On outside runs, he needs to be more patient and stretch some runs farther outside instead of immediately turning it inside. He sometimes runs a little top-heavy, making it easier to trip him up. Arrested in July 2014 for witness tampering but charges were dropped.

Pre-Draft Projection: Round 5. His high athleticism and demonstrated returner ability should keep him on a roster, and he may be able to contribute as a returner and a committee running back.