Dynasty Draftnik

Transferred from Nebraska to TCU for 2012 season.

Postseason Events: Senior Bowl.

Positives: Above-average height for the position. Has very good vision and a demonstrated ability to change directions in the open field. Fair vision for cutbacks and is decisive on goal-line plays. Good stop-and-start ability and lateral quickness, which also showed in his Combine and pro day workouts. He runs with above-average speed and burst. Above-average balance after contact. Good agility and can adjust to off target passes well, and can make moves in the open field after the catch. Above-average concentration on off-target passes and gets a lot of yards after the catch. Not easy to get a hold of in the open field. Switches his hands pretty smoothly in the open field. Protects the ball with both hands through traffic. Okay hands, but tends to body catch. Adequate upper-body strength. Above-average broad jump for the position.

Negatives: Slightly below-average bulk for the position, with a small hand size and short wingspan. Though his hands are generally adequate, he needs to learn to catch the ball away from his frame for more consistency. On outside runs, he sometimes seems to hesitate to turn upfield. Sometimes cuts runs inside that he should keep going outside. Generally poor routes and doesn’t set up defenders for his cuts – as a result, getting no separation from defenders. Below-average track speed for the position. Below-average vertical leap for the position.

Projection: Round 6. His excellent athleticism and quickness should make him a target for teams that want a returner and part-time running back to complement a power running game. If he gets coached up on his route running, he could be even more.

Postseason Events: Shrine Game and NFL Combine.

Positives: He is a fairly patient runner. Above-average vision and lateral quickness and is able to bounce and stretch plays to the outside. Keeps his feet churning well through contact for extra yards. Runs with above-average track speed, game speed, acceleration and burst. Good change-of-direction abilities and quick feet, and is elusive in the open field. Is agile and has a good spin move. Earned a lot of experience as a receiver at Illinois and has generally good hands. Can catch the ball while in motion. Quick hands and is able to catch fast passes. Adequate vertical leap. Above-average broad jump. Adequate upper body strength.

Negatives: Slightly below-average height and below-average bulk for the position. Below-average hand size. Below-average hands and concentration on passes thrown behind him, and drops them consistently. Relies too much on his spin move. Consistently below-average ball security skills and is careless holding ball in the open field on the run. Needs to be more decisive after the catch in the open field. Injured right shoulder in September 2015 and missed several weeks.

Projection: Round 7.

Positives: Though he is small for the position, he is built proportionally. Good game speed, burst and ability to change directions, and runs with quick feet that allow him to make quick moves in the open field. Very good cutback vision. He is very elusive and hard to bring down in the open field. Runs with good body lean and high knees, and keeps churning through contact. Pretty decisive behind the line and will stick his foot in the ground to turn upfield on inside runs. He is a fair pass blocker who will rise up to meet defenders in the pocket.

Negatives: Short for the position, with below-average bulk. His speed and quickness didn’t come through in his Pro day tests, where he showed below-average track speed and poor quickness side to side – and when accelerating out of cuts. Below-average upper-body strength. Though he runs with high knees and keeps churning well with good body lean, he doesn’t seem to move the pile. Injured right ankle in September 2015 and missed at least one game.

Projection: Undrafted free agent.

Bills, Round 5.

Postseason Events: Senior Bowl and NFL Combine.

Positives: Above-average height, bulk, and hand size for the position. Above-average vision for cutbacks and outside runs. Though his game film showed him having below-average burst, it looked better in his pro day tests. Good balance after contact. Patient in the open field and will wait for blocks. Lowers his shoulder for extra yards. In goal-line situations, he is able to get low and tunnel for yards and seems to show pretty good vision for the cutback. Fair agility and can spin away from tacklers.

Negatives: Runs with below-average burst. Runs too upright. Will sometimes dance around too much behind the line and move parallel to the line when he should just push it. Doesn’t change directions very well or quickly. Suspect balance making cuts. Suspect ball security through the line and holds the ball away from his body. Below-average track speed for the position. Below-average upper-body strength. Below-average lateral quickness in pro day tests. Injured foot in August 2015, had surgery and missed season.

Pre-Draft Projection: Round 5.

Giants, Round 5. Declared early for the 2016 NFL Draft.

Postseason Events: NFL Combine.

Positives: Adequate height for the position. He runs with above-average long speed. Is a very patient runner – bordering on hesitant – and waits for blocks to develop. Not easy to bring down, and keeps his legs churning. Has above average balance after contact. Above-average hands and can extend. Holds onto passes when he’s hit hard. Solid pass blocker. Adequate track speed for the position. Good broad jump for the position. Adequate upper-body strength.

Negatives: Slightly below-average bulk for the position, with below-average hand size. Though he keeps his legs churning through contact, he doesn’t show much leg drive. Below-average acceleration, change-of-direction ability, and balance making cuts. Below-average vertical leap. Injured in October 2015 and missed unknown amount of time, but was back for the bowl game. Left hamstring issue limited him during pro day.

Pre-Draft Projection: Round 6. I haven’t seen him play as much as I would like, and this projection is based more on what I’ve heard other people say.

Transferred from Oregon to Texas A&M in 2012.

Postseason Events: NFL Combine.

Positives: Good height and weight for the position, with adequate hand size. He runs with above-average straight-line speed and adequate burst. Shows surprising ability to change direction for his size, but is really more of a one-cut-and-go runner than a water bug. Though he doesn’t keep his legs moving through contact consistently, he isn’t easy to bring down – especially one-on-one in the open field. Finishes runs strong and will lower his shoulder into defenders and use a stiff arm very effectively – and looks like a natural born short-yardage runner. He has solid ball security technique, and protects the ball with both hands through the line and when he knows tacklers are coming at him from behind. Above-average pass protector who can maintain leverage on impact. Keeps his feet rooted to the ground even with low contact. Stays squared while making moves to prevent slipping. Adequate pass protector who is easy to move off of his spot. Adequate upper body strength.

Negatives: Inconsistent hands. Leans into contact at the line instead of churning through it. He needs to be more decisive on runs – and he will sometimes stop his own momentum in the hole instead of hitting at full speed. Dances behind the line too much, and will bounce runs outside that you should just push straight up the middle. Also shows below-average decisiveness on outside runs and will stretch them out too far. Unknown injury in November 2013.

Projection: Round 6. He should find his way on a roster as a short yardage specialist or potential third down back due to his receiving experience and blocking ability. May not ever be a fantasy star, but should contribute on the NFL level.

Postseason Events: NFL Combine.

Positives: Very good height and adequate bulk for the position. Above-average hand size. He runs with above-average lateral quickness and cutback vision. Shows some open field agility and can spin past tacklers. Runs with good balance and power in the open field and is hard to bring down one-on-one. Adequate broad jump for the position. Very good ability to change directions with burst in Combine measurements. Is able to get in the way as a pass protector – and is willing to sacrifice his body.

Negatives: He runs with below-average burst. Tends to just lower his eyes and head through traffic and pinball through instead of using his vision to pick his way through traffic. Below-average hands and has trouble extending. Suspect concentration on passes away from his frame and he looks like he turns upfield before securing the pass. As a route runner, he shows below-average quickness into and out of his breaks. Though he shows a willingness to block, he isn’t overpowering and doesn’t keep his feet. Poor track speed for the position. Below-average vertical leap for the position. Poor upper body strength. Suspended for one game for misdemeanor assault of a woman in Spring 2013. Then was charged with drug possession in November 2013 and suspended by team indefinitely — reinstated in August 2014. Suspended for team rule violation for two games in 2015. Hit a pedestrian while on his moped and left scene and was dismissed from the team.

Projection: Undrafted free agent. He would probably be draftable if not for the character concerns. He has the size and athleticism to contribute in the NFL, but he also lacks the receiving skills and also has way too many red flags against him to be drafted.

Postseason Events: Tropic Bowl.

Positives: He runs with above-average speed, quickness, and burst. Moves well laterally and is patient behind the line. Above average cutback vision. He shows the ability to run with power, getting low in short-yardage situations to get extra yards. He also runs with good body lean and is able to keep his balance with low contact. Generates adequate power when he churns through contact. Usually able to fall forward at the end of runs for extra yards. Generally above-average hands and can extend to snag fast passes away from frame.

Negatives: Below-average balance making cuts in slippery conditions, and he needs to keep his feet squared more in those conditions. He doesn’t churn consistently enough through contact. Though he generally has above-average hands, he will body catch at times and drop contested passes. Below-average decisions on kick returns, and he will bring the ball out from deep in the end zone. Below-average ball security through contact, and will hold it too loosely in one hand. Two sprained ankles in Summer 2013 and missed half of season.

Projection: Undrafted free agent. He has enough athleticism, power, and returner ability to contribute on an NFL team, but I don’t think he is much more than a part-time contributor.

49ers, Round 6.

Postseason Events: NFL Combine.

Positives: He has adequate height and bulk for the position. He runs with adequate burst and high knees through the line to get away from arm tackles. He is also able to run with adequate power and above-average balance after contact. Though I didn’t see evidence of it in games, he showed adequate lateral quickness at his pro day measurements. He also has respectable bloodlines, as the son of former NFL running back Fred Taylor.

Negatives: He shows below-average cutback vision both behind the line and in the open field, and will sometimes run into his own blockers. He is easier to tackle before he breaks through the line, and he doesn’t seem strong enough to break arm tackles until he gets a head of steam. He is also a little hesitant through the line, and doesn’t take advantage of his burst. Generally below-average hands and concentration – drops easy once and also has some trouble extending far from his body. Sometimes runs off balance while he is making cuts. Has some trouble tracking over his outside shoulder. Small hands. Below-average track speed for the position. Below-average vertical leap and broad jump for the position. Below-average ability to change directions with burst in pro day measurements. Below-average upper-body strength.

Pre-Draft Projection: Round 5. To me, he looks more like a free agent prospect, but I’m hearing a lot of people like him a lot more than I do. He does have the bloodline and enough athleticism to contribute, though.

Vikings, UDFA.

Postseason Events: Shrine Game.

Positives: Adequate height for the position. While making moves, he continues to move forward to eat up space. Fair cutback vision. Fair stiff arm. Above-average track and game speed and burst – is able to push it outside. Okay balance after contact. Doesn’t waste much motion going sideways, and is pretty decisive behind the line – will make one cut and go. Above-average hands and can extend and go low for passes. Seems to have a strong lower body and is able to run through contact low on his body. Agility has improved over his career, and he can spin away from contact. Shows some patience in the open field and will follow his blockers. Over his college career, he has become slightly more dynamic behind the line. Keeps his balance pretty well through contact and will pinball through the line. Very good ability to change directions with burst in pro day tests. Above-average vertical leap and broad jump for the position.

Negatives: Slightly below-average bulk and below-average hand size for the position. Below-average lateral quickness in pro day tests, and it also showed when he tried to jump cut in games. Runs too upright through the line. Not very dynamic as a running back. Will cut block often rather than meeting defenders with leverage. Gets caught off balance as a pass protector when he tries to slide laterally. Suspect ball security technique through the line. Weak upper body.

Projection: Round 7-Undrafted free agent.