Dynasty Draftnik

All-Star Games: Last-day addition to the Dream Bowl.

Positives: Adequate height for the position. Above-average cutback vision, lateral quickness, speed, and change-of-direction quickness. Elusive in the open field, and has good open-field vision. Patient and sets up blockers. Adequate power, though he needs to keep his feet moving. Keeps his balance fairly well after contact. Solid run blocker when he can just plow ahead.

Negatives: Below-average bulk for the position. Sometimes is too hesitant on inside runs. Suspect ball security when making moves, and he doesn’t always keep the ball tucked. Below-average hands and concentration, and will turn upfield before securing ball. Below-average balance making big cuts. Seems to be too easy to knock off of his feet as a pass protector. Leans into contact rather than driving through.

Projection: UDFA. He should be able to get into some team’s minicamp at least. Maybe longer.

Was a redshirt senior.

Positives: Runs with above-average quickness and burst. Good vision and quickness in the open field and changes directions well. Agile and shows good balance after contact. Surprising power for his size – he keeps his legs churning through contact and lowers his shoulder well to break through arm tackles and get through the line. Plays through the whistle. Makes generally smart decisions as a punt returner. Willing pass blocker and a good blocker on kick returns – is willing to take a hit.

Negatives: Very short 5’5″ height and slight bulk for the position. Seems easy to bring down with solid tackling technique.

Projection: UDFA. Though I don’t expect an NFL career out of him – though maybe as a punt returner – he has the athleticism to succeed somewhere in football.

Positives: Despite his lack of height, he has a solid build. Runs with above-average speed and quickness, and good ability to change direction. Above average cutback vision and is fairly decisive once he decides to cut upfield – is able to dig his foot in the ground and change directions quickly. Runs with good body lean through the line, enabling him to lower his shoulder and tunnel for yards in short-yardage situations. Churns through contact, and breaks arm tackles and consistently drives for extra yards. Surprisingly powerful for his size. Above-average balance after contact and has to be wrapped up to be brought down. Protects the ball well through the line in short yardage. Has above-average hands and can adjust well and hold the ball with the big hit. Elusive in the open field and is hard to get a hold of one-on-one. OK speed. Adequate upper-body strength. Fair pass blocker.

Negatives: Very short for the position, with below-average bulk. Tore the meniscus in his knee in November 2014 and missed a few weeks.

Projection: Round 7. Other than his lack of height, he has very few other flaws in his game. His ceiling is probably along the lines of a Jacquizz Rodgers or Dexter McCluster – not a ton of fantasy upside, but could fill a nice complementary role on a team.

Junior who has declared for the 2015 NFL draft.

Positives: Runs with above-average speed and burst. Good quickness and cutback vision on runs and kickoff returns, and is balanced while making moves. Pretty good body lean through the line to push through arm tackles. Has the quickness and balance to make dramatic cuts in the open field. Quick feet. Good balance after contact. Has generally good hands and body control, and adjusts very well to off-target passes – can come down with a pass while spinning.

Negatives: Short and slight for the position. More of an outside runner/receiver than an inside runner, and he is a little hesitant behind the line in short-yardage situations. Though usually very balanced when making cuts, he will slip off his feet at times when he doesn’t keep his feet squared underneath him. Below-average pass blocker who gets in the way but doesn’t really slow anyone down. Suspect decisions as a kick returner, and almost fielded a kick out of bounds in 2013 bowl game.

Projection: Round 7.

Was a redshirt senior.

Positives: Versatile – converted linebacker with good fullback size. Runs with good body lean and very good power – churning his legs very well through contact and running over smaller defenders. Good second effort in short-yardage situations. Consistently falls forward for extra yards after contact. Keeps his balance well through contact. Protects the ball very well through contact. Okay hands and can extend slightly for passes away from his body, though he was seldom used as a receiver. Pretty decisive in the open field.

Negatives: Pretty strictly a downhill runner and not effective on outside runs. Runs with below-average speed, burst, and lateral quickness. Poor ability to change directions and seldom even looks like he tries to. Needs to run with his feet underneath him more so he doesn’t just fall off of his feet with contact. Seems to consistently slow himself down in the backfield trying to make cuts, and looks like he should just plow ahead and use his power. Had undisclosed injury in August 2014 and missed first game.

Projection: UDFA.

Cousin of Bears running back Matt Forte.

Positives: Runs with above-average long speed, quickness, and burst. Good cutback vision and moves very well laterally. Is patient behind the line, but also decisive, and has enough burst to get through the line quickly. Above-average hands. Agile. Is nimble on the sidelines. Quick feet. Protects the ball through the line and through traffic. Is a decisive runner who is able to run behind his pads, churn very well through contact, and maintain his balance well after contact. Adequate run blocker.

Negatives: Get slowed down a lot when he is in traffic. Though he keeps his feet moving well and balanced after contact, he doesn’t generate a lot of power. Below-average ball security while fighting for yards.

Projection: UDFA.

Positives: Runs with adequate speed and above-average burst. Above-average quickness, and changes directions well. Shows good cutback vision behind the line and in the open field and has the good lateral quickness to jump-cut for a better running lane. Runs with a good, balanced  body lean and is able to maintain his balance well after contact – keeping his legs churning for extra yards. Is pretty decisive in short-yardage situations despite his lack of size. Very good effort for extra yards in the red zone. Gets low through the line. Tracks the ball well over the inside shoulder. His size makes him hard for defenders to locate behind the line. Protects the ball well through the line with both hands. Pretty fearless fielding punts.

Negatives: Very short and slight for the position, and seems to get easily swallowed up behind the line of scrimmage. Though confident while fielding punts, he consistently makes questionable decisions and has unreliable hands on punt returns. Needs to get set up before fielding punts. Suspect decisions as a pass blocker and will commit himself too early to a position where a defender is not going to break through – though he probably lacks the size to be a consistent pass protector in the pros, anyway. Injured left knee in December 2014 practices and missed the bowl game.

Projection: UDFA.

Was a redshirt senior.

Positives: Very sudden runner who runs stronger than his size. Runs with above-average speed and quickness. Above-average power – churning his feet well through contact and breaking through arm tackles. Runs with good body lean, and gets low through the line. Also runs with good balance after contact and stays upright for extra yards. Good cutback vision and ability to change direction both behind the line and in the open field, and follows his blockers well. Has adequate hands and body control, and can adjust to reel in off-target passes. Nice agility and can be creative in the open field – continuing to gain yards without stopping his momentum. Adequate run blocker and a strong downfield blocker. Is also on punt block team and blocked a punt in 2013 bowl game.

Negatives: Below-average height and thin body. Below-average upper-body strength. Not as effective running between the tackles as he is running outside. Lacks decisiveness in short-yardage situations. Below-average ball security and holds low through the line.

Projection: UDFA.